Anthony Jackson sentenced to life. At trial, his attorney did not even know the charges against him.
Jackson was convicted of burglary for stealing a wallet from a Myrtle Beach hotel. Police arrested him when he tried to use the stolen credit card at a pancake house.
Since Jackson's court-appointed attorney failed to properly prepare for trial and did not even know the charges against him, Jackson chose to represent himself but says he did not understand anything during his trial.
Because of prior convictions for burglary, Jackson was sentenced to mandatory life without parole under South Carolina’s three-strikes law.
“I felt hurt and afraid of the ending of life,” Jackson says of his sentencing. “You will think that I killed someone with that kind of time.
Jackson speaks weekly with his mother. He says his drug addiction motivated the crime for which he was sentenced to die in prison.
When he requested substance abuse treatment while serving time for a prior burglary conviction, he reports he was denied treatment. Jackson says, “I begged them for help. They said no.”
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 Jackson 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 Jackson's Legal Fund (Select South Carolina, Inmate ID=138454)
Note: 100% of your donation goes directly into the inmate's prison account.