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Defending mothers who kill

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For All The Sisters Inside/Mission Statement
Our mission is to advocate for the humane and compassionate treatment of all incarcerated women everywhere. We work for the release of all women who are unjustly imprisoned, and strive to reduce the over reliance on incarceration.

Objectives
We work to bring fairness and equity into the criminal justice system and to shift the focus to treatment and restorative justice. We work to educate the public, develop new legislation, implement new programs, and develop resources for incarcerated women.

Our Purpose/Vision Statement
It is our vision that all persons who are impacted by the criminal justice system will be treated with dignity and respect, and that restorative justice will be the goal of all parties. Everyone in society will recognize that they have an important role in the process, and rehabilitation will be a primary focus of the criminal justice system. We envision a future where female offenders will be helped to maintain their families and develop strong relationships with their children rather than having their families destroyed as a consequence of contact with the criminal justice system... 

Gloria Killian - Executive Director of ACWIP
Gloria Killian was released from prison on 8/8/02 after serving more than 16 years on a sentence of 32 years to life for a crime that she did not commit. Throughout her trial and incarceration she always maintained her innocence. In March 2002 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that her conviction was based solely on perjured testimony and overturned her conviction.

As a former law student, Ms. Killian was assigned to the prison law library where she worked for 14 years, providing legal assistance to other inmates. She worked extensively with battered women, as well as others, and developed specialized legal services for many different areas of the prison. She was instrumental in the founding of the USC Law Project at the California Institution for Women.

Since her release, Ms. Killian has been tirelessly advocating for the humane treatment and release of the women that she left behind. She works as a consultant to agencies in the criminal justice and public policy fields, and has been the keynote speaker at several symposiums. She has testified for Select Committees of the California Legislature, and spoken extensively about the issues and concerns of incarcerated women. She has lectured at USC Law School, Loyola Law School, Southwestern Law School, and Arizona State University, among many others.

In 2008 the District Attorney( Christopher Cleland)  who prosecuted Gloria Killian was brought up on charges by the California State Bar for his conduct in the Killian case. After a lengthy trial, he was found guilty and admonished by the State Bar. Cleland is one of only 5 prosecutors who have been brought up on these type of charges in the past 8 years in California.

Press Release
When: Immediate Release
To: All outlets
From: Action Committee For Women In Prison

We are pleased to announce that 4 Justice Now has merged with ACWIP, and will henceforth operate as chapters of ACWIP in Florida, New Jersey, and New York. ACWIP is a national organization that is dedicated to ensuring humane and compassionate treatment for all incarcerated women, reducing the over-reliance on incarceration in the United States, and advocating for the release of all women who pose no threat to society. Creating a safe and positive community environment dedicated to rehabilitation and restorative justice for women and their children is a primary goal of the organization.

Mary Ellen Digiacomo, President
4justicenow.ning.com 
The Florida Chapter of ACWIP.net


Visit 4justicenow

My name is Mary Ellen and I have decided to write this blog to honor the women who are imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit or were wrongly sentenced. I myself was one of those prisoners. I am an entrepreneur and started my own business many years ago only to find that the State of Florida would charge and convict me of a crime that was never committed. They say I didn't register stocks in my privately held company which I believe never had to be registered. No criminal intent was ever present and the attorneys just said "Don't worry" even as I was being escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs! I was convicted and served 5 years in maximum security prisons in Florida. It was there that I met these women. I am currently on probation and still have a few years left to complete my sentence. But this story isn't about me. It is about the countless women I left behind and their stories.

I believe in my heart that I was divinely guided to serve this sentence in order to tell these stories. I am not angry but passionate to do something to make changes in a very broken justice system. You wouldn't believe how easily women can wind up in prison in Florida. Most are victims of horrendous abuse. The laws are often archaic and reversely discriminate against women in an effort not to give them special privileges above men. But they are not men and they continue to be treated as if they were or worse. They work hard heavy labor in the hot Florida sun and are not fed the same portions as the men doing the same jobs. (And, by the way, neither males nor females get paid for their labor). These are not monsters. Most are women who were trying to protect themselves or their children and had no self defense laws in place to protect them. Some of them were convicted simply because they had knowledge of a crime and were threatened with their lives or the lives of their children if they said anything. I am not saying that there aren't women who don't belong in prison (and even they deserve humane treatment), but I know first hand how many truly don't belong there or have served their time and deserve their freedom! It is my mission to make the public aware of these stories and to help make our correction system more rehabilitative and less punitive. Only then can we ever hope for a better society as a whole. We need to address the issues of poverty, abuse, and their affects on crime and change the system that fosters bad behavior into one where every person has a chance to live a successful life.

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