Insufficient Time: 21-year marijuana sentence leaves man stuck in
prison, denied parole
[link removed]
Liz Vinson, SPLC Staff Writer | Read the full piece here
[link removed]
Friend,
When he was a young boy, Jeremiah loved to fish. His father taught him
the sport, and Jeremiah would catch bass weighing over 10 pounds and
sell his catch for top dollar to the people in his hometown.
He was a street-smart kid who "knew how to hustle" -
something his father taught him.
In high school, Jeremiah - whose name has been changed in this
story to protect his identity - found another passion: football.
He attended college on a football scholarship and played on the
defensive line.
But for the past eight years, Jeremiah hasn't fished, played
football or watched as his brothers and sisters have grown up without
him. He's been in the custody of the Alabama Department of
Corrections (ADOC) since being sentenced to 21 years for trafficking 5
pounds of marijuana.
Jeremiah was up for parole a little over a year ago. But he was
denied.
The reason? Insufficient time served, the parole board said.
Such denials are not uncommon from the Alabama Board of Pardons and
Paroles (ABPP), which has a notorious record of denying parole to
people in state custody, especially those who are Black
[link removed]
. Despite vastly overcrowded prison conditions in Alabama and a
national trend toward easing the harsh sentencing practices of
previous decades, the board has slowed its parole grant rate in recent
years - and the existing racial disparities have only
accelerated.
The situation has only worsened a failing prison system, where deadly
violence and unconstitutional conditions led to an ongoing lawsuit
[link removed]
by the U.S. Department of Justice. The SPLC is litigating a separate
suit
[link removed]
over the inadequate health care
[link removed]
provided to people in custody.
That Jeremiah was punished so severely by the state - and has
been denied parole - shows how little has been done to reform
penalties for nonviolent drug offenders in Alabama, even though it is
now legal
[link removed]
to buy cannabis for recreational use in 18 states. Thirty-seven
states allow it for medical use.
"They got me when I was boy, but now I'm a man,"
Jeremiah told the SPLC during an interview inside a correctional
facility. "This system was made for me. They want me in here for
a very, very long time."
READ MORE
[link removed]
In solidarity,
Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond,
working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy,
strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of
all people.
Friend, will you make a gift to help the SPLC fight for
justice and equity in courts and combat white supremacy?
DONATE
[link removed]
--
Unsubscribe [link removed] | Privacy Policy [link removed] | Contact Us [link removed]
Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
334.956.8200 // splcenter.org
[link removed]
Copyright 2022
