[Deathpenalty] rejoining list... Ohio juveniles receiving harsh sentences.. 1 of them in jail 18 years

[J s freed Coalition]

Dear friends,  It has been several years since I posted on the Abolish list. I 
live in Ohio
which is one of 2 northern states, as you know, still involved in premeditated 
judicial murder.
This post is about the Graham V Florida case and its applications to juveniles 
who received
very harsh sentences.  Please if you read this and will join our coalition, 
write freeshue at yahoo.com


Jonathan Shue has been in jail for 18 years for an accidental shooting when 15

A coalition is working to achieve freedom
for a man in jail for 18 years for an accidental
shooting when he was 15.
In 1992 when Jonathan Shue was 15, he and his friend found a gun. They played
with it. People in the neighborhood called the police, concerned
about a potential accident, but there was no response. The trigger was
malfunctioning. The gun went off and Jonathan's friend
was dead. Jonathan has maintained for the 19 years since then that it was not an
intentional shooting. In 1993 Lynn Slaby, Akron Ohio prosecutor, decided to try
Jonathan as an adult. Jonathan's attorney was now Judge Tom Teodosio. Slaby
achieved a conviction of 15 years to life. Jonathan has now been in jail for 18
years.

Law professor J Dean Carro of the University of Akron filed
an appeal for Jonathan in the 90's, on the basis that there
had been insufficient evidence at the trial. His appeal
was rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court, one of 2 northern
state courts consistently involved in judicial murder.

Last year the Supreme Court issued an opinion in Graham V Florida in regards to
juvenile defendants. As a result of that decision, the Ohio Public Defender's
Office..
Atty Steve Goldmeier
Office of the Ohio Public Defender
250 East Broad Street - Suite 1400
Columbus, Ohio 43215
(614) 466-5394
(800) 686-1573
is now taking 6 weeks to consider if they will include Jonathan Shue along with
others in a campaign for release from prison. They
are choosing from juveniles given very long sentences. We would be grateful if
you called and/or wrote to request that the Public Defender's Office include
Jonathan Shue in their
Graham Project cases.

The imprisonment of each prisoner in Ohio costs the city or county of the
prisoner $40,000 a year. Jonathan's unusually harsh imprisonment has cost the
citizens of Akron Ohio $720,000. Since he has been in prison he has taken many
courses and is close to 2 associate
degrees in business administration from Wilmington College
and culinary science from Hocking College.

Many states are releasing men and women who are incarcerated for nonviolent
offenses such as smoking marijuana. Ohio has not yet joined this wave. Now as
the governor privatizes and sells prisons, prisoners have been sent into Marion
Correctional Institute which is now at 200% capacity. Jonathan jailed for
an act which occurred when he was 15 has served more time than adults
serve in many states.

Jonathan's address is
Jonathan Shue
283466
Marion Correctional Inst.
P. O. Box 57
940 Marion-Williamsport Road
Marion, Ohio 43302

Prisoners at Marion Correctional Inst. may not receive phone calls, may only
initiate collect calls lasting a maximum of 15 minutes. Global Tel requires
prepayment. The charge is $1 per call plus 32 cents for each minute. We know
that in the world's prisons it is rare for billionaires or centimillionaires to
be sentenced, and that the going rate in Ohio for attorneys is $150 to $500
or more an hour. The US has the highest percentage of incarcerated men and women
in the world and is among the top 5 in the length of sentences imposed.
Relatives of a retiring Ohio senator have profiteered from
prison privatization. It is our opinion that the Ohio Parole Board needs to
include many more in church and prisoner's rights groups, Ohio is one of only 2
northern states still involved in execution. Only 25% of US states, most of them
in the South, kill prisoners in the name of the state. Only 12% of the world's
countries are still involved in execution.

Two churches have prayed as a group for Jonathan's release. If your social
justice group or church, mosque, ashram or temple can join our Free Shoe
Coalition, please write freeshue at yahoo dot com...

God through grace set your captives including Jonathan Shue free.

The following are some groups working for prisoner rights in Ohio and elsewhere.

www.ohiojpc.org
www.innocenceproject.org
www.ohioaclu.org
www.amnesty.org
www.prejean.org

Free Jonathan Shue Coalition

Please multipost this release on forums. Please email this and circulate it to
media, government officials, and all who can
help.