Fundraising for Innocence & Justice Louisiana!

Thanks so much for donating!

While I often hesitate to partake in personal fundraising efforts, even something as simple as creating a page, caught in the concern that I’m forcing a cause onto others, my past several months at IJLA have both created an exception and caused me to rethink that mindset. 

I believe in the work deeply, have seen the grit and commitment of those involved in the organization, and have witnessed the deep fortitude of clients and those seeking our help. I also know that sustaining the work takes others believing in it, too.

During my time at IJLA as a Program Assistant for the Unjust Punishment Project, I have learned a great deal and been sobered by many realities of the criminal legal system. I have spent many hours responding to tens of letters we receive each week from incarcerated men and women seeking help through our unjust punishment work, assisting with parole hearing preparations, submitting records requests, digesting trial and appellate records, writing memos, and handling the many tasks in between. 

Largely, my time has been spent working to move the needle forward on an initiative more closely examining women's unjust incarceration, particularly in cases where circumstances of abuse, self-defense, or other factors were not properly considered at trial.

The IJLA website does a wonderful job explaining the place of the organization’s work in the state, the justice issues it focuses on, and the stories of each of the individuals freed or exonerated with its help. I encourage you to take a look, regardless of whether you can or want to donate. 

https://justicelouisiana.org

We should always question the places, like prisons, that we try to hide away from our communities and reckon with the ways incarceration reaches into our communities, is felt by our neighbors, is bound to our country’s history, and is central to our shared pursuit of justice.