Rochester, NY
Juma Sampson grew up in Rochester, New York — a city that has long struggled with poverty, crime, and systemic neglect. Like many young men from his neighborhood, Juma found himself caught up in the streets at an early age. At 23 years old, he was arrested on federal drug charges and sentenced to 25 years in federal prison under the now-infamous 100:1 crack-to-powder cocaine sentencing disparity — a policy that disproportionately devastated Black communities across America.
19 Years Behind Bars
What happened next is what separates Juma Sampson from almost everyone else. While most people would have allowed the prison system to consume them, Juma made a decision. He was going to use every single day to build something. He educated himself. He read voraciously. He studied business, publishing, and entrepreneurship from inside a cell. He wrote his first novel — against prison rules — and then figured out how to get it published. He founded C.H.A.O.S. Publishing while still incarcerated, and began helping other inmates get their own work published. He taught self-publishing classes. He co-wrote a novel with Roc-A-Fella Records rapper Beanie Sigel. He created a company from nothing, in a place designed to take everything from you.
The 100:1 Ratio
The 100:1 crack-to-powder cocaine sentencing disparity was one of the most unjust policies in American criminal history. Under this law, it took 100 times the amount of powder cocaine to trigger the same mandatory minimum sentence as crack cocaine. Since crack was more prevalent in Black communities and powder cocaine in white communities, the effect was a systematic destruction of an entire generation of Black men. Juma was one of them. He served nearly 19 years before being released in 2019 — years after the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 reduced the disparity to 18:1, but with no retroactive relief for those already serving time.
Coming Home
When Juma walked out of federal prison in 2019, he did not come home broken. He came home with a plan. He launched C.H.A.O.S. Clothing — a streetwear brand built on the acronym Creating History Amongst Our Society. He continued building his publishing company. He mentored returning citizens. He became a voice for criminal justice reform. And now, he is releasing his most important work yet: The Entrepreneurial Mindset of a Felon — a blueprint for anyone who has been underestimated, overlooked, or written off by the system.
What C.H.A.O.S. Means
C.H.A.O.S. is not just a brand name. It is a philosophy. Creating History Amongst Our Society means that no matter where you come from, no matter what the system has done to you, you have the power to write your own chapter. Juma built his company from a prison cell. He published books without access to the internet. He built a clothing line without startup capital. If he could do that, what is your excuse? C.H.A.O.S. is for the people who refuse to accept the story that was written for them.
"The full story — the lessons, the mindset, the blueprint — is in the book. If you have ever felt like the system was built to keep you out, this book was written for you."
"I was not going to let them define me. I was going to define myself."
— Juma Sampson
AS FEATURED IN
Democrat & Chronicle · Sentencing Project · Ian Bick Podcast