Attempted possession of cocaine and a stolen bicycle. Charles Alford gets life without parole
Alford ran a parking lot in New Orleans. He was convicted of attempted possession of cocaine and was sentenced to life without parole under Louisiana’s habitual offender law.
According to Alford, he had two prior convictions, one for possession of a stolen bicycle when he was 20 years old, and another for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute when he was 24.
Alford says of his sentencing, “My life flashed in front of me. I thought I was going to die in Angola. I remember being scared to tell my mother, I did not think she could have handled this."
Alford graduated from his prison’s welding program. Alford told the ACLU, “[It is] hell here at Angola, wondering will I ever get married, will I ever own land, build a house. When you watch T.V. it really hurts; you see how beautiful the world is.”
Read full story at ACLU Special Report. A Living Death: Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses.
Many of the long serving inmates have no one left to support them. You can help by sharing their stories and asking others to do the same. Sign up to become an advocate for an inmate.
As voters, citizens, taxpayers and bystanders, we as a society have inhumanely punished thousands of nonviolent people. Currently Washington DC and 30 states have compensation statutes for wrongfully convicted inmates. Congress’ recommended amount is $63,000 for each year served. On the other hand, overly sentenced victims who in many cases have suffered equally or worse typically receive $20 and a bus ticket if they are fortunate enough to ever be released.
Select the link below to donate directly to Alford to help him with legal and other expenses. Most of these inhumanely sentenced inmates don't remember the last time they were able to buy personal items or snacks from the commissary. No donation is too small. JPAY is used for state inmates and Western Union for federal.
No Harsh Justice inmate has ever been convicted of a violent crime.
Donate to Alford's Legal Fund (Select Louisiana, Inmate ID=124492)
Note: 100% of your donation goes directly into the inmate's prison account.