Archive for the ‘Innocents’ Category

Judge orders Austin babysitter Rosa Jimenez freed from prison, questions guilt

Wednesday, January 27th, 2021

laura skelding

State District Judge Karen Sage made the ruling after a 2½-hour hearing Tuesday afternoon in which three top pediatric airway specialists testified that 21-month-old Bryan Guttierez most likely swallowed, on his own, the compacted mass of paper towels that led to his death — and that there was no way Jimenez could have forced the wad down the boy’s throat, as prosecutors argued at her 2005 trial.

“I do not believe that Ms. Jimenez should spend another night in jail if it can be prevented,” Sage said.

Read the full article by Chuck Lindell in the Austin America-Statesman.

A Prison Post from Shane Crum: Giving Thanks

Monday, December 14th, 2020

“When inmates discuss the conditions of their confinement, it always appears they are simply complaining. Some people would tell them “not to come to prison, and they would not have anything to complain about”. Truth is, they have more to complain about than they should. The quality and content of the food, health care, recreation and library being closed far too often, the way big business exploits inmates and their families, and the way most staff treat us as throw away humans. I am sure there are many other issues I could list here, but that is not the purpose of this post. In fact, I do not want to sound like I am complaining about anything. Rather, I want to talk about some of the positive things that happen in prison. More to the point, I want to express my gratitude toward the individuals who have helped me over the years.”

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Frank Fuster Prison Post: The Truth about my Convictions

Wednesday, November 18th, 2020

“I am aware of the fact that, the current circumstances of my human experience, i.e., being incarcerated under horrible allegations of crimes against children under the age of ten years old, have effectively eliminated; or reduced to a minimum, my credibility. Therefore, I ask myself: Why should anyone believe anything that I write? After all, Janet Reno had me convicted twice of child molestation, thus assassinating my character in the process. Anyone could argue that I have been in denial since 1981, even though that is very hard to believe; and that I can declare all the allegations that I want in pursue of my objectives.”

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A Prison Post from Frank Fuster

Friday, November 6th, 2020

Most readers of this blog will remember Frank Fuster. His was perhaps the most notorious of the bogus daycare hysteria cases of the 80’s and early 90’s. While just about everyone else wrongfully convicted in these cases has been released, some with and some without exoneration, Frank is still behind bars. A forgotten man.

But he has started a blog from his prison cell. Here is his first post.

You may refresh yourself about his case at his web site.

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Frank Fuster has been forgotten for far too long.

Frank Fuster

Saturday, October 10th, 2020

The web site for Frank Fuster was very out of date. So I’m doing some work on it.

Visit https://fuster.ncrj.org/

-Bob

The not so bold Peabody-Essex Museum

Monday, September 28th, 2020

September 28, 2020

Dave Olson, Editor
The Salem News
300 Rosewood Drive, Suite 107
Danvers, MA 01923

Dear Editor,

My name is Robert Chatelle and I live in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Since its founding in April of 2002, I have served as Executive Director of the National Center for Reason and Justice (NCRJ), an advocacy group for people falsely accused or wrongfully convicted of crimes against children.

A friend recently forwarded to me a flyer for an exhibit at Salem’s Peabody-Essex Museum, entitled “The Salem Witch Trials 1692.” The flier concludes:

“The victims of the Salem witch trials had complex emotions, fears, and doubts just like we do,” said Dan Lipcan, head librarian at Peabody Essex Museum’s Phillips Library. “To empathize and understand their experience emboldens us to speak out against injustice and cruelty in our own time.”

Sadly, the Peabody-Essex has not always boldly “spoken out against injustice and cruelty in our own time.”

The Daycare Panic of the 80’s and 90’s was in many ways a replay of the Salem witch hysteria. In January of 1997, Carol Hopkins of the Justice Committee had arranged a seminal two-day conference, Day of Contrition, that was to take place at Peabody-Essex. Presenters included DA (now Judge) Alan Rubenstein, Bucks County, Pennsylvania; internationally renowned psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Loftus; journalist Debbie Nathan, the first to write critically about the hysteria; Mark Pendergrast, author; Professor Frederick Crews, University of California, Berkeley; Donald Connery, author and former Time-Life correspondent, Dr. Richard Leo, the leading expert on false confessions; and (by videotape) playwright Arthur Miller and author William Styron; and many others. Also attending were many victims of the hysteria.

Unfortunately, word got out and true believers in daycare sexual abuse complained to Peabody-Essex. Their response was far from bold. At the last minute, they told Carol Hopkins that she and her presenters were not welcome at Peabody-Essex.

Fortunately, the Hawthorne Hotel stepped up and the conference went on. Alliances were formed and many of us are still fighting for justice. The National Center for Reason and Justice, for example, grew out of discussions that occurred at that conference.

We appreciate that Mr. Lipcan has worked for Peabody-Essex for less than two years. We are optimistic that he means what he says about speaking out against cruelty and injustice and we wish him success.

Sincerely,

Robert B. Chatelle
Executive Director, National Center for Reason and Justice

CC: Dan Lipcan, Carol Hopkins, Day of Contrition presenters and attendees

 

A prison post from Shane Crum: The Staff

Monday, September 28th, 2020

When I began my incarceration back in 1996, the staff were professional, non-biased, and knew the O.A.C.s and O.D.R.C. Policies that governed their jobs. In essence, they knew the rules they had to follow. Gradually, this changed, and in no way for the better. Today, staff members like sergeant (correctional counselor) Stephanie Craft are of the false belief they can do what ever they want to inmates. I wish I could tell you she is among the few who act this way. Truth is, the old guard is slowly disappearing.

These staff mistreat inmates in every possible way they can, and then act incredulous when the inmate calls them on it, or asks their superior to intervene. It is rather amazing just how bewildered they are that “an inmate” could ever question anything they say or do. How dare they! If you actually have the heart to stand up for yourself, staff like Craft begin threatening you, having their peers harass you, will try to get you fired from your institutional jobs, moving you to the locks where all the chaos is, and a host of other things.

Read the rest of Shane’s post.

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A Prison Post from Shane Crum — Computers for Prisoners

Sunday, September 6th, 2020

Everyone always talks about rehabilitation, but no one seems to want inmates to have anything of value. There can be no greater contradiction. The vast majority of inmates will, at some point, be released. The question everyone should be asking themselves is, “do we want inmates to have everything they need to be successful, or do we routinely poke at and antagonize them so they are like wild animals when they come home?” Keep in mind, many of these inmates will become your neighbor or a neighbor to someone you know and love. Personally, I would hope our self described civil society demand we treat every person with dignity and respect. Yet, I keep reflecting on something Thomas Paine once wrote,”A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.”

Read the rest of Shane’s post.

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-Bob

A new prison post from Shane Crum – judging others

Sunday, August 30th, 2020

“Judging others seems to be a special pastime in prisons. Staff and inmate alike pass judgment on people for the wrong reasons. Yet, they never want the maggot things they are doing to be seen by others. These staff and inmates even think of themselves higher than they should. It reminds me of high school in a way. You and another classmate both like a girl, and the only way for the other guy to be noticed is for him to poison your name and character. He has to talk bad about you just so he can shine for a second. Then his true nature comes out when everything is said and done. I usually phrase it as,” A nobody trying to be a somebody to a bunch of nobodies.”

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A few short prison posts from Shane Crum

Sunday, August 16th, 2020

From his blog.

This is Shane’s website.

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