Alfonzo Riley

I was granted clemency in 2018 after serving more than 30 years of a 50-years-to-life in prison sentence. Shortly after my release, I was able to put my many years of teaching legal research to use by working as a paralegal case handler in the Wrongful Conviction Unit at The Legal Aid Society. In summer 2024, I was promoted to Director of Paralegal Services. I am a certified "Credible Messenger," which means I use the experiences of my own humble beginnings to mentor youth. I am a volunteer chess instructor for a nonprofit organization in Brooklyn, NY, where I teach life skills to young people, using chess as a metaphor for life (while incarcerated I was an avid correspondence chess player). I expect to begin law school in fall 2024 to fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a lawyer.