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January 3, 2009 at 22:15:21
Promoted to Headline (H3) on 1/3/09: by Nancy R. Lockhart (Posted by Rady Ananda) Page 1 of 1 page(s) |
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Jamie and Gladys Scott have been wrongfully convicted for armed robbery and received double life sentences each. No one was murdered or taken to the hospital during this robbery, no one was even injured. The transcripts state that 9, 10 or 11 dollars was stolen. They have been in prison now for 14 years. America turns its head to those who are incarcerated, especially those considered as brutal and thoughtless. The average American believes that the justice system is perfect and would never incarcerate those who are innocent. This line of logic is grossly inconsistent with reality, as thousands of formerly incarcerated inmates have been freed by DNA-evidence only. Our justice system is failing day by day, minute by minute. One wrongful conviction is one-too-many, and numbers are escalating well into the tens of thousands. Adequate legal representation is available to those who are able to pay; those who cannot, however, suffer. Consequently, inadequate legal representation mostly leads to an inevitable unjust verdict. As a legal analyst, I’ve observed the legal processes in depth over the years, and watched those with money, resources and networks receive justice within a system allegedly designed to serve all. I’ve observed the poor and unknowledgeable suffer, as finances, resources, and networks are very limited or void! It is our right under the Constitution to petition our courts for justice. What does this say for a Nation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — Inalienable Rights?
Slavery Is Alive and Flourishing In America
Poor people are enslaved in America’s Prison Industrial Complex. Indigent legal representation unfolds as inexperienced, underpaid and overworked lawyers provide inadequate representation to the poor – resulting in wrongful convictions; thus, enslavement to the prison industrial complex increases. The use of felonious, unethical, and often, illiterate witnesses is an increasing vehicle for wrongful convictions. The financially disempowered are the burden barriers for society’s ills, but those with money and corporate networks never experience this enslavement.
As the poor suffer, prosecutors and law enforcement officers are becoming even more corrupt in their policies. America incarcerates more individuals, especially minorities, than any other nation in the world. Wrongful convictions are on the rise and corruption is escalating. Slavery is alive and flourishing in America. In my years of service to the community, I’ve come across two distinct cases that yield inconsistencies from the onset.
The case of Ali Khalid Abdullah is one of them. Ali Khalid Abdullah was released from prison on August 1, 2008 and has had multitudes of problems dealing with a new society, ever since. Ali describes his experience as “being freed from Prison but not free.” Ali served 19 years in prison for taking action against a drug dealer who had molested an 11-year old. How does a government release prisoners with no assistance, financial or social, and expect positive results? My opinion is, they do not. They expect and hope for recidivism as it is the key to maintaining The Prison Industrial Complex.
The other case is that of two sisters, Jamie and Gladys Scott. In 1994, Jamie and Gladys Scott were wrongfully convicted in the state of Mississippi. A corrupt sheriff used coercion, threats, and harassment to convict the Scott Sisters of armed robbery. The case of the Scott sisters is an intriguing one, with transcripts stating that perhaps 9, 10, or 11 dollars was stolen, at most. It’s important to note that no one was murdered or injured. One of the state’s witnesses, a 14 year old, testified that he did not have an attorney present when signing a statement prepared by the sheriff. Jamie and Gladys Scott have served 14 years of double-life sentences, thus far. That’s Double Life Each! The absurdity of their sentencing reaches new heights with the reality that neither of the Scott sisters had prior convictions. Sadly, the cases of Mr. Abdullah and the Scott sisters are becoming an accepted phenomenon in our society.
The Prison Industrial Complex is the 21st century slave master in the minority community, and unless we are made aware and trained to take action, the enslavement will continue to fester more and more rapidly in years to come.
Don’t Wait Until It Happens To You!
For more on the case, see Jamie & Gladys Scott and Black Commentator.
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
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Our system of "justice" is a disgrace
Check this out: Slavery and Involuntary Servitude by Darren Wolfe (15 articles, 401 quicklinks, 141 diaries, 1031 comments [84 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Sunday, Jan 4, 2009 at 8:24:47 AM  (0+)
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Reply: yep, America needs to get bombarded with this info
thanks, Darren, for the link to this article. Of note: The California Correctional Peace Officers Association "is the biggest contributor to political campaigns in California..." It's one-tenth the size of the California Teachers Assn and gives twice as much. "In 1998, the CCPOA gave over $2 million to Governor Gray Davis, $763,000 to the media, and over $100,000 to Proposition 184, the 3 Strikes law. The 3 Strikes law mandated that convicted felons with one prior felony got twice the normal sentence for their 2nd strike, and convicted felons with two or more prior felonies would get at least 3 times the normal sentence or 25 years (whichever is more) for their 3rd strike. The CCCPOA has a vested interest in locking up more and more Californians for longer sentences." In my piece, Perversion of Justice: Gulag America, I quoted Neal Peirce: In commenting last year on the growth of the U.S. prison industry, Neal Peirce wrote: "The three-strikes law is its full-employment act." by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Sunday, Jan 4, 2009 at 10:14:04 PM (0+)
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New legal icon and slogan.
