Sep 17 2015
Black and Brown Mothers Languish Behind Federal Prison Bars for Decades – Here Are Their Heart Breaking Stories
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GUEST: Victoria Law, Freelance Journalist and author of ‘Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women.’
When President Obama announced his administration’s clemency project, advocates for ending mass incarceration were elated. The project was aimed at reducing the number of people in federal prisons who are serving excessive time for non-violent drug-related offences, particularly those people who, if they were sentenced today, would receive far less time.
So far the President has granted clemency to just under a 100 people. The Justice Department still has nearly 8,000 clemency petitions waiting to be processed. Advocacy organizations who launched the Clemency Project to help inmates apply are disappointed by how few applications have actually been processed.
Those who have been disproportionately ignored are women who remain behind bars. There are currently just over 8,000 women in federal prisons for drug offenses.
Read Victoria’s article ‘Mothers Serving Long-Term Drug Sentences Call for Clemency’ HERE.
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