Author: Alan Bean

Spotlight on Medgar Evers

June 9, 2011 · 2 Comments ·

By Chelsea Zamora

As Friends of Justice prepares for our Civil Rights Tour in the Mississippi Delta, we are spotlighting some of the civil rights activists that have helped change the future for African Americans and minorities across the United States. Medgar Evers, Mississippi NAACP field secretary and civil rights martyr, heads the list.

Medgar Evers was born on July 2, 1925 in Decatur Mississippi. He grew up on a small farm with his parents and five siblings. While Evers was still young, several of his close friends were lynched, a devastating experience for the local black community. Yet this tragedy made Evers even more determined to finish school, a rare achievement for African Americans in Mississippi. (more…)

Tough on crime; tougher on education

June 9, 2011 · 1 Comment ·

By Chelsea Zamora

High school graduates have recently been walking across the stage, receiving their diplomas, and preparing to leave home for the first time. While this is true for some, a good number of students are staying at home and receiving their education from local community colleges.

While many factors play into why one chooses community college, cost plays a major role, especially in low income families. According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, community college is less than half the cost of attending a regular university, with students saving money on things like tuition and housing expenses. Between the years 2000-2007, there was a 31% increase in students attending a two year college, compared to a 19.9% increase in students attending public universities in Texas. This shows how rapidly the community college system has been expanding. (more…)

Majority of recent federal inmates are Latino

June 9, 2011 ·

By Alec Goodwin

On May 7, The United States Sentencing Commission released some surprisingly unsurprising statistics. According to the commission, we’re locking up far too many Latinos because of immigration crimes. Almost half of all federal felony convictions come from Latinos now, with 16% of the prison population being Latino. Many would argue that the convictions would be drug or violence related, but studies show now that that’s not the case. In 1991, 60% of Latinos convicted of federal offenses were put away for drug related crimes and 20% were put away for immigration related crimes. Now, that number is nearly reversed, with 37% being drug crimes and 48% being immigration crimes.

There are so many convictions because of speedy hearings where immigrants are tried and convicted en masse. They simply plead guilty and are immediately placed in prison. Thousands are being placed in prison each year because of this process. (more…)

European Union supports commutation for Troy Davis

June 9, 2011June 9, 2011 · 3 Comments ·

: Baronness Catherine Ashton

By Alan BeanNo one was particularly surprised when Jesse Jackson called on the state of Georgia to commute the death sentence against Troy Davis. Now the European Union is going to bat for Davis. According to the Canadian Press, the EU is concerned that an innocent man may soon be scheduled for execution.

Popes and former presidents have previously gone to bat for Mr. Davis and this isn’t the first time the European Union has expressed its concerns about the case. International outrage over this case is understandable–the United States is the only western democracy that uses the death penalty. It’s a key ingredient of what Sarah Palin calls “that American exceptionalism”. (more…)

Publication Bias

June 3, 2011 · 1 Comment ·

By Chaka Holley

A recent news headline read “Brandon Ross Charged With Murder After Police Fatally Shoot 15-Year-Old Companion”. Shocked, many re-read the headline for clarity.

On Wednesday May 27, 2011, 16 year old, Brandon Ross and 15 year old, Tatoiun Williams allegedly stole a man’s wallet and iPod at gun point. When the police caught up with the teenagers, Williams reportedly had a gun in his hand. The police officer shot the young man, killing him.

Although, Williams was killed by the officer, Ross is charged with murder, “the unlawful killing of another human being with “malice aforethought“.” Stunned by the charge against Ross, many have commented on articles and blog posts reporting the story. A large portion of the comments display sympathy for Ross and lament for Williams, but others favor the legal charges against Ross. (more…)

Will lowered federal penalties for crack cocaine be retroactive?

June 3, 2011June 3, 2011 ·

By Victoria Frayre

Imagine being sentenced to prison for life for possession of crack cocaine and then one day being given the possibility of a reduced sentence or possibly even an eventual release. How would this change your life and the lives of your family and friends?

This could be an eventual reality for thousands of prisoners currently serving disproportionately longer sentences for possession of crack cocaine as compared to those caught with powder cocaine. (more…)

To the surprise of no one . . .

June 3, 2011 · 2 Comments ·

By Alec Goodwin

The Global Commission on Drug Policy is calling the war on drugs a complete and utter failure.

Finally, someone has the spine to admit what everyone has known for years; that the war on drugs has been a costly, deadly fiasco.

The report, which was prepared by former world leaders and UN members such as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the former leaders of Mexico, Colombia and
Brazil, and the entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, soundly condemns the war on drugs as ineffective, wasting millions of taxpayer dollars and leading to rampant drug crime and death. The report is intensely critical of the United States, where we’re less concerned than other nations about treating drug addicts and users and more concerned about punishing them. According to the report, America lacks the courage to admit in public that our methods have been ineffective and counterproductive. (more…)

Banning Books in Prison

June 3, 2011June 3, 2011 · 3 Comments ·

By Chaka Holley

Many were shocked when Gary Indiana, a decaying city with a population of 100,000, announced the closing of the city’s main library. Due to budget cuts, the library board voted 4-3 to close the bankrupted city’s main branch. The public response was not in favor of this decision. For many, the public library was their only access to books and other resources.

Gary is not alone; prisons are also limiting access to reading materials. These limits are not due to budget cuts however, but to prohibition. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing South Carolina’s Berkeley County Jail for prohibiting all books outside of the Bible. In Connecticut, the department of corrections is following suit. Similarly, other prisons around the country are also under scrutiny for banning books. (more…)

Should reformers jump on the small government bandwagon?

June 3, 2011June 3, 2011 · 2 Comments ·

By Alan Bean

The talking heads say that federal and state governments are hamstrung by the debt crisis. Most criminal justice reformers have decided to make the most of a bad situation. State and federal governments can’t afford to lock up so many people, the argument goes, because there is no money in the bank.

Short-term, this is probably a good strategy. Governments are drowning in debt and mass incarceration is gobbling up an ever-increasing slice of tax revenues. In the long run, however, the “we can’t afford to pay for mass incarceration” arguments won’t work. (more…)