Release Efforts

How can Larry Hoover be Released?

According to the US laws, murder is a state crime and illegal selling of drugs is a federal crime and Larry Hoover has been convicted of both. Larry Hoover is imprisoned at ADX Supermax, Florence, Colorado with 150 to 200 years sentence for murder and 6 life sentences for his drug related federal offences.

Earliest possible release date of Larry Hoover for his murder sentence of 150 to 200 years is April 25, 2063. Hoover’s age then would be 112 years. He will then, if he is alive, be handed over to Federal Bureau of Prisons for his six life sentences for drug related federal crimes. Six life sentences under the federal laws means that he will never ever be released. While Hoover’s federal convictions for drug related offences can technically be revisited under the new federal criminal justice reforms, his state conviction for murder cannot be appealed against in a court of law. Despite all these ground realities in place there are some theoretical possibilities of his release.

One possible way for Larry Hoover to be released from prison is to get clemency from both the federal government, specifically from the President of US, and the state government of Illinois, involving the Governor. This is possible but highly unlikely. In 2018, rap singer Kanye “Ye” West met the President Trump to get clemency for Larry Hoover but President Trump denied.

If Hoover is granted parole by the Prison Review Board of Illinois he will then be handed to the Federal Bureau of Prison for his six life terms for the federal crimes. So that is not effectively a release. All of Larry Hoover’s previous requests for parole so far have been declined by the Prison Review Board. The chances of parole seem likely only if Larry Hoover becomes old and frail, and mentally incapable of running or directing any criminal enterprise. 

He can also be released from prison for his federal crimes on compassionate grounds and get home confinement under the First Step Act provision for the elderly inmates. Under the First Step Act, he can also be released in case of terminal illness.

Another possible way for him is to get his drug related sentences commuted under the First Step Act. Larry Hoover has already made two appeals under the Act. His first appeal was turned down by Justice Leinenweber in July 2021. Hoover made a second appeal in July 2022 but Justice Leinenweber took no action for almost 2 years and later died on June 11, 2024. The US District Judge John Blakey took up Hoover’s appeal and court hearings are currently under way.

Anyway, in case of his release on federal charges he will still have to get relief in murder sentence from the Governor or the Prisoner Review Board of Illinois.

Larry Hoover’s First Appeal under First Step Act

The First Step Act is a way to challenge extremely long sentences for federal drug offences. In his first appeal, under the First Step Act for release from the federal life sentence Larry Hoover claimed that serving time in prison had left him a changed man and alleged that prosecutors had unfairly painted him as a puppet master in an attempt to keep him in prison. In the appeal he again renounced his violent criminal past and claimed that he was no longer affiliated with the Gangster Disciples.

In a 19 page order released on July 6, 2021, Judge Harry Leinenweber turned down Larry Hoover’s appeal, calling him “one of the most notorious criminals in Illinois history”.

Despite writing that Hoover’s sentence at the maximum-security prison was “particularly grim,” the judge said he was concerned about “an active risk of harm” if Hoover was freed. Following are some excerpts from his judgment:

“Hoover is renowned and celebrated to this day by the Gangster Disciples.”

“To the extent that any one person can deter another to commit crimes, Hoover’s life imprisonment symbolically demonstrates that the rule of law reaches even those in power who seem untouchable.”

Leinenweber told Hoover that the charisma he used to gain the loyalty of thousands was proof that he could have been a great man.

“You misused a great gift that you received from God.”

Justice Leinenweber said to Hoover as he rejected the appeal

Although Larry Hoover’s appeal was declined, the judge gave him the room to appeal a second time again.

Larry Hoover’s Second Appeal under the First Step Act

On July 6, 2022 Larry Hoover appealed for the second time under the First Step Act. Attorney Jennifer Bonjean, who had previously been attorney of R. Kelly and Bill Cosby, helped him in filing against his sentence.

Larry Hoover wrote two letters to the U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber and the public (one of the two letters: pic.twitter.com/Jfw65ftd3V). Larry Hoover wrote, he was “no longer the Larry Hoover people sometimes talk about, or he who is written about in the papers, or the crime figure described by the government.”

“I have long since renounced my association with any and all criminal organizations and their membership,” Hoover wrote.

He acknowledged being anecdotally aware that some misguided people held him as a symbol and wished that this were not so. “Regardless, these people are apart from me and do what they do with zero encouragement or direction from me,” Hoover wrote. “To be clear, if I had any ability to influence them, I’d ask that they’d forget me and forsake the gang life forever.”

Larry Hoover acknowledged that he took responsibility for his past, adding further that he “was lost in an enduring pattern of criminality those many years ago.” He also wrote, “I have long since renounced my association with any and all criminal organizations and their membership.”

“I am no longer a member, leader, or even an elder statesman of the Gangster Disciples,” Hoover wrote. “I want nothing to do with it now and forever.”

Justice Leinenweber took no action on Larry Hoover’s second appeal for sentence reconsideration later died on June 11, 2024.

US District Judge John Blakey on July 23, 2024 set the date of September 26, 2024 for Larry Hoover to be presented in person in his court on September 26, 2024. Later on the judge decided to conduct the hearing through video link instead citing “logistical and safety concerns.” It was the first time Larry Hoover appeared in public in more than 25 years and pleaded for resentence of his federal sentences under the First Step Act. The next hearing is expected sometime in October, 2024.

There is a glimmer of hope for Larry Hoover and his supporters with this new development.

Kanye “Ye” West’s Efforts for Release of Larry Hoover

Popular rap singer from Chicago, Kanye “Ye” West has been at the forefront in efforts to get Larry Hoover released. Both Ye and Larry Hoover belong to Chicago and that undoubtedly is the reason for Ye’s interest in Larry Hoover’s case. Ye met the then US President Donald Trump on October 11, 2018 to press for presidential pardon for the release of Larry Hoover. President Trump did not comply.