We need a new legal icon in America. Dump the lady wearing the blindfold. Instead, we need a lawyer wearing a $1,000 suit and he has a big smerk on his face. He's holding the scale, which now has two stacks of money on it. Whichever stack of money is bigger, wins the case. Also, the inscription "Equal Justice Under Law" should be removed from the US Supreme Court building. In it's place we should put "Show Me the Money." by Joe Vignolo (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 55 comments [13 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Jan 5, 2009 at 7:24:28 PM (0+)
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Reply: Show Me the Money
that cracked me up. Maybe we can get Mr M to draw it for us. by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Tuesday, Jan 6, 2009 at 2:04:41 AM (0+)
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Reply: That Icon Is Needed!
Really wish that I could draw it! :) by Nancy Lockhart (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Friday, Jan 9, 2009 at 7:06:12 PM (0+)
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Reply: welcome to OEN, Nancy
Thanks for a well-written piece on such a travesty of justice. Looking forward to more from you! ;-) by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Saturday, Jan 10, 2009 at 8:49:29 AM (0+)
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Cruel and Unusual Punishment
I would ask of Rady Ananda: Is there no basis in American Law that a 14dollar theft that results in "double life sentences" be viewed as cruel and unusual punishment? Have the two women had their sentences appealed before the United States Supreme Court? by Robert Arend (24 articles, 30 quicklinks, 21 diaries, 240 comments [22 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Monday, Jan 5, 2009 at 11:43:40 PM (0+)
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I agree, Robert
it's beyond cruel - it's modern slavery. by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Tuesday, Jan 6, 2009 at 2:08:11 AM (0+)
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First Hand
We have, in my opinion, three problems in the legal system: Judges, mandatory sentencing, and incompetent legal aid. I have seen first hand what a powerful tool mandatory sentencing is in the hands of a prosecutor who is more interested in his/her resume than what is good for the victim, the accused, and society. Most of these mandatory sentencing laws (usually named after a victim - Jessica's Law, etc) that require harsh, no latitude sentencing are the result of a single case where an out-of-touch judge did not weigh all the facts in a profile case when sentencing a guilty individual. A lawyer can use a possible mandatory sentence like a club to force the accused into accepting a onerous plea bargain rather than risk years of mandatory hard time if convicted in a jury trial. We have people in our society who are or who will become criminals - people with no hope of rehabilitation. If you gave one of these people a million dollars they would still go out and hold up a liquor store tomorrow. These people should be put in jail forever. Having criminals like this on our streets makes our society almost unlivable. We have to protect everything - our belongings and our families. We have to carry weapons to protect ourselves from them. Locking up these criminals for a long time is good. Locking up, for a long time, people who makes a foolish mistake is not. The trick is separating people who commits crimes into who is a criminal and who is not. The entire legal system should be devoted to doing that. Mandatory sentencing sometimes treats people who are not criminals as criminals who need to be locked up forever. That is bad. Judges, in my opinion, are the linch pin of the legal system. The way we select, pay, retain, and train lower court judges is terrible. It should be consistent and without political bias. We have a whole system of judges that is populated with judicial hacks. The whole system should be overhauled and modernized. Legal aid is a disaster. Those who can't afford representation are left with the bottom of the barrel when it comes to legal representation. I do not how these people are selected but I think most half-way well educated people could outlawyer most of the people I have met who give legal assistence. These people are bad. They are overworked and treated poorly. If the case is beyond routine they will usually mess it up. Prosecutors prey on them in my opinion. Judges are, many times, the only thing between an accused and a vicious prosecutor. This system needs to be reformed and overhauled too. More pay, better training, reasonable case loads would be a good start. The poor as in most everything get the shaft by the legal system in this country. No doubt about it. If they are a life-long criminal I say good but if they are just some poor dude who makes a stupid one-time mistake then it is a tragedy of major proportions we should all care about. by Mad Jayhawk (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 652 comments [56 recommended, 3 rejected]) on Tuesday, Jan 6, 2009 at 5:45:59 PM (0+)
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HR 7089 "Good Time" bill
I received a request from a prisoner in Texas writing for help in getting the "Good Time" bill passed. He said that Congress abandoned parole of all federal prisoners after 1987 and that no matter how well people have complied with all regulations in federal prison, they can only get 12 1/2 % of their time reduced. HR bill 7089 would allow for more reasonable reductions in sentences and support of any other bills that would reinstate parole, and a reduction in sentences of elderly prisoners. He wrote about "meeting person after person whose length of prison sentence is draconian. I could continue on and on about the decent people I have met, mostly young, mostly fathers that committed a nonviolent crime, many, if not most, first time offenders, who have received these lengthy sentences." .... 10, 20, 30 years where no violence was involved. Go to www.fedcure.org to contact your representatives to vote for this bill. At $30,000 a year per prisoner and given the economy, they may see this as a means of helping out financially if not morally. Thank you for covering this. by Linn Cohen-Cole (76 articles, 1 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 189 comments [12 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Sunday, Jan 11, 2009 at 12:38:24 AM (0+)
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