John Oliver’s recent Last Week Tonight segment shined a national spotlight on felony murder laws across the United States, bringing critical attention to how these laws perpetuate extreme sentencing and injustice. This kind of national coverage is essential for elevating the voices of those impacted and advancing meaningful reform.
We’re proud that our Life Without Parole data was featured in the segment, alongside the work of several of our partners in the National Felony Murder Working Group who continue to challenge these laws every day.
We also want to recognize the legislators who have helped position our state as a leader in felony murder reform — and especially those who continue to push for change, knowing that the fight for justice is far from over.
Watch the full segment through the link in our bio.
The felony murder rule has no place in a just society.
We’re fighting to end it. But we can’t do it alone.
Share this post, follow our work, and take action today: fmeproject.org
#EndFelonyMurder #JusticeReform #FelonyMurder #FelonyMurderReform #JusticeForAll #ProportionalSentencing #SmartJustice #FMEP
Most Americans have never even heard of the felony murder rule. Still, this outdated legal doctrine is unjustly punishing and tearing apart thousands of families across the country.
It’s about time we keep up with the times. Be a part of the solution by sharing this post and joining us at fmeproject.org.
#EndFelonyMurder #JusticeReform #FairJustice #ProportionalSentencing #SmartJustice #JusticeForAll #ModernizeJustice #FMEP
“Mr. Glossip now has the chance to taste freedom while his defense team continues to pursue justice on his behalf against a system that the United States Supreme Court has found to be guilty of serious misconduct by state prosecutors." - Donald Knight, attorney for Richard Glossip
Yesterday, Oklahoma death row inhabitant Richard Glossip, given a new trial after three decades on death row, was granted bond. After numerous legal challenges and execution dates, Glossip was finally presented a path out of incarceration. #AbolishTheDeathPenalty
/oklahoma-death-row-inhabitant-released-on-bond/
With #voterdisenfranchisement rampant across the US, its vital that our communities have clear, accessible information about voting and civic participation in California. Non-profit organization @initiatejustice provides a Voter Education Toolkit for CA voters.
/initiate-justice-voter-education-toolkit/
"The joint venture and felony murder doctrines contradict some of society’s most basic instincts about the relationship between criminal liability and moral culpability. Jurors often experience confusion and moral distress about imposing a murder conviction in cases where the accused never killed anyone." - Caitlin Glass, @bostonuniversityschooloflaw
Racial Justice and Movement Lawyering Clinic
The opinion "Why Are People in Massachusetts Being Sent to Prison for Murders They Didn't Commit?" appeared May 11th in the @bostonglobe addressing State legislation that would separate murder from accomplice murder.
#EndFelonyMurder
#SentencingReform
/people-in-massachusetts-being-sent-to-prison-for-murders-they-didnt-commit/
“In that prison, on that yard, Williams was a person who was helping set a culture that allowed all of us to treat ourselves, as well as the staff, with dignity and respect. He was the first person to encourage me to write, and to use my voice for advocacy. That encouragement has always meant the world to me, and is a big reason for how I spend my time to this day.” - James King, Director of Programs, @ellabakercenter
FMEP asks supporters and advocates to take action and help us bring Dortell WIlliams home today! In his 37 years incarcerated, his work to mentor those who are now "free" have created his own place for him back in the community, @cagovernor Newsom.
/help-us-free-dortell-williams-today/
Free legal clinic tomorrow, Saturday May 9th, from 10am to 12n PT at Ross Snyder Recreation Center in Los Angeles.
/los-angeles-free-legal-clinic-tomorrow-may-9th/
“We interpret the statutory language to mean just what it says: The phrase ‘aided … or assisted the actual killer in the commission of murder in the first degree’ requires proof the defendant aided or abetted the actual killer in the lethal act itself and not just the underlying felony." - California State Supreme Justice Joshua Groban, writing the majority opinion
On Monday, the California Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s decision denying the reconsideration of resentencing for a man convicted of first-degree murder in 2013, narrowing felony murder liability for non-murderers.
#endfelonymurder
#sb1437
/california-supreme-court-ruling-narrows-felony-murder-liability/
A growing number of people are returning home after long-term confinement, and navigating that life involves significant hurdles. @thesentencingproject offers a webinar, "Learning Life All Over Again" discussing what we're learning about those challenges.
Details and how to register
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/learning-life-all-over-again-webinar/
"Our clients are immigrants. People who speak English as a second language, predominantly people of color. Poor. Suffering from mental health issues. This is not a group with a lot of political power, and that’s why it’s really important that public defenders stand up for these vulnerable members of our society and try to give them a fair shot in court." - Mano Raju, @sfpublicdefender
California's public defender system is in a state-wide crisis driven by understaffing & unsustainable caseloads threatening the #sixthamendment right to counsel. Offices from the Bay Area to Los Angeles face high attorney turnover, burnout, & limited resources.
/californias-public-defender-system-nearing-crisis-stage/
"I’m now 44 years old as I sit in this cell serving a 30-year prison sentence for a first-degree murder charge. Here, I reflect on EVERYTHING. And as much as I could blame my upbringing and my childhood for molding me, I take responsibility. But what society and others unlike myself need to realize and respect is that when a child is raised under certain circumstances, dysfunctional behaviors become normal."
Child abuse is a significant precursor to criminal activity; studies show abused/neglected children are 11x more likely to engage in crime as adults. The essay "I’ve Never Told Anyone These Secrets From My Childhood" by an anonymous incarcerated writer appears on the @prisonwriters website.
#voicesoftheincarcerated
#cycleofabuse
/prison-writers-ive-never-told-anyone-these-secrets-from-my-childhood/
