THE CASE OF UNITED STATES V. REYNOLDS WINTERSMITH, 93CR20024
Reynolds Wintersmith is the only known juvenile, first-time offender in the United States who is serving a mandatory federal life sentence for a nonviolent drug crime.
Reynolds Wintersmith has been locked away in federal prison for nearly two decades. He has never been convicted or even accused of violence. Wintersmith’s crime was that, when he was just 17, he joined a drug ring in the Rockford, Illinois area. Shockingly, Wintersmith was a first-time offender with zero criminal record when he stood, confused and scared, before the federal judge who sentenced him to die in prison. In 1994, the law required a mandatory life sentence, even though the judge wished there was some other option:
“In your particular circumstance, as I said earlier, you were 17 years old when you got involved in this thing. . . And under federal law, I have no discretion in my sentencing. Usually a life sentence is imposed in state courts when somebody has been killed or severely hurt, or you’ve got a recidivist, that is, a defendant who’s been convicted time and time again. This is your first conviction. . . I think it gives me pause to think that was the intent of Congress to put somebody away for the rest of their life. But, in any event, it’s there.”
Justice has already been served. Even though he faces a mandatory life sentence and without any certainty that he will ever be released, Reynolds Wintersmith has made exceptional strides to become a remarkable human being. He has completed many college courses. He is certified by the U.S. Department of Labor as a Teacher’s Aide and tutors other inmates about how to further their education. He is a certified victim impact counselor. He is a prisoner companion for the federal inmate suicide prevention program. And he is a federal community reentry mentor who counsels prisoners about how to be productive members of society when they are released. Ironically and unfortunately, community reentry is not an opportunity Reynolds shares with the prisoners he mentors.
Permanent banishment is not the answer for nonviolent juvenile first offenders. Reynolds Wintersmith is the face of a flawed “War on Drugs” and the excessively harsh juvenile sentencing practices that were a collateral consequence of that war. He is also a face of maturity and rehabilitation. It costs the federal government $27,000 per year to keep Reynolds Wintersmith in prison. Taxpayers will have spent millions of dollars to keep this juvenile, nonviolent first offender locked up. Reynolds Wintersmith's case boils down to a single, fundamental question: Should a 17-year-old kid with no criminal record be permanently banished from society for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense?
Permanent banishment is not the answer for nonviolent juvenile first offenders. Reynolds Wintersmith is the face of a flawed “War on Drugs” and the excessively harsh juvenile sentencing practices that were a collateral consequence of that war. He is also a face of maturity and rehabilitation. It costs the federal government $27,000 per year to keep Reynolds Wintersmith in prison. Taxpayers will have spent millions of dollars to keep this juvenile, nonviolent first offender locked up. Reynolds Wintersmith's case boils down to a single, fundamental question: Should a 17-year-old kid with no criminal record be permanently banished from society for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense?
If you believe the answer to this question is NO, then the Justice For Wintersmith Coalition wants to hear from you.
For questions or to learn how you can help secure for justice for Reynolds Wintersmith, please email: justiceforwintersmith@gmail.com or call 312-880-9013
https://theblacklist.net/
Comments
So true Asafo
American Justice at its finest,
HOW A PRISONER FUNDS AMERICA
Greetings Delaproser, thanks for posting this and all that you do.
I'm sure your aware, there are more cases like this than are common knowledge. The article HOW A PRISONER FUNDS AMERICA can help us answer the question "How does this happen?"
Most often our reaction is shock and disgust and we instantly see the injustice against people, however the answer lies in "FOLLOW THE MONEY" to get a deep understanding on what is driving this system to committ such crimes against humanity.
"We often do not understand what is because we do not know what was"
THE U.S. IS A CORPORATION, NOT A COUNTRY
Other Resources:
THE STRUCTURE OF THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE
"Governmental assignment of a dollar value to the heads of citizens began on July 14, 1862
when President Lincoln offered 6 percent interest bearing-bonds to states who freed their slaves (enslaved people) on a "per head" basis. This practice of valuating humans (cattle?) continues today with our current system of debt-based currency reliant upon a steady stream of fresh new chattels to back it."
Additional Research
PRISON TREATISE
ILLEGAL COURTS - Rod Class video
LETTER FROM A JUDGE - The 7th Fire