James Jeter and the Fight for Fair Juvenile Sentencing in Connecticut

On the February 10, 2026 episode of Mic Check, host Mike Merli sat down with James Jeter, Co-Founder and Director of Full Citizens Coalition, a non-profit organization here in Connecticut. James was incarcerated at the age of 17 and served 19.5 years in prison before being released in 2016. James is dedicated to the cause of prison education and has sought opportunities to apply his own experience to benefit those still incarcerated or returning home.

James and Full Citizens Coalition are part of the Coalition for Community Healing Through Justice Reform, which has been working hard to pass an important piece of Juvenile Justice legislation at the state capitol in Hartford during this legislative session.

An important press conference on this bill will be taking place tomorrow, Wednesday February 11 at 10am in Room 1-C at the Legislative Office Building, or LOB, located at 300 Capitol Avenue in Hartford.

For more on Full Citizens Coalition:
https://www.fullcitizenscoalition.org/
[e-mail]

To connect with the campaign behind the new Juvenile Sentencing Reform legislation being proposed at the state legislature:
[e-mail]

What is Mic Check?

WPKN’s ½-hour weekly public affairs and community discussion program. Our diverse roster of hosts presents a wide range of topics for discussion: focusing on global, national, and regional issues and their effect on the local Connecticut community. Just as the phrase “Mic Check” was used to mobilize people to create a human microphone during the Occupy Movement, this weekly program will amplify our local community’s many concerns and voices and bring them to the air-waves.