Cases

John Holt is a 66-year-old grandfather. (John has been married about 35 years; he has four daughters and a son as well as seven grandkids.) Until now, he’s never been to prison. He has no felony convictions, and he’s been in prison for nearly 14 years. He was given a 30-year federal sentence for a nonviolent drug offense. Since there is no parole in federal prison, John Holt is likely looking at a de facto life sentence. Put bluntly, he will probably die in federal prison. Read More.

How The Federal Government Used a $150 Marijuana Conviction to Sentence Ernest Howard to 35 Years in Federal Prison, Without Parole, For Murder—a Murder he was Never Charged With, Tried For, or Convicted of. Read More.

Tom Caraway is approaching his seventies. Until now, he's never been to prison—never even had a traffic ticket. He's been in prison for nearly 18 years for a crime he did not commit. Read More.