Texas is scheduled to execute Jeff Wood on August 24, 2016, even though he never killed anyone, had no previous criminal history, and suffers from borderline intellectual functioning and mental illness. Although Wood was involved in a robbery, he didn’t plan to kill anyone and wasn’t even inside the gas station when the victim, Kris…
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Read MoreThe Public Welfare Foundation features EJUSA’s vision for a justice system that heals in its new publication, “From Heartbreak to Healing – the Journey of Crime Survivors.” “We believe the justice system needs to serve all the constituencies impacted by crime: survivors, those who commit crimes, and communities. That means providing healing for survivors, accountability…
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There is an assumption that justice means punishment for someone who has done something wrong: a crime happens, law enforcement finds out who did it, the courts hand down a sentence, and the crime victim is healed. But we know from our work with crime survivors over the last decade that the reality is much…
Read MoreRace has played a disturbing role in the death penalty’s application throughout its long history in the United States. During slavery, this discrimination was explicitly written in many states’ laws. Blacks and slaves faced the death penalty in cases where the same crime committed by a white person would not even be eligible for death….
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Almost 50 Evangelical leaders from Texas and around the country called upon state officials to stop the execution of Jeff Wood. In a letter released Monday, the religious leaders urged Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Board of Paroles and Pardons to grant Wood a new sentencing hearing, saying he “never should have been sentenced…
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Yesterday, Delaware’s death penalty was ruled unconstitutional! “Delaware’s death penalty is gone,” said EJUSA’s Executive Director Shari Silberstein. “It’s only a matter of time before the whole house of cards that is the death penalty in the United States comes crashing down.” Delaware joins the growing number of states that have abandoned the death penalty…
Read More“Recommended this week” features highlights from the past week in news about the death penalty, crime survivors, and trauma-informed responses to crime. Retain a Just Nebraska – Kirk Bloodsworth, Innocence The campaign to keep the death penalty out of Nebraska released its first TV spot this month, featuring the first man to be exonerated from death row…
Read MoreCalifornia has opened an application process for organizations to apply for funds through the Federal Victims Of Crime Act (VOCA). This particular round of funding is reserved for advocacy and support services to unserved/underserved child and youth victims of a crime. (“Underserved” is defined by the state of California as: Cultural/Ethnic Specific Community; Geographically Isolated; Immigrants; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,…
Read MoreMichigan has opened its application process for organizations to apply for funds (pdf) through the Federal Victims Of Crime Act (VOCA). If you are an organization in Michgan that works with crime survivors or victims’ families, you may be eligible to apply through this RFP process. Through our VOCA Funding Toolkit, and assistance from our Grassroots Capacity Building Specialist, EJUSA…
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