Posts Tagged ‘Legal’
Crack Disparity Lobbyists in Washington
Breaking News!
Advocates for fairer crack cocaine sentencing laws came out by the hundreds to lobby on Capital Hill on May 1st. And, the Obama Administration listened.
For 23 years sentencing for crack cocaine offenses has been markedly harsher than sentencing for powder cocaine offenses. Advocates for crack cocaine sentencing reform claim that this disparity has a racial component to it – effectively sending astronomically high numbers of black males to jail.
Read more about the campaign to end the Crack Cocaine sentencing disparity, and the hearing that took place on May 1st.
Posted by hcdmedia
Fairer Drug Sentencing
The Crack the Disparity campaign has taken off this month to advocate to reform our country’s sentencing disparity for crack vs. powder cocaine.
Be informed and read more about advocating for fairer sentencing through the ACLU:
Check out for the campaign’s latest newsletter at crackthedisparity.com
Read more about the ACLU’s advocacy efforts for fairer sentencing.
Posted by hcdmedia
Innocent People are in Prison
How many innocent men and women are sitting in American prisons today? Imagine sitting in a prison cell for 15 years for a crime you didn’t commit.
That’s what happened to Joseph Fears Jr.
In 1984 Joseph was convicted of a rape that he didn’t commit. In 2009 DNA testing proved that he was innocent. He was exonerated March 10, 2009.
Joseph might have been in jail for another 15 years if the Innocence Project had not taken on his case. The Innocence Project is a legal clinic committed to assisting prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA testing. To this day 237 people have been exonerated through the Innocence Project.
Keep up to date with their work. Visit the Innocence Project website.
Posted by hcdmedia
Wrongful conviction
There are different legal resources prisoners who claim to be wrongfully convicted can pursue. One highly effective organization is the Center on Wrongful Convictions. This organization is associated with the law school at Northwestern University and its goal is to identify and rectify wrongful convictions nationwide.
To do this, the lawyers at the center provide representation, research, and community services to the wrongfully accused and their families. Visit the Center on Wrongful Convictions website.
Posted by hcdmedia