Dear Friends,
With all eyes turned to the Presidential election, I am also keeping an eye on local prosecutor races around the country. In one Ohio prosecutor election, nothing short of life or death hangs in the balance. Joe Deters, the incumbent District Attorney in Hamilton County, has been a staunch user — and defender — of capital punishment. His opponent, Fanon Rucker, has vowed to abolish capital punishment if elected. That’s about as stark of a contrast as it gets.
If you think that who runs the prosecutor’s office doesn’t matter for criminal justice reform, think again. Just last week, I had the privilege of moderating a virtual conversation for one of the largest legal aid organizations in the country, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, in Bexar County, Texas, between State Representative Ina Minjarez, Chief Public Defender Michael Young, and District Attorney Joe Gonzales, a progressive prosecutor in a county that includes San Antonio. DA Gonzales has embraced a reformist agenda that is keeping low-level offenders out of the criminal justice system. Reformist prosecutors can be transformative. If you live in a jurisdiction with a contested prosecutor race, now is the time to get involved.
Speaking of criminal justice reform, among the offerings at this week’s Montclair Film Festival is the documentary short Life Without Parole: The Sammy Gladden Story directed and produced by Mackenzie Robertson, a Montclair State student (special shout-out to Steve McCarthy, Executive Producer and fellow faculty member at MSU). The film takes a look at juvenile life without parole and how a change in law impacted a man named Sammy Gladden. I am proud to be a part of Robertson’s directorial debut. The film is available for screening now through Sunday, October 25.
Finally, you are cordially invited to join me on Tuesday, October 27th at 5 pm EST/2 pm PST for a virtual presentation and conversation about my book Smoke but No Fire: Convicting the Innocent of Crimes that Never Happened with the Newkirk Center for Science and Society at U.C. Irvine. The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is requested. I hope to see you there!
Our democracy is facing a threat like none we have ever experienced before. It is up to each one of us to speak up, vote, and be counted.
Thank you as always for all that you do.
Stay safe and well,
Jessica