Kanye joined hands with former rival and popular rapper Drake to hold a concert on December 9, 2021 at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California titled Free Larry Hoover Concert. Prior to the concert they both had a long running feud for over a decade. J. Prince and Larry Hoover’s son Larry Hoover Jr. also played a role in their reconciliation and the end of the beef. The concert was a huge success. It was attended by over 70,000 people, and was live streamed by Amazon Prime Video.

According to his son Larry Hoover, Jr., Hoover Sr. was concerned that the concert might affect him negatively because it showed his influence. According to Tyree Hoover, Larry Hoover Sr. was informed about the concert only a few days before it was held and he had disapproved of the move.

In his recent collaboration album Vultures, Kanye “Ye” West advocated for Hoover’s release in the song titled River. The song contains the line “Free Larry, free Young Thug”.

Federal Government’s Efforts to Stop the Release of Larry Hoover

The federal prosecutors openly argue that Larry Hoover is a threat to society even from the ADX Maximum Security Prison where he is kept in solitary confinement. They cite from the court documents presented in the 2021 case against Gangster Disciples Anthony Dobbins, Warren Griffin and others. According to the documents Hoover had secretly communicated with Anthony Dobbins in 2015 via coded messages. The court documents also alleged that Dobbins and Griffin discussed in 2014 how Hoover had appointed them both as the top officials of his gang to run the operations.

In 2020, federal prosecutors made the details of Hoover’s disciplinary violations public in an effort to keep him from getting a break on his life sentence. According to the prosecutors, in one violation in 1999 Hoover was caught on video restraining one inmate while another punched him in the face and torso for eight minutes. As a result of the attack, Hoover was punished with loss of commissary for 120 days and segregation for 60 days.

Should Larry Hoover be Released from Prison?

Larry Hoover has made a deep and indelible mark on the gangster culture of Chicago and he remains one of the most prominent figures in the history of organized crime. Incarceration of decades has pacified him and with the passage of time he has increasingly seen violence as needed when completely necessary. He only approved of violence in a very controlled way, and as he got older, he became less and less fond of violence and instead wanted to see young African-Americans lead more dignified and refined lives.

A total of 28 parole hearings have so far been held for Larry Hoover, and in five of them, he chose not to participate. The Prison Review Board of Illinois has repeatedly denied parole to Larry Hoover every single time, citing fears that parole release would not be in the interest of public safety. It has been the consistent stance of the Board that “there is a substantial risk that Hoover would not conform to reasonable conditions of parole release.” Another recurring reason for denying parole to Hoover is that “it would deprecate the seriousness of his offenses and promote disrespect for the law.”

Larry Hoover’s legacy is one of both criminal notoriety and attempts at community transformation. He is either deeply adored or intensely dreaded, depending on who you ask. He is revered and respected by his lovers and followers but despised and feared by many. For some, he is an exponent of peace and prosperity who has learned from his past mistakes and wants to give back to society, while for others, he is still a monster who hasn’t changed.

The debate over Larry Hoover has also been influenced by his reputation in pop culture as a charismatic leader with a positive influence upon the youth, with some seeing him as a Robin Hood who used his power to benefit his community.

Pro Hoover Arguments

Some people, mostly the low-income African-Americans from Chicago, genuinely consider Larry Hoover as their savior and have lobbied to get him released for his contributions to society. In particular the Gangster Disciples consider him a mythical figure.

Larry Hoover’s supporters argue that he is old and rehabilitated, has renounced criminal activities and has played a role in promoting education of the Gangster Disciples’ members. They also claim that he was handed a far greater sentence than what is usually given for such crimes. They maintain that Larry Hoover’s ethnicity has been the cause of all the prejudice of the justice system. His supporters also claim that people with similar charges were given relief after serving a long sentence.

Anti Hoover Arguments

Despite his claims, many remain skeptical of Larry Hoover’s motives and believe that his statements are a ruse to have his sentence reduced. To the government he is an undisputed cold-hearted ruthless leader of a gang who has a history of ordering people to be killed or injured, and running a huge drug racket not just before he was jailed but also from inside the jail. At the forefront of this argument are the federal attorneys who claim that his sugar-coated sweetness has been a ploy to get out of prison and resume his criminal activities.

Hoover’s detractors also argue that his incarceration has had a positive effect on life in Chicago and other cities by reducing the level of violence and crimes associated with Gangster Disciples.

What do the Experts Say?

Experts in the field of criminology believe that the incarceration of a high-profile gang leader like Larry Hoover can have a disruptive effect on the gang’s organizational structure, leading to increased violence as rival gangs compete for power. The experts on the other hand also say that a big and powerful criminal gang under a strong leadership has the potential to attain the status of a Mafia. They claim that when top tier leadership of a large well organized gang is put behind the bars, the gang disintegrates into several smaller splinter gangs which are less lethal and are easier to manage for the authorities.

Prominent People Who Have Supported the Release of Larry Hoover

Prominent people who have supported the efforts for the release of Larry Hoover include: 

• Wallace “Gator” Bradley (born 1952), Chicago politician 
• Bill Cosby (born 1937), comedian and actor
• Louis Farrakhan (born 1933), the leader of the Nation of Islam
• Larry Hoover Jr. (born 1973), the son of Larry Hoover
• Prince Asiel Ben Israel (1941 – 2022), social activist and Jewish religious leader
• Jesse Jackson (born 1941), civil rights activist and politician
• J. Prince (born 1964), music executive and promoter
• Bobby Rush (born 1946), Former US Congressman 
• Eugene Sawyer (1934 – 2008), the former Mayor of Chicago (1987 – 1989)
• Kanye “Ye” West (born 1977), rap singer

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