By Gavin Boyle
A Tennessee parole board recommended Jelly Roll receive pardons for his past prison convictions, finding him to have fundamentally changed and hoping to offer him more freedom than his past currently allows.
“This was incredible,” Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, said about the board’s unanimous decision, per AP. “I pray this goes through. But today was special for me, regardless.”
If the decision were to be approved, DeFord would have a much easier time performing outside of the U.S. Currently, it takes special forms for him to leave the country which take months of legal work to get through. For this reason, he has performed very few shows abroad, though he hopes he can soon share his message with the world.
“I want to be an inspiration for people who are now where I used to be — to let them know that change is truly possible,” DeFord said during his appeal. “One of the reasons I’m asking for you recommendation for this pardon is because I’m looking to take my message of redemption through the power of music and faith [to] the rest of the world.”
“I’ll still be using this same pardon, God willing, to go do missionary work in my 50s and 60s,” he added, hinting at his great plans for the future.
A year ago, I wrote @GovBillLee asking for a full Pardon for Jason “Jelly Roll” Deford…..today the Board unanimously recommended his Pardon. It’s now in the hands of our Governor. pic.twitter.com/NACZOGW2y0
— Daron Hall (@DaronHall7) April 22, 2025
If the appeal were to go through, DeFord’s name would be wiped of over 40 charges that he served jail time for over the years.
Related: Jelly Roll Declares ‘God Has a Bigger Purpose’ Amid Rising Success
While being able to freely travel abroad would be life changing for DeFord, he is also seeking forgiveness for his own peace, something he has done many times before. Since turning his life around, DeFord has made it a focus to apologize to those he harmed in the past to seek forgiveness for his mistakes.
“I’m rounding third on my amends list, and I think when I get there, I’ll feel a little better. I was hitting some stone walls with people that wouldn’t forgive me, and I was like, ‘God, maybe this has something to do with the fact [that] I haven’t forgiven myself either,” Deford told PEOPLE last December.
“I brush over 10, 12, 15 years of living an extremely crazy, narcissistic, selfish lifestyle in a two-second sentence in an interview. The truth is, there was a lot of pain in there,” Jelly Roll continued. “I hurt a lot of people. No matter much I’ve changed, they still watch and are mad that I’m successful. I understand that. But I’m doing better at letting go of the past and realizing that I don’t owe that part of me anything.”
As he continues to seek amends for his past wrongs, DeFord serves as an amazing example for those who are ashamed of their past, proving that anyone can change and that they don’t have to let their past define who they are today.
Read Next: Jelly Roll Goes to Prison to Share ‘Words of Encouragement and Hope’
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