Recently had an interview about the effects of solitary confinement on Evan Ebel, who killed DOC director Tom Clements. The Channel 9 reporter, Jace Larson, seemed very caring — and thorough — tracking down Ebel’s experiences as a teen in a camp for troubled kids. Even then solitary was a part of Ebel’s life. We [...]
Mom who kills helpless baby gets less time in prison than child who kills abusive parents. In the hierarchy of crimes, obviously babies have less value than adults. And, the press will dwell on the mother’s problems – as if that is an excuse – and say there is no excuse for a child who [...]
I am an all or nothing kind of person. Many of us are. We are going to either lose 10 pounds in a week or forget it. Run all the bums out of office or not bother to vote. Clean the house from top to bottom – or never wash the dishes. At least that’s [...]
One of the comments I hear most often about our guys is “Isn’t it a shame they’ll never be in a relationship?” Meaning they’re locked up for life and can’t have sex so… well, what else is there to say? Or if they do have a girlfriend or a fiance or a wife, “What is [...]
One of the meanest women I ever met was my mother-in-law, Dorothy Johnson. (No pseudonyms here. She’s dead and I’m divorced and long ago ceased being concerned about blowback.) Dorothy was a Texas woman, superficially charming and friendly with an open smile and a ready laugh. But for some reason she liked people to know [...]
04/18/2013 For many of us who advocate for criminal justice, juvenile justice and prison reform, the battle has been long and unending. We have met with lawmakers, approached medical experts, spoken with judges, prison officials and gathered as much information as possible. There are hundreds of strong reports published over the last ten years that [...]
A list of rappers and stars, including Russell Simmons, LL Cool J, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Kim Kardashian, and many more, have written an open letter to President Obama to ask that he ease the nation’s drug policy. They also ask that prison policy be changed, too. “During your presidency you have made important steps and [...]
04/17/2013 re-posted from the FREEJONNY Blog – written by Bonnie Young A few months ago there was hope for juveniles who have been sentenced to Juvenile Life Without Parole or the equivalent too a life sentence. Legislation was being crafted to undo the harsh, cruel and unusual punishment of life sentences for juveniles. Colorado was [...]
At present, five bills have been introduced in the Massachusetts state legislature, three of which comply with the Miller v. Alabama ruling. The media will likely influence the outcome of these reform bills by either upholding or threatening the integrity and effectiveness of public debate. For this reason, we aim to promote productive, unprejudiced coverage [...]
04/10/2013 Around the end of March, in another landmark, hasty and cowardly decision, the Colorado legislature decided to table the proposed bill to abolish the death penalty in Colorado. After 9 hours of testimony, and strong legislative support, our Governor stated that he was not in support of the bill and therefore it was tabled. [...]