Juvenile Law Center Files Commutation Petition on Behalf of Jamie Silvonek
The children's rights nonprofit, which has fought for over a decade for Jamie Silvonek, seeks commutation of her 35 years to life sentence
PHILADELPHIA, PA (September 2, 2025) — On May 30, 2025 Juvenile Law Center submitted a commutation petition to the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons on behalf of Jamie Silvonek, 24, of Upper Macungie Township, PA. If the Board recommends commutation, it will go to Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA) for final decision.
Silvonek was 14 years old when her abusive 20-year-old boyfriend killed her mother. She was charged in adult court for her involvement in the murder, and the court denied her request to be transferred to juvenile court. Jamie ultimately accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 35 years to life, ten years above the statutory minimum. Jamie is among the youngest women ever incarcerated at SCI Muncy.
Today The Morning Call published an op-ed by Jamie about her commutation request.
Jamie’s commutation petition comes after she has exhausted all other legal avenues. Jamie was represented in post-conviction proceedings by Juvenile Law Center and Holland & Knight.
“Jamie has never denied her involvement in her mother’s killing and has repeatedly acknowledged the grievous loss her death caused, for her family, friends and community. But Jamie was barely 14, on the cusp of adolescence, and was prosecuted as an adult in a system ill-suited to address her individual culpability, emotional and psychological immaturity or her developmental path toward adulthood. With no prior delinquent or criminal record and a sterling academic record at her middle school, Jamie was unjustly denied the opportunity to be treated as the child she was, in the youth justice system,” said Marsha Levick, co-founder and Chief Legal Officer of Juvenile Law Center.
Annie Ruhnke, Director of Mitigation at Youth Sentencing and Reentry Project, said, “Jamie will suffer for the rest of her life for the decisions she made when barely 14 years old, as will the rest of her family. While it's easy to focus only on the tragedy at the center of this case—the loss of Cheryl Silvonek—if there is any hope, it lives within the resiliency and love of Jamie’s family. Their grief over the loss of Cheryl has been multiplied by their loss of Jamie; their forgiveness and fortitude is what we as a society should be striving towards. Though we can’t bring Cheryl back, we can, through the commutation process, bring Jamie home.”
Jamie’s commutation application is accompanied by 20 letters of support for commutation from friends and family, including from her father and maternal grandmother. “With the support of surviving family members, friends and members of her community, Jamie seeks commutation not to absolve her responsibility, but to allow her to live a life outside prison walls where she has vowed to live every day in honor of her mother’s memory. We don’t always have the opportunity to correct the injustices of our so-called justice system, but we hope this petition will prove an exception to that rule. We urge the Board to consider her petition, offer empathy and compassion for her tragic childhood act, and to weigh and appreciate the negative influence wielded by a violent older man. We urge the Governor to consider her petition, and to weigh the impact of the influence an adult man had over her,” said Levick.
Since she has been incarcerated at Muncy, Jamie has completed high school and is completing college courses, published an original book of poetry, authored multiple articles as a selected participant in the rigorous Prison Journalism Project, served as a service dog trainer, and been active in personal and group therapy.
“Jamie’s demonstrated growth and transformation during incarceration, coupled with the concrete and well-structured plans she has developed for her future and the strong support network ready to assist her upon release, make her an ideal candidate for commutation. It is hard to understand, given all this, what purpose another 25 years of incarceration serves,” said Ruhnke.
Marsha Levick, co-founder and Chief Legal Officer of Juvenile Law Center, is available for comment and questions.
