Great news! After many months of searching, Jarvis has found a new legal team. Kirkland & Ellis LLP, a leading international law firm, will now be representing Jarvis Jay Masters pro bono in his federal habeas proceedings and other post-conviction proceedings.
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A new edition of Jarvis’ first book, Finding Freedom, will be released on July 14, 2020 by Shambhala Publications. The reissue includes a recent foreword from Ven. Pema Chödrön and several previously unpublished pieces by Jarvis. It is available on preorder now at a variety of online retailers.
Read MoreWhile the release and following book tour of David Sheff’s The Buddhist on Death Row has now been postponed until August 4, a new iHeartRadio original podcast, "Dear Governor," —about Jarvis Masters’ legal case —is still slated for an early May release.
Read MoreThe California Anti-Death Penalty Coalition organized a Lobby Day in Sacramento on March 11, 2020, and invited Jarvis to issue a statement for the event’s press conference. Jarvis’ statement honed in on a racial disparity often overlooked: the underrepresentation of racial minorities within the legal professions—and the devastating effects on defendants of color.
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After 200 visits to death row, 150 hours of recorded interviews, and countless hours of phone conversation over the course of 3 years, journalist David Sheff has now completed his memoir on Jarvis Jay Masters. The Buddhist on Death Row: How One Man Found Light in the Darkest Place (Simon & Schuster) will be released on May 5, 2020. It is now available on pre-order here.
Read MoreABC News Radio continues its coverage on the death penalty, interviewing longtime leading abolitionist Sister Helen Prejean on her latest memoir, River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey. Sister Helen weighs in on Jarvis’ recent hunger strike, his Buddhist practice, and sense of agency.
Read More2020 bears good news. We’re happy to report that Jarvis has now lifted his hunger strike, a week after starting his second round of fasting. Upon meeting with San Quentin authorities on January 6, Warden Ron Davis assured Jarvis he would personally look into the issues at hand, namely the complete return of Jarvis’ three boxes of legal materials as well as a review of the policies and procedures regarding publishing inmates’ legal cases in the San Quentin News.
Read MoreJarvis' legal case has just been featured on the Injustice Watch website. His is the 19th in a series, "Unrequited Innocence," which looks at cases where people were sentenced to die and have not been exonerated despite significant evidence of innocence. Read the article by John Seasly here.
Read MoreToday marks one year since the passing of celebrated Tibetan monk and human rights advocate Venerable Palden Gyatso. The Jarvis Journal is featuring a reflective piece Jarvis wrote last year upon hearing the news of Palden Gyatso’s departure. A political prisoner who was tortured in Tibet for 33 years, Palden Gyatso escaped into exile in 1992 and traveled the world bearing witness and championing Tibetan freedom. His extraordinary story of suffering and endurance is captured in his autobiography and a documentary, both titled “Fire Under the Snow.” As Jarvis undergoes his current hunger strike, he pays homage to those who have inspired him.
Read MoreUrgent Action Requested: On November 14, 2019, Jarvis returned to his cell from a routine legal visit to discover that it had been completely ravaged by correctional officers. Three box boxes of legal papers were taken and his personal belongings (food, toiletries, CD’s, and books, including “Finding Freedom”) were torn apart and strewn all over, with some items tossed in the toilet. No explanation was given from authorities.
Read MoreJarvis will be sending in a voice recording of his thoughts about the current abolition movement. The free public event is co-organized by the local San Francisco chapter of Amnesty International, Death Penalty Focus, and the Criminal Justice Department at San Francisco State University.
Read MoreIn early 2018, the ACLU of Northern California and Jarvis joined Witness to Innocence, the nation’s only organization made entirely of death row exonerees, in challenging California’s lethal injection protocols.
Read MoreThe CA Supreme Court has affirmed Jarvis Masters’ conviction and death sentence and now his case proceeds to the federal level.
Read MoreThe Jarvis Journal will feature Jarvis’ latest, unpublished writings. This first entry is an excerpt from “Faced with a Twenty-Dollar Bill,” an essay which reflects on the U.S. government’s decision to feature Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. In light of the recent delays for its release, Jarvis weighs in on the controversy and ponders its symbolic significance.
Read MoreThe article, titled "Unrequited Innocence in U.S. Capital Cases: Unintended Consequences of the Fourth Kind," profiles 25 death row inmates with cases of compelling innocence.
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