NewsNews
States Spending More on Corrections Than on Universities
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- Published on Thursday, 30 August 2012 07:47
- Written by Advocates For Ajay
The state of Wisconsin is now spending more of the states budget on the Department of Corrections than on higher education. The upward trend in spending for corrections has been increasing for the last few decades and according to studies it is not the result of just one political party. The change in sentencing laws and the "tough on crime" campaigning by politicians of both parties have helped increase the need to build more prisons. Each prison built adds additional costs to the state. Unfortunately, the trend of spending more on the Department of Corrections than on state universities has become a national trend.
Click here to read the article in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
What Is A Just and Fair Sentence?
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- Published on Wednesday, 29 August 2012 02:50
- Written by Advocates For Ajay
In Norway, a mass murderer was recently sentenced to 21 years in prison. Norway uses a restorative sentencing model emphasizing healing for the victims, society and the convicted criminal. In the United States, we use a retributive sentencing model. This model emphasizes punishment fitting the crime ensuring that people are sentenced to prison for hundreds of years like Ajay Dev was.
Click here to read about the two models and which one helps reduce crime.
David Wiggens Exonerated After 24 Years in Prison
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- Published on Monday, 27 August 2012 23:54
- Written by Super User
David Wiggins spent 24 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. As he said, "“Faith will move mountains,” Wiggins said. “And surely this [wrongful conviction] was a mountain I needed moved.”
David was exonerated with the help of the Innocence Project after DNA testing proved his innocence of a 1988 rape. David and his family speak about their ordeal to CBS News - watch it here.
To learn more about David's case please visit the Innocence Project's story about him here.
Will DNA Prove Bite Marks Wrong?
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- Published on Monday, 27 August 2012 21:24
- Written by Advocates For Ajay
The faulty forensic science of bite marks helped incarcerate Doug Prade, a former police captain from Ohio. It has taken 14 years before DNA evidence may help prove the evidence against him was wrong. Now, he must wait until October before a judge decides if he is to be exonerated, face a new trial or remain in prison.
Click here for the full story.
Two More Wrongfully Convicted Now Free
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- Published on Thursday, 23 August 2012 22:15
- Written by Advocates For Ajay
After 25 years in prison two Michigan men were freed after a man came forward with knowledge of the crime. The men were convicted based on erroneous eyewitness accounts.
Click here to read the full story.
Life After Exoneration
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- Published on Thursday, 23 August 2012 22:00
- Written by Advocates For Ajay
After 17 years of being imprisoned for a crime they didn't commit, the Memphis 3 are adjusting to to life outside of prison. Damien Echols has written a book and getting ready for a book tour. Jason Baldwin moved to Seattle and is working at a law firm. Jessie Misskelley is the only one of the three that stayed in the same town they grew up in.
Click here to read the full story.
No More Extreme Sentences For California Youth
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- Published on Monday, 20 August 2012 21:49
- Written by Advocates For Ajay
The California assembly recently passed a bill giving juvenile offenders serving life terms possible freedom. According to the senior attorney at the National Center for Youth Law, "They are more likely to rehabilitate than an adult". The California Supreme court told legislatures to prohibit juvenile prison sentences for non-homicide crimes without a meaningful chance for parole. In effect stopping the practice of "extreme" sentences that result in life in prison.
Click here to read the full story.
Multiple Police in Saginaw Kill Man
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- Published on Saturday, 18 August 2012 21:22
- Written by AFA
Multiple police officers in Saginaw, Michigan shot a man in a parking lot on a busy street. The man, Milton Hall had a disagreement with a store clerk, then dialed 911 and said, "I'm Milton Hall and I'm pissed off." Matthew Frey, the prosecutor for Saginaw says he will review the case if it is ruled a justifiable homicide.
Click here for the full story and video.
Dozens Imprisoned Are Legally Innocent
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- Published on Wednesday, 15 August 2012 20:31
- Written by AFA
The state of North Carolina is keeping legally innocent people behind bars despite the fact prosecutors agree they are innocent of the crimes that they are incarcerated for. A USA Today investigation revealed that people were being kept in prison even though a federal appeals court ruled the crimes they committed were not federal crimes. Unfortunately many of these inmates don't realize they are innocent and should be freed. The ACLU estimates up to 3,000 inmates may be eligible to be freed or have reduced sentences.
Click here to read the full article.
