Woman Condemned

 I received a new letter from the infamous wife killing cop, Drew Peterson. I have no previous knowledge of his case other than the fundamentals. I thought it interesting that he mentions in his letter that his case is a travesty of the American justice system. I think it is worth the time to look into what he says to make sure it isn't true. He says his appeals are looking hopeful. I wonder about our misguided social state in this country. If he is found to be innocent, will he be ostracised like George Zimmerman. Will all the arm chair detectives in the country who make decisions on partial evidence trumped up by the media, condemn him as a murderer even if an informed judge finds him innocent? It's a fair question in these United States of America. Here is a television movie based on the case:

I wrote to Lisa Montgomery today. I hesitated for a long time before adding her to my list of inmates. My goal in doing this in the first place is to be able to offer some kind of support to the women on death row and other inmates. I do not condone the behavior but I maintain that all humans should be treated as such. Many times, since I have a somewhat jaded and disappointed view of our American justice system, I am more apt to believe in the underdog stories. I have seen so many cases of the woman condemned and other inmates being nothing but a victim time and again. I can see the path of destruction and the breaking point far more clear than most rural moms. Lisa stands convicted of slicing a baby girl from her mother's belly, one Bobbie Jo Stinnett, killing her in the process. She is on death row in Texas at the Federal Medical Center. Doctor after doctor has proven this woman suffers from excessive amounts of mental illness, some of which was traced back to head injur...

How to Write to a Prison Inmate | eHow Very simply explained, this eHow article tells the basics of writing to a prison inmate. I get many letters each day asking for help in this arena. While I answer as many as I can, this article can help guide your way. Write the Wrongs!

  Art student Nick Wood risks selling a few Ecstasy tablets at a party to impress friends and ends up with a two year prison sentence. Nick hopes to spend his sentence in an open prison, the type he's read about in the papers. The ones often referred to as 'holiday camps'. Instead, his worst nightmare comes true. Locked up in HMP Blackthorpe, a prison known for its medieval-like squalor and brutal violence, Nick lives at the mercy of the drug barons and in fear of the lifers. Constantly stalked by danger he has to find a way to survive in the prison rife with heroin. To earn protection money he turns to the one thing he's good at - art. But can selling pictures to visitors be enough to keep the mob at bay? Or will he be made an example of by the hard men and suffer the worst type of prison punishment? Based on the experiences of the author. ABOUT JOHN HOSKISON: In 1994, bestselling author and top professional golfer, John Hoskison broke a lifetime rule by dri...

Helen Ford may be the nation’s newest death row female.  She is accused of child abuse and neglect in the strangulation and beating death of 8 year old Gizzell Ford, apparently her granddaughter. She was arrested on July 11 th , 2013, in Chicago, when the little girl was found dead in her home. An autopsy report showed that Gizzell died of strangulation combined with blunt force trauma. There were contributing factors that point to child abuse and neglect. It is believed there were other children in the home as well. Neighbors have described the little girl as respectful, polite and intelligent.  Police were called to the aprtment by a 911 call stating someone wasnt breathing.   Helen first told authorities Gizzell had hurt herself in anguish over her absentee mother. A short investigation revealed the girls obvious wounds. Ford tried to explain away the damage to the little girls body by saying she was clumsy and the mother's boyfriend had abused her....

(CBS/AP) INDIANAPOLIS - Paula Cooper, an Indiana woman put on death row at age 16 for killing an elderly Bible school teacher, is scheduled to be released Monday after serving a prison term that was shortened after the state Supreme Court intervened. Cooper's death sentence at such a young age sparked international protests and a plea for clemency from Pope John Paul II. Now 43 years old, Cooper is being given a second chance at her  life. Cooper was 15 when she and three other teenage girls showed up at Ruth Pelke's house on May 14, 1985, with plans of robbing the 78-year-old Bible school teacher. Pelke let Cooper and two of the teen's companions into her Gary home after they told her they were interested in Bible lessons. As the fourth teen waited outside as a lookout, Cooper stabbed Pelke 33 times with a butcher knife. Then she and the other girls ransacked the house. The four girls fled with Pelke's car and $10. Cooper's three accomplices were senten...

Dane Abdool wrote to tell me he has a hearing in the county court where the crime was committed in early July. Dane is a very special penfriend of mine. He means the world to me. In my heart I know that he never meant for the terrible murder of Amelia to occur. He was a young man who was angry and out of control and not thinking. No matter what you believe about his case, he deserves punishment but not death.

Christina Wlaters is no longer on death row. She is now sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. In 2012, a judge ruled in her favor when she alleged racial bias played a role in her trial and sentencing. Hand written notes from the judge and jury members were used as evidence. Christina was placed on death row for her gang initiation murders of two young women. She also car jacked and kidnapped another woman. She shot her but she survivied.

I wrote to Kimberly McCarthy for many years. She was executed in June of this year. While she was guilty, her trial was less than fair. There was issue upon issue of incompetence and when someone’s life is at stake we cannot take those liberties. Kimberley was killed with animal tranquilizers. The very manufacturer of the chemical is disgraced at the state of Texas saying, “It’s against everything we stand for. We invent and develop medicine with the aim of alleviating people’s burden. This is the direct opposite of that.” Kimmie’s last words were “This is not a loss. This is a win. You know where I’m going. I’m going home to be with Jesus. Keep the faith. I love you all,”  I know that she was guilty but to kill someone to punish them for killing someone is beyond immature. How can we as a country keep our head up while still practicing this barbarism in our own backyard? We’ve already been told that a life sentence is cheaper than a death sentence. It’s been pro...