Tag Archives: death penalty

On this day in history, May 3, 1946 — Black Teen Survives Louisiana Electric Chair

In 1945, a black sixteen-year-old named Willie Francis was sentenced to death in St. Martinville, Louisiana. Willie was convicted of killing Andrew Thomas, a fifty-three-year-old Cajun pharmacist, and the case revealed many flaws in the state’s justice system: Willie’s jury … Continue reading

Posted in crime, Justice Chronicles, race, raising black boys, Streets of Rage, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Mussolini of Manhattan Speaks of Ferguson, Missouri

In light of the protests in the aftermath of the no indictment of the Ferguson, Missouri police officer who shot and killed an unarmed teenager, Michael Brown, the Mussolini of Manhattan, i.e., former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, stated that police … Continue reading

Posted in Amadou Diallo, Commissioner Broken Windows, Commissioner William Bratton, Ferguson Missouri, Michael Brown, Mussolini of Manhattan | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Waiting for Parole — Between Hope and Despair

One of the most powerful forces is hope, oftentimes counterbalanced by despair.  In the criminal justice system, nothing inspires more hope than the possibility of being granted and being released to parole supervision.  On the other hand, nothing drops one … Continue reading

Posted in Justice Chronicles, Life Sentences, Murder, Parole, Politics, Reentry, Shawshank Redemption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

We Are All on Trial with Jesus: And We Must Take a Stand (An Excerpt from a Sermon I gave years at Sing Sing Prison, and at Rye Presbyterian Church)

In this age where one sensational trial replaces another, where we greedily consume the latest lurid details in the Lorena Bobbitt trial, the abused woman who took a pound of flesh from her husband, John Wayne Bobbitt, or the trial … Continue reading

Posted in Justice Chronicles, Murder, Religion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment