My Son Mack Butler has been in prison for 18 years and has no possibility of parole. For non-violent, cocaine offenses, my son has been sentenced to die in prison because of a "three strikes" mandatory sentencing policy in the State of Georgia.
As recently recognized by the Georgia Supreme Court in Humphrey v. Wilson,WL3118862 (Ga Supreme Court, decided October 26,2007), a sentence that is grossly disproportionate to the crime for which the sentence arises is unconstitutional and must be set aside. Id.; State v. Jones, Bibb County case number 07-CR-62271(order on defendant's motion for new trial,dated October 31,2007)(citing Humphrey v. Wilson,supra).
My son's life has been cut short. The court is saying to me that my child is only worth a twenty dollar piece of crack cocaine. According to the Humphrey v. Wilson ruling this is unconstitutional and there has to be a stop to this.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said "In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
For me this check to cash is my son's freedom. My son's sentence to life imprisonment without parole is illegal where a sentence of death was not sought. State v. Velazquez, S07G1012(Ga. Supreme Court, decided February 25,2008);Johnson v. State, 634 S.E.2d 134 (Ga. App.2006). My son's life is worth more than twenty dollars and a life in prison. Today I am here to cash a check for my son's freedom.
