Hershel Miles sentenced to life because of a burglary for which he was never charged
A mother and son returned home to find a broken door and a VCR and video game consoles missing. The total value was under $250.
Miles attempted to cash a check bearing the signature of the deceased husband of the woman whose house had been burglarized. Miles maintains that he received the check for payment for a motor that he sold to a man named Al on the same date as the burglary.
None of the stolen items were found to be in Miles’s possession, and he was not charged with the burglary.
Nevertheless, Miles was charged with forgery and petit larceny for attempting to cash a stolen check and was sentenced to life without parole under Mississippi’s habitual offender law for prior convictions.
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 Miles 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 Miles' Legal Fund (Select Mississippi, Inmate ID=L2094)
Note: 100% of your donation goes directly into the inmate's prison account.