Bernard Baran, the National Center for Reason and Justice’s first exoneree, was interviewed on TRadioV in San Francisco on February 27th, 2013. Baran’s interview begins about 12 minutes into the show.
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
Nancy Smith’s Hearing Before the Ohio Parole Board
January 30th, 2013The National Center for Reason and Justice have long supported both Nancy Smith and her co-defendant, Joseph Allen.
You can read about the background of today’s hearing here.
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/01/nancy_smith_former_lorain_head.html.
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
The NCRJ Responds to New York Times Article, “The Price of a Stolen Childhood”
January 27th, 2013The article was published in the New York Times Magazine on January, 27th, 2013.
NCRJ President Michael R. Snedeker responds:
Dear New York Times Magazine Editor:
In “The Price of a Stolen Childhood” (NYT Mag, 1/24/2013), Emily Bazelon wrote about the appalling sexual abuse of two young girls and its use in widely distributed child pornography. The primary question raised by the article is whether people who downloaded this pornography should pay restitution to the now-adult victims. The National Center for Reason and Justice (www.ncrj.org) frequently hears from young men caught with child porn they downloaded from the Internet. Many claim to have done so inadvertently along with adult porn. Yes, they broke the law. But most have no money, have no previous criminal record, and have never molested a child. They will serve years in prison and will be labeled sex offenders forevermore.
Bazelon should have been more critical of the suggestion that deep-pocket defendants get shorter prison terms in exchange for paying restitution to child porn victims. It would be unfair to lock up poor men longer than richer men because they could not afford “restitution.” A better solution would be to do real research into the damage these crimes actually work on victims—victims not yet on the merry-go-round of questionable therapy and big-bucks restitution—and then adjust the punishment accordingly and equitably. As Bazelon points out, that research does not yet exist.
What we do know is that obsessive attention paid to victims can paradoxically make their feelings of trauma worse, or even cause them in the first place. Joyanna Silberg, the therapist of one young woman in the story, is notorious for advocating the debunked myth of satanic ritual child abuse and promoting the idea that many victims didn’t remember the crimes because they “dissociated” while being abused. Let us not give such pseudoscientific, dangerous therapists another gravy train.
Yours,
Mike Snedeker
President
National Center for Reason and Justice
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
Harvey Silverglate on the Aaron Swartz Suicide
January 25th, 2013Harvey Silverglate is on the Advisory Board of the National Center for Reason and Justice.
“The ill-considered prosecution leading to the suicide of computer prodigy Aaron Swartz is the most recent in a long line of abusive prosecutions coming out of the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston, representing a disastrous culture shift. It sadly reflects what’s happened to the federal criminal courts, not only in Massachusetts but across the country.”
http://dankennedy.net/2013/01/24/the-swartz-suicide-and-the-sick-culture-of-the-justice-dept/
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
Appeal Filed in ’92 Dan and Fran Keller Case
January 15th, 2013The children also accused the Kellers of forcing them to watch or participate in the killing and dismemberment of cats, dogs and a crying baby. Bodies were unearthed in cemeteries and new holes dug to hide freshly killed animals and, once, an adult passer-by who was shot and dismembered with a chain saw. The children recalled several plane trips – including one to Mexico, where they were sexually abused by soldiers before returning to Austin in time to meet their parents at the day care.
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/appeal-filed-in-92-day-care-abuse-case/nTwwD/
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
Looking for Lawyers
January 9th, 2013I frequently am contacted by people falsely accused of child abuse who are trying to find a good trial or appellate attorney. Many innocent people end up in prison because of poor legal assistance. Even some excellent attorneys know nothing about how to defend against false accusations of child abuse.
I have a list which I consult when trying to help people find a lawyer. But it has many holes in it. Do you know of any good lawyers I could add to my list? If so, please email me their contact information at mgr@ncrj.org.
Thank you!
-Bob Chatelle
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
It’s Not Too Late…
December 27th, 2012…to get a tax-deduction for your year-end gift to the National Center for Reason and Justice.
Again, here is the appeal letter: http://ncrj.org/our-year-end-letter/
Click here to donate.
-Bob
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
Please Donate to the NCRJ
December 11th, 2012Dear Friend of Justice,
Many of you are donors to the National Center for Reason and Justice. If you are not currently a donor, please consider becoming one.
To donate, send a check to:
NCRJ
POB 191101
Roxbury MA 02119
To donate via credit card, click here.
Here is our current appeal letter:
November 26, 2012
Dear Friend,
On November 2, after 12 years, Anna Vasquez walked out of prison in Gatesville, Texas. Many people have helped her. But without the National Center for Reason and Justice she would still be behind bars.
Anna is one of four Chicana lesbians who were languishing in prison on fabricated charges of sexual molestation—until NCRJ learned of their plight three years ago. NCRJ helped build a support committee, worked with the media, including a reporter whose in-depth investigation garnered national interest, and found a great pro bono lawyer.
This year, the Texas Four moved closer to freedom. The Innocence Project of Texas (IPOT) joined the team. After 20 years, one of the accusers recanted. A documentary filmmaker is bringing passionate support to the case. The Facebook page gains members daily. Polygraph tests, paid for by NCRJ, persuaded authorities to release Anna on parole. The local newspaper called for a new trial.
NCRJ was there with money, expertise, and encouragement at every step. We are still fighting to exonerate the Texas Four—and we’re confident we will win.
It’s a tragic and inspiring story—and an impressive organizational effort. But the world is full of both. Why support the National Center for Reason & Justice?
Because NCRJ is the only organization that connects the dots between social hysteria and a broken criminal justice system—and knows that you can’t fix the latter without exposing the former.
That’s why we support people falsely accused of crimes against children—and we are the only organization that does. The bogeyman of the social panic is sometimes the communist, sometimes the African-American teen, the immigrant, or the terrorist. But for nearly three decades, he has been the sexual predator, whose prey is children. Every teacher, coach, clergyperson, teenage lover, homosexual, or divorcing spouse is under suspicion. And once accused, you’re as good as guilty.
With claims of protecting children, this hysteria has fueled ever-harsher punishment of sex offenders. And with such penalties as longer sentences and post-prison registries on the books for sex criminals, it’s easier for lawmakers and prosecutors to slash away at the human rights of everyone else who enters the criminal justice system, innocent or guilty.
Laws and policies driven by panic just fan more panic. They don’t protect children. When kids and their parents mistrust all other adults, no one feels safe and kids cannot grow independent. Hysteria about malevolent strangers also effaces real abuse, which is most likely to happen at home.
NCRJ fights the hysteria and the bad laws it produces. We fight both for reason and for justice.
NCRJ is accomplishing what we promised you last year we’d do—and doing more of it. We’re looking to expand our collaboration with IPOT to other Innocence Projects. Our board members have been traveling, linking up with academics, artists, and activists outside our usual circles, such as the National Coalition Against Censorship and Queers for Economic Justice. Toward the goal of changing those bad laws, we proudly welcome Mary Sue Molnar to our board, who leads the 500-member sex law reform organization Texas Voices.
We’re also focusing this year on clarifying our message and media presentation to broaden our base, strengthen our board, and boost our budget. By winning justice for some, we are working for a fairer and saner future for all.
Please make a tax-deductible donation of $500, $250, $100, or whatever you can to support this important work. We urge you to become a sustaining member by pledging a monthly contribution. To donate, send a check or go to ncrj.org/donate.
With sincere thanks,
Mike Snedeker
President, Board of Directors
