An increasing number of American citizens have been questioned, detained, and even deported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as a result of databases that incorrectly identify them as undocumented immigrants. According to the New York Times, “Detentions of citizens are part of the widening impact on
By Christopher Zoukis On March 12, 2013, USA Today ran an opinion piece entitled “Drivers Aren’t High, Still Busted for DUI.” This editorial, authored by EJ Montini, presented a very troubling situation which is repeating itself time and time again in numerous cities across the country. Simply stated, persons who have utilized drugs — say, marijuana —
Prisoners who copy “arguably inflammatory” or “incendiary” passages from the books they check out from a prison library or are allowed to purchase are not entitled to rely on the First Amendment to protect them from disciplinary punishment, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held on August 2, 2012. In dismissing Wisconsin
In the last week, several intriguing articles and editorials have been published concerning the Supreme Court’s landmark 1963 decision in Gideon v. Wainwright and the fundamental Sixth Amendment right to counsel in criminal proceedings. The New York Times ran the story “The Right to Counsel: Badly Battered at 50,” and USA Today ran both the
By Mike Brodheim and Alex Friedmann With seven facilities that house from 15,000 to 18,000 prisoners, Los Angeles County’s jail system is the nation’s largest – and, arguably, among the most dangerous in terms of staff-on-prisoner violence. The jail system, operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), is facing an investigation by the
Christopher Scott, Johnnie Lindsey, and Billy Smith all have something in common. They are among more than 40 other Dallas citizens exonerated from extensive sentences imposed on them for crimes they had nothing to do with. Combined, the trio has served 63 years of their lives behind prison walls. For the past 36 years, Dallas,
The other day a friend asked me a question. The question was, “What does the future of the battle for prisoners’ rights look like?” To this, I responded that the battleground will most likely revolve around the First Amendment; that we, as prisoner rights advocates, would have to fight for the staples of the freedom
Dianne-Frazee Walker The sentencing amelioration organization, Injustice Anywhere, has created a petition for Bill Ferguson to free his son, Ryan Ferguson. Prior to 2001, Ryan Ferguson had a clean criminal record, but after a jury trial in 2005, Ferguson was convicted of a murder he claims he did not commit. Ferguson was charged with murdering
Dianne Frazee-Walker Ten years ago, when Brian Banks was a 16-year-old high school student, his freedom was cut short because of a false allegation. Banks had just agreed to sign on to play football at Southern Cal because Coach Pete Carroll had his eye on the Long Beach Poly High School star linebacker. Instead, he
Through his tears Louis Taylor could hardly speak when he was interviewed by CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker after being freed from prison after 40-years for something he did not do. “How did this happen?” exclaimed Taylor. “We live in a country that is supposed to have the best criminal justice system in the world.”
In 1970 Taylor was only 16 years old when he was accused and convicted of 29 counts of murder. How did this happen? Taylor was working at the Pioneer Hotel in Tucson when the building perished in a fire that killed 29 people. Originally, Taylor was regarded as a hero because he rescued people from the burning hotel. Taylor is a trained medical technician so in an emergency his training to save lives took over, but he believes because he is African American his status quickly went from hero to criminal.
Taylor was charged with 29 counts of murder and spent 40 years behind bars for a crime he claims he “did not do.”
Thanks to 60 minutes Investigation, Arizona Justice Project, and his legal team, Taylor is now a free man. Even though a shoddy investigation and racial bias was uncovered, Taylor had to take a plea bargain of “no contest” to 28 counts of murder before being released from prison, but the plea was no bargain for Taylor. He was forced into the plea agreement to avoid a retrial. The Pima County prosecutor said, “His release doesn’t mean exoneration. His conviction still stands.”