Humanity for Prisoners

My special thanks, today, focuses on an unusual group of people. More about that in a moment.   As an octogenarian who never knows how many more Thanksgiving Days he will see, I’m engaged in a bit of reflection today regarding my third career---working with and for incarcerated men and women,   Before I get into that, I want to stress how grateful I am for our team---a fine Executive Director who leads HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS, as well as our dedicated staff, our enthusiastic volunteers, our supportive Board of Directors, and especially the many, many kind and generous people who see that we have the financial backing to continue our incredible work.   OK. Here’s what I’m especially thankful for: I thank God for the multitude of friends that I have who are behind bars or who formerly resided in prison!   Contrary to what you might think, everyone who is incarcerated is not a mean, unpleasant, hardened criminal. I cannot begin to count them all, but I’d wager that...

I first met Jim Samuels in the early 2000s. He was a highly respected defense attorney with an office in Big Rapids, Michigan. I had just started a fledgling organization called INNOCENT (later to become HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS), with an office in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Together, we were attending a national Innocence Network conference in another state.   Upon learning that we were from the same general area, and that we had similar feelings and intentions regarding incarceration and wrongful conviction, a friendship developed. Over the years, Jim became more than a friend…he was a supporter, an encourager.   One of the unusual characteristics of Jim Samuels is that he’s not only a lawyer…he’s also an actor and a writer! And so, when he represents people accused of crimes, he not only sees their story from a legal perspective. The artist side of him gives him an incredible sensitivity to their needs, feelings and emotions!   Jim and I are hoping to collaborate in t...

I have a new appreciation for my dear friend Maurice Carter today.   For those of you who are not familiar with this story, Maurice spent 29 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit. In the mid-1990s I joined hands with him in an effort to seek his release, a project that lasted almost a decade. We never got an exoneration, but in 2004 Maurice’s sentenced was commuted for health reasons. He died at the age of 60, just three months after he stepped into freedom.   One of the most admirable things about this kind, gentle man was that, after all he suffered under this terrible episode of misjustice, he was not bitter. His mind was good, his spirits were high, and despite immense suffering, he enjoyed his final three months.   An award-winning filmmaker has documented that story in a 45-minute video entitled: Wronged---The Maurice Carter Story. Last night we were proud to show that video to an audience of some 50 persons at Cooley Law School in Lansing. I counted...

There’s a new book on the market, and everyone should read it.   I must admit that there’s a selfish goal as I write this column…I want to promote an old book, as well. It’s gift-giving time, so please think about these books.   The new book is called FRAMED, and its co-authors are John Grisham and Jim McCloskey. Grisham has written numerous legal fiction novels. He also published an outstanding book in 2006 that tells a true story: THE INNOCENT MAN. McCloskey is the founder of a fine, faith-based innocence project called Centurion Ministries. As of today, some 70 wrongly convicted people are free, thanks to their excellent work.   The new book tells ten dramatic stories, and it’s a must read!   In the book’s preface, Grisham says: …every wrongful conviction deserves its own book. He goes on to say: Our goal with this book is to raise awareness of wrongful convictions and in some way help to prevent more of them.   That is exactly the position I took s...