Posted by: Dotsie
From Dianne on behalf of DV victim - 02/20/09 02:08 PM
Ladies, this is a letter that our Dianne at www.eadv.net received on bahlf of a woman who has been in jail due to a domestic violence situation that happend many years ago. Please read and if you feel moved, write a letter. Thanks!
Good Afternoon,
My name is Joyce Hahn, and I am a law student at USC. I work with the Post-Conviction Justice Project representing women incarcerated at the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Chino, California. Although we have many clients, one client's story, who was a victim of domestic violence, has profoundly impacted the way I approach the law and my life. She is the reason I am writing to you today.
Connie Keel is a survivor of domestic violence. As a child, adolescent, and young adult, Connie Keel was neglected and physically abused by her mother, sexually abused by uncles, neighbors, and friends, and then regularly beaten (and even raped) by her husband. A California Board of Parole Hearings investigation substantiated her stories of abuse through interviews with her family and friends and those of her ex-husband
Connie has been incarcerated since 1981 because she sat in a car, terrified for her life, while her armed, abusive husband and his cousin made a spur-of-the-moment decision to rob a liquor store and shoot the clerk. Even though Ms. Keel did not enter the store, fire the gun, or actually commit the robbery or murder, she is still behind bars, nearly 30 years later.
A California Board of Parole Hearings investigation found that her extensive abuse led her to develop a condition, Battered Women's Syndrome, which prevented her from disobeying her husband when he ordered her at gunpoint to stay in the car the night of the crime.
Connie Keel is now 50 years old and a fully rehabilitated woman. She has never been disciplined for violence—either prior to or during her incarceration. While in prison, Connie has advanced herself educationally, held leadership roles in several programs, and generated favorable reviews in multiple vocational areas. Also, Ms. Keel has also been involved in more than 27 self-help groups while in prison.
The California Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) found on Oct. 29, 2008, in a case argued by the Post-Conviction Justice Project, that Ms. Keel "is suitable for parole and would not pose an unreasonable risk of danger to society or a threat to public safety if released from prison." While this decision was momentous, her fate now rests in the hands of Gov. Schwarzenegger, who has not affirmed many parole suitability determinations, but has the opportunity to show compassion for a woman who has turned her life around.
In less than 2 weeks, on Feb. 26, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger receives Connie's case for consideration and has the discretionary authoroty to reverse the BPH and deny this woman her freedom. In order to make sure that Governor Schwarzenegger reads Connie's story, I, with the support of USC Law School, have launched a national public awareness campaign on Connie's behalf. I wholeheartedly believe that if we can generate enough support letters to the Governor regarding Connie's case, he will be compelled to give it more than a cursory glance. If he reads the facts of her case, I believe he will realize that it would be inhumane and unjust to deny parole to this non-violent grandmother.
As part of this campaign, I am reaching out to different awareness organizations in California with hope that they will do at least one of the following:
1. Write a letter to the Governor on Connie's behalf. More information about her story, as well as a sample letter, is available at www.freeconnie.com, a website we designed that has letters of support to the governor just one click away.
2. Email Connie's story to all employees and affiliates of their organization, and/or their listserves. More information about her story can be found at www.freeconnie.com.
3. Provide a link to www.freeconnie.com on their own website. (***Please note that we intend to post a supporter's page with cross-links going back to all referring sites shortly).
Time is of the essence in this matter, and I really think your help can make a difference in convincing the Governor to affirm the parole board and grant parole to this domestic violence survivor.
Thanks!
Good Afternoon,
My name is Joyce Hahn, and I am a law student at USC. I work with the Post-Conviction Justice Project representing women incarcerated at the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Chino, California. Although we have many clients, one client's story, who was a victim of domestic violence, has profoundly impacted the way I approach the law and my life. She is the reason I am writing to you today.
Connie Keel is a survivor of domestic violence. As a child, adolescent, and young adult, Connie Keel was neglected and physically abused by her mother, sexually abused by uncles, neighbors, and friends, and then regularly beaten (and even raped) by her husband. A California Board of Parole Hearings investigation substantiated her stories of abuse through interviews with her family and friends and those of her ex-husband
Connie has been incarcerated since 1981 because she sat in a car, terrified for her life, while her armed, abusive husband and his cousin made a spur-of-the-moment decision to rob a liquor store and shoot the clerk. Even though Ms. Keel did not enter the store, fire the gun, or actually commit the robbery or murder, she is still behind bars, nearly 30 years later.
A California Board of Parole Hearings investigation found that her extensive abuse led her to develop a condition, Battered Women's Syndrome, which prevented her from disobeying her husband when he ordered her at gunpoint to stay in the car the night of the crime.
Connie Keel is now 50 years old and a fully rehabilitated woman. She has never been disciplined for violence—either prior to or during her incarceration. While in prison, Connie has advanced herself educationally, held leadership roles in several programs, and generated favorable reviews in multiple vocational areas. Also, Ms. Keel has also been involved in more than 27 self-help groups while in prison.
The California Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) found on Oct. 29, 2008, in a case argued by the Post-Conviction Justice Project, that Ms. Keel "is suitable for parole and would not pose an unreasonable risk of danger to society or a threat to public safety if released from prison." While this decision was momentous, her fate now rests in the hands of Gov. Schwarzenegger, who has not affirmed many parole suitability determinations, but has the opportunity to show compassion for a woman who has turned her life around.
In less than 2 weeks, on Feb. 26, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger receives Connie's case for consideration and has the discretionary authoroty to reverse the BPH and deny this woman her freedom. In order to make sure that Governor Schwarzenegger reads Connie's story, I, with the support of USC Law School, have launched a national public awareness campaign on Connie's behalf. I wholeheartedly believe that if we can generate enough support letters to the Governor regarding Connie's case, he will be compelled to give it more than a cursory glance. If he reads the facts of her case, I believe he will realize that it would be inhumane and unjust to deny parole to this non-violent grandmother.
As part of this campaign, I am reaching out to different awareness organizations in California with hope that they will do at least one of the following:
1. Write a letter to the Governor on Connie's behalf. More information about her story, as well as a sample letter, is available at www.freeconnie.com, a website we designed that has letters of support to the governor just one click away.
2. Email Connie's story to all employees and affiliates of their organization, and/or their listserves. More information about her story can be found at www.freeconnie.com.
3. Provide a link to www.freeconnie.com on their own website. (***Please note that we intend to post a supporter's page with cross-links going back to all referring sites shortly).
Time is of the essence in this matter, and I really think your help can make a difference in convincing the Governor to affirm the parole board and grant parole to this domestic violence survivor.
Thanks!