Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.

Please Join us for an Important Educational Event!

January 22nd, 2021

A Conversation with Judith Levine
February 5, 2021 @ 11:10am EST via Zoom
RSVP to ehorowitz@sfc.edu for Zoom link

Join Judith Levine and Emily Horowitz for a conversation about Judith’s new book THE FEMINIST AND THE SEX OFFENDER (Verso, 2020).

At the heart of the conspiracy theory that stirred many in the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6 was the lie that a cabal of Democratic and “deep state” pedophiles are trafficking and killing thousands of children. A demented “Save the Children” campaign led to a near coup d’etat and the death of five people. This is what people fighting for fairness for “sex offenders” are up against. How can feminism help us understand the hatred of the “sex offender”? How can social justice movements work together to end personal, political, and state violence?

The Feminist and the Sex Offender, co-authored by Judith Levine & Erica Meiners, makes a powerful feminist case for accountability without punishment and sexual safety and pleasure without injustice.

With analytical clarity and narrative force, The Feminist and the Sex Offender contends with two problems that are typically siloed in the era of #MeToo and mass incarceration: sexual and gender violence, on the one hand, and the state’s unjust, ineffective, and soul-destroying response to it on the other. Is it possible to confront the culture of abuse? Is it possible to hold harm-doers accountable without recourse to a criminal justice system that redoubles injuries, fails survivors, and retrenches the conditions that made such abuse possible?

Drawing on interviews, extensive research, reportage, and history, The Feminist and the Sex Offender develops an intersectional feminist approach to ending sexual violence. It maps with considerable detail the unjust sex offender regime while highlighting the alternatives we urgently need.

Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.

Rest in Peace Donald Connery

January 18th, 2021

We were deeply saddened last Friday to receive a message from Don’s daughter, informing us that her wonderful father had left us the Monday before.

I first met Don 24 years ago, at a conference about wrongful convictions in Salem, Massachusetts. Our last email exchange, not that long ago, reminisced about that conference. Don also told me that he was finishing his book on the Michael Pardue case and planned to immediately start on his next one. At the age of 94.

My email correspondence with Don began not long after Salem. He was one of the first supporters of Bernard Baran, the NCRJ’s first major case. Although then approaching 80, Don would drive from Connecticut to Worcester, Massachusetts to attend the many hearings that preceded Baran’s release. I well remember the many delightful breakfasts and lunches we shared at that time. Don would also make the longer drive to Bridgewater, Massachusetts to visit Baran in prison.

When the NCRJ was founded in 2002, Don graciously accepted our invitation to serve on our Board of Advisors. Don was devoted to the NCRJ, frequently attending Annual Meetings and teleconferences.

Don was a true gentleman and scholar. He led a fascinating life and was a most entertaining conversationalist. You can learn more about this amazing man by reading this obituary from the New York Times.

Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.

A Prison Post from Shane Crum: Unfair Treatment

January 9th, 2021

I see inmate after inmate get caught being high or in possession of drugs, and nothing of any significance happens to them. For that matter, in a few short weeks after being caught, they are likely to get one of the coveted institutional jobs. I get a really minor rules infraction, and I lose my institutional job, educational opportunities, my merit status, and it could take me years to get only a small part of that back.

Read the rest of Shane’s post.

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Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.

A Prison Post from Shane Crum: Giving Thanks

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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Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.

Time to send a holiday card to a prisoner

December 2nd, 2020

Anyone who knows a prisoner knows how important it is to them to receive mail, especially at this time of year. Many prisoners receive no outside support at all.

I don’t care if you send a Christmas card, a holiday card, or whatever. Neither will they.

Here is a list of prisoners who’d be delighted to get a card.

Unfortunately, New Hampshire prisoners are not allowed to receive greeting cards of any sort, picture postcards, or any typewritten or printed material. Only handwritten letters on stock paper are permitted.

-Bob Chatelle

Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.

A Prison Post from Shane Crum: COVID Behind Bars

November 30th, 2020

“Earlier this year, when the outbreak of covid-19 first became a national issue, Marion Correctional Institution in Ohio made international news. I wrote several e-mails to my friend, who turned them into a blog. The administration here was making some bad decisions which led to over 90% of the inmate population getting infected. Among those decisions was the moving of inmates who tested negative into a lock by themselves. This may seem like a great idea, but they could not say which inmates were infected and who still tested negative. The experts on TV were telling everyone who tested positive to “shelter in place”, and here we were moving inmates all around the institution. At one point, it got so crazy, that inmates who had tested negative, were placed in locks and cells with inmates who tested positive. I wish this were the only issue back then. It had all the appearances of an attempt to infect the whole population.”

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Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.

Frank Fuster: More about my Cases

November 21st, 2020

Greetings from my heart.

My two convictions from Miami Dade County share certain aspects in common. Let’s examine three of them:

1) The family of some of the children were employed as law enforcement agents, such as police officials and assistant district attorneys for Janet Reno. This fact is key to understanding the fact that these influential and powerful persons relied on their official positions to ask Miami Dade County State Attorney Janet Reno to file false charges against me. Miss Reno desperately wanted their votes and their friendship. When Miss Reno conspired with them to frame me with bogus evidence; and acted outside the legal perimeter of the law, she did it for political reasons as well. She did it for votes to win her reelection bit. This fact was published by Free Lance Investigative Reporter Ms Debbie Nathan, through her book: Satan’s Silence, in connection to my second conviction, i.e., Case #84-19728-A, known nationally as The Country Walk Case. Ms. Nathan’s book is mostly a rejection of the false allegations that were made against me and my young wife Iliana, by Jan Hollingsworth, who was one of our neighbors; and a Janet Reno’s acquaintance. The purpose of Hollingsworth 600 page illusive book Unspeakable Acts, which she created out of her imagination from the omniscient point of view; and the ABC movie that followed that book, was to provide support to Janet Reno’s fabricated charges against my wife and I; and to provide support to the parents’ civil actions. In out of court settlements, those parents in the Country Walk Case collected up to $1,200,000.00 per child (Eleven children in total). Ms. Nathan’s book reveals that Hollingsworth was hired to draft the book by Laurie and Joseph Braga, who played a major role in assisting Janet Reno in the gross job of manipulating the tender minds of the Country Walk children.

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Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.

Frank Fuster Prison Post: The Truth about my Convictions

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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Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.

Post from Frank Fuster: Spiritual Beliefs

November 10th, 2020

“Through this second blog, I am going to share with you an important part of my world of thoughts, in a good faith effort to start the long process to undress my brain before you. I like to address my spiritual life at this onset, because one’s spiritual life influences every thought of the human brain. I will begin by informing you that I do not subscribe to any organized religion. In fact, in the prison I am currently registered as a humanist. Prior to that, I dedicated many years to evaluate some of the main religions of our planet. I determined that all of them serve the ego’s thought system. Having said that, I know that God is, and that because God is, I Am. Further, I subscribe to the metaphysical spiritual knowledge imparted by “A Course In Miracles” (WWW.acim.org) (Available in all the main languages of this world); and, up to a point, to other similar schools of spiritual thoughts.”

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Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.

A Prison Post from Frank Fuster

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.