Entries by Carla Crowder

, , , ,

Celebrating the freedom and birthday of another Appleseed client

We are thrilled to announce the release of another client, Joe Bennett, today – his first free world birthday in 24 years. Once sentenced to die in prison, Mr. Bennett walked out of Donaldson Correctional Facility on September 21, 2021, after a Jefferson County judge granted Appleseed’s motion for post-conviction relief and resentencing.  Staff attorney […]

“Buildings Aren’t Killing People.” Appleseed Supports Safe Prisons. But Much More Is Required Than New Buildings.

Appleseed Executive Director Carla Crowder delivered the following remarks to the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee on September 28, 2021 in opposition to the HB 4, a bill to spend $1.2 billion dollars on two new 4,000-bed prisons.   My name is Carla Crowder. I am a lifelong Alabamian and executive director at […]

,

Marking Time, At the Crossroads of Prison Reform

By Idrissa N. Snider On September 17th, the Abroms-Engle Institute for the Visual Arts (AEIVA) premiered its opening of the “Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration” exhibition. The installation showcases work by incarcerated and non-incarcerated artists “concerned with state repression, erasure, and imprisonment.”  As guests perused various drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs, and […]

,

“If you owe money, it doesn’t go away.”

A judge with a troubling history is again taking extreme measure to hold people accountable for decades-old government debt By Leah Nelson Leah.Nelson@alabamaappleseed.org An Alabama judge with a history of using drastic measures to prompt debtors to pay outstanding fines and fees appears to be at it again. According to the Bibb County Circuit Clerk’s […]

, ,

He never lost hope, now Appleseed client Alonzo Hurth is free at age 69

By Alex LaGanke, Appleseed Staff Attorney In 1994, Alonzo Hurth was sentenced to life without parole for a robbery conviction without physical injury. On June 21, 2021, Mr. Hurth walked out of Donaldson Correctional Facility a free man after a Jefferson County judge ordered him released on time served. If sentenced today, Mr. Hurth would […]

Alabama Appleseed is hiring a Project Manager and Liaison for Jefferson County

Come join our growing team working for justice and equity for all Alabamians! About Alabama Appleseed: Alabama Appleseed is a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1999 whose mission is to achieve justice and equity for all Alabamians. Alabama Appleseed conducts integrated culture and policy change campaigns to confront laws and policies that harm the […]

, , ,

Once condemned to die in prison, Motis Wright is finally free – and enrolled in robotics class.

By Carla Crowder, Appleseed Executive Director Motis Wright, who was originally sentenced to die in prison under Alabama’s Habitual Felony Offender Act for a 1994 robbery conviction, was released on time served after being represented by Alabama Appleseed. Mr. Wright walked free in May, greeted by his son, Chris Burton, whom he had not seen […]