Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
November 30th, 2021
The Lovely Bones (WINGNUT FILMS/Album/Newscom)
‘Broadwater married after prison, but he never had children; he recently told the Syracuse Post-Standard that this was because he didn’t want them growing up with a father with a rape conviction. Meanwhile, the newspaper notes, he was “turned away from countless jobs and educational opportunities over the years for one simple fact: he’s a convicted rapist on the sex offender registry.” This story is familiar to the nearly one million Americans on such registries, who are well-aware that the stigma extends beyond them to their families and all those close to them. Every registrant’s photo, address, and crime are publicly posted, creating inescapable infamy and extremely limited job opportunities.’
Read the article by NCRJ Director Emily Horowitz in Reason magazine.
Posted in Innocents, Sex Panic | Comments Off on Man Imprisoned for 16 Years for Raping Lovely Bones Author Is Exonerated
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
November 27th, 2021
Photo by Remain Anonymous via Flickr
‘Victim advocates and prosecutors argued that replacing the term “sex offender” with different terminology “minimizes harm.” Victim advocates, including those currently on the SOMB, had argued they suffer lifelong consequences as victims and therefore those who have committed an offense should also suffer for life.
‘But this argument merely proves the intent of sex offense treatment schemes and post-conviction laws are to dehumanize and cause enduring harm to those who have committed offenses in the past.’
Read the article by Derek Logue in “The Crime Report,” from the Center On Media and Justice at John Jay College
Posted in Sex Panic | Comments Off on Rethinking the ‘Sex Offender’ Label
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
October 30th, 2021
lorain morning journal
“Both Allen and Smith professed innocence, and the two said they had never met prior to being charged in connection with the case. Attorneys for Allen and Smith have argued that experts — since the 1994 trial — have determined the four children, who testified in court, had been questioned improperly by investigators, who planted ideas in their minds, and the children eventually believed what they were told was true.”
Read the article by Michael Fitzpatrick in The Morning Journal. The National Center for Reason and Justice has been fighting for Nancy Smith and Joseph Allen since their inception in 2002. Please consider supporting their work with a contribution.
Thank you for your support of justice!
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Lorain County prosecutor takes step to revisit infamous 1990’s Head Start sex case
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
October 24th, 2021
Yesterday we sent out a link to a GoFundMe appeal to raise funds for Frank Fuster, an innocent man who has been behind bars for 37 years.
We received a number of donations. This afternoon I received an email from GoFundMe, telling me that the appeal had been taken down. According to them, we had violated their terms of service by engaging in “prohibited activity.”
We are saddened and angered by GoFundMe’s attitude and action. But we hope you will not be deterred and donate anyway. Please use the button below.
Thank you for your support of justice!
Posted in Innocents, Prisons, Sex Panic | 2 Comments »
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
October 23rd, 2021
When the NCRJ was founded in 2002, one of the first cases we sponsored was the case of Frank Fuster. His was one of the first and most high-profile cases of the 80’s daycare panic. While a number of the other cases ended in exoneration, Frank has not been so fortunate.
The NCRJ will not abandon Frank and are supporting a final effort towards justice. Frank currently is hoping to raise money to obtain records he believes might help his cause. Towards that end, he contacted us and asked if we could set up a GoFundMe appeal for him.
We have done so. Please visit it here.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Frank Fuster now has a GoFundMe appeal
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
October 22nd, 2021
“ELYRIA — Lorain County Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson is considering going to court to request that the criminal convictions of Joseph Allen and Nancy Smith, convicted of child sexual abuse in the Head Start case of the early 1990s, “be vacated and that the charges against them be dismissed.”
Read the article by Dave O’Brien in the Lorain Chroicle-Telegram.
Everyday Joseph Allen remains in prison the magnitude of this injustice increases. This is the first hopeful development in many years.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Lorain DA may request that the convictions of Joseph Allen and Nancy Smith be vacated
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
September 26th, 2021
“On Wednesday, my Mother got some bad news. She went to the doctors and was diagnosed with lung cancer. The doctors scheduled her for something like 3 or 4 tests, and an operation within two weeks. I think they caught it early.
“My Mother has been my strength throughout my incarceration. She has kept me centered. The thing I look forward to the most when I finally get out, is spending time with her. Taking care of her. My life is something of a train wreck, and it has had nothing but a bad impact on my Mother’s life. She deserves some peace in life.”
Read the rest of Shane’s post.
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Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
September 19th, 2021
“A few days ago, JPay sent out a mass e-mail to all the inmates here at M.C.I. I do not know if this e-mail was sent to all O.D.R.C. inmates in the state of Ohio. The e-mail was a threat. It stated something to the effect that inmates are not allowed to send messages of any kind that end up on social media platforms like Tiktok, Facebook, or YouTube. That doing so violates O.D.R.C. policies pertaining to outgoing mail. They went on to say something like we could get kicked off JPay and face disciplinary sanctions from our perspective institutions.”
Read the rest of Shane’s post.
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Posted in Innocents, Prisons, Sex Panic | Comments Off on Do I have First Amendment Rights? A Prison Post from Shane Crum.
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
September 14th, 2021
“Approximately about a week ago, I received an envelope with no return address at mail call. I took the missive back to my cell to open it, and found a single piece of paper inside. I first noticed a picture of an attractive woman and some words on the page. My eyes went straight to the picture, and I was thinking, “Well, whoever she is, she is good looking.”. As I continued to look at the photo, some sense of familiarity kept creeping in. It hit me, I know her. I began to scan the page for a familiar name and the words that struck me were,” Obituary, Elizabeth Anne Smothers, and Passed”. I thought is this my Elizabeth? Then I seen her parents names John and Sue. I knew then this was my Elizabeth.”
Read the rest of Shane’s post.
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Posted in Innocents, Prisons, Sex Panic | Comments Off on Death of a loved one — a prison post from Shane Crum
Friends of Justice is a personal blog. Here I speak only for myself.
September 9th, 2021
“Recently, I had someone I consider a very close friend look at the posts I place on this very blog. He disagreed with much of what I had been saying, because he believes that society is much more likely to believe someone who claims to be innocent when the evidence bears that out, that people are tired of sloppy police work, and jurors require real proof of a person’s guilt to convict. I have not been out in the free world in over 25 years and cannot speak to some of his arguments. Nevertheless, the one thing he said to me that really stuck with me is, “many TV shows depicting innocent people being exonerated show that those prisoners who are upbeat, optimistic, and willing to forgive get much more attention and are more likely to be released than those who are consumed by anger and recrimination. I would prefer to think it is not a person’s attitude, but rather the facts of each case that persuades the public to help free innocent inmates. My Mother even says I have become increasingly more negative over the years. I suppose my posts are apparently negative as well.”
Read the rest of Shane’s post.
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Posted in Innocents, Prisons, Sex Panic, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
