Bob Halsey was falsely accused and arrested 19 years ago. He was railroaded into prison by the same crew who some years before had railroaded Bernard Baran. His judge was Dan Ford, the Baran prosecutor.

February 18th is Bob’s birthday. I believe he will turn 84. I am surprised that he has lived this long, because his health is poor and medical care for Massachusetts prisoners is practically nonexistent. Bob’s wife of many years is in a nursing home, nearly blind, in failing health, and is unable to visit Bob. Their only contact is by telephone.

To learn more about Bob’s case, see http://members.shaw.ca/imaginarycrimes/halsey.htm

He gets very little mail. I do send him a card about once a month, but I think that is it.

If you can send him a birthday card, the address is:

Robert C. Halsey
W-55045
Bridgewater State Hospital
20 Administration Road
Bridgewater MA 02324

-Bob Chatelle

If you are on Facebook, please subscribe to this page!

Free the Texas 4! A new Facebook page to help four lesbians in Texas who’ve been horribly railroaded. Please “Like” this site! http://www.facebook.com/groups/231503693594085/

You can also read about this case here.

-Bob Chatelle

We need more prosecutors like Craig Watkins and Mike Ware. Mike is now working on the Four Lives Lost case, sponsored by the NCRJ.

I just wanted to share this:

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/12/ff_dsmv/all/1

-Bob

2011 is drawing to a close.  If you wish to deduct your contribution to the National Center for Reason and Justice, you must act soon.

You can mail your check (made payable to NCRJ) to NCRJ, POB 191101, Roxbury MA 02119.

You may donate via PayPal or Google Checkout at the NCRJ web site: http://ncrj.org/donate/.

Without your support, the NCRJ cannot keep up its fight for justice.

Thank you!

-Bob Chatelle

In 1994, Elizabeth Ramirez was 19 years old. For years, she had been spurning the sexual advances of a man in whom she had no interest. For one thing, Elizabeth is a lesbian. For another, this man was involved in a relationship with Elizabeth’s sister and they had three children together.  Often, Elizabeth would babysit these children.

After one visit, two of these children accused Elizabeth and three of her lesbian friends of sexually abusing them. I believe these accusations were coerced by the father.  It was not the first time that this man had made an unfounded accusation of sexual abuse.

There was no credible or reliable evidence presented against the four young women at trial, which was tainted with extreme homophobia. One of the two alleged victims has since recanted her accusation, asserting that she was forced to make it.

You can read about this case here.

These four young women languished in prison for many years without hope. The National Center for Reason and Justice is now sponsoring this case, and we are making progress. We have found them an excellent lawyer. But we need money to achieve justice.

The lawyer would like to garner public support for the women’s innocence by having Elizabeth take a polygraph test. Hewants to use an expert who usually charges $3,500. In this instance, he is willing to reduce it to $2,200.  If Elizabeth agrees, the NCRJ will pay the bill,  even though our financial resources are very limited.

The NCRJ relies entirely on the contributions of individual donors. We have one fund-raising drive a year, which is going on right now. Many of you have already contributed, or have contributed in the past. If you have contributed this year, our sincere thanks once again. If you have not, please do so in order that we can help along this case and the others that we sponsor. Contributions are tax-deductible.

Pleae make out your check to NCRJ and mail it to NCRJ, POB 191101, Roxbury MA 02119. Or you can donate via PayPal or Google Checkout at the NCRJ web site: http://ncrj.org/donate/

Thank you for your support.

-Bob Chatelle

Thanksgiving is behind us and many of us will soon be sending cards to friends and family. Please consider sending cards to one or more prisoners as well. It means a great deal to those behind bars, especially for those who are innocent.

Here are some addresses: http://bobchatelle.net/please-write-to-a-prisoner

If you see errors in this list, please let me know and I will correct ASAP.

-Bob Chatelle

If you have donated in the past, you should have received the following letter. If you have not yet donated, please consider becoming a donor. You may send a check to NCRJ, POB 191101, Roxbury MA 02119. Or you may donate via Google of PayPal at our website: http://ncrj.org/donate/

Here is our current letter:

November 11, 2011

Dear Friend,

NCRJ has had an exciting year.

• In San Antonio, Texas, four young lesbians languishing in prison on false convictions of child molestation now have hope of exoneration and freedom. We secured them an excellent pro bono lawyer. We worked with a journalist whose in-depth article brought national attention to their case. We’ve helped strengthen a group of local supporters. And we are broadening media coverage and support in sympathetic communities.
• In upstate New York, an experimental filmmaker nabbed for inadvertently downloading what police called child pornography had emptied his bank account before he found us. Thanks to NCRJ, his defense committee can now raise tax-deductible contributions. And NCRJ is educating artists about the overreaching government surveillance that demolishes the lives of innocent people like this man.
• In New York City, the courts will soon hear the appeal of a daycare teacher, a Guyanese immigrant, browbeaten into confessing to the rape of a four-year-old. NCRJ publicized her story and found her a top-notch attorney.

In these and all our other cases, coercive police tactics, junk science, homophobia, racism, inadequate defense for the poor—or all of the above—feature prominently.

That is why we need your support.

NCRJ is the only organization that helps people falsely accused of crimes against children. No wonder appeals for our help keep streaming in.

But we need to do more, or those appeals won’t abate. We also must work to prevent more injustice, and more tragedies.

Last year NCRJ committed itself to combating the unjust laws and policies that grow out of the same hysteria, public credulity, and political opportunism that feed false accusations. These policies—such as sex offender registries and civil commitment—do not enhance public safety, but fan more hysteria.

The laws are unjust not only to the falsely accused but also to the guilty who have paid their debt to society and are trying to live productive, crime-free lives.

Toward our two goals—helping the falsely accused and moving toward fairer laws—we are building new strategic alliances and strengthening old ones for mutual benefit. This year we will:

• Collaborate with criminal justice advocates—especially Innocence Projects—to synergize resources, media contacts, expertise, and experience. This way we can exonerate people and spread the word about false convictions for sexual abuse or murder in accidental child deaths.
• Reach outside our usual bailiwick. We’re educating and seeking support from gay and lesbian activists, racial justice groups, artists, and academics.
• Make alliances for rational sex laws. These friends include the national Reform Sex Offender Laws (RSOL) network. We’re already visiting their chapters and learning from their personal and legislative experiences.

All this work requires travel, research, and staff and board time: money.

Please help us with a tax-deductible donation of $1,000, $500, $150 — or whatever you can afford. You can use the enclosed self-addressed envelope, or go to ncrj.org and donate by credit card. If you choose the credit-card option, please consider becoming a monthly sustainer via PayPal.

We are grateful for your partnership in progressing towards our biggest goal: to make NCRJ obsolete, and shut our doors.

Sincerely,

Michael R. Snedeker
President of the Board of Directors