This week on WCLK's The Local Take(Saturday 8am), I speak with community advocate Sherri Jefferson, founder of the African American Juvenile Justice Project. Amid the pandemic, a judge in Fayette County has sentenced a 76-year-old African American woman to 499 days in jail for a DUI that did not involve any people being harmed.
I asked Jefferson to walk us through the case. She shares that Carol, arrested in July 2019, was required to find a residential treatment. Between her insurance and the low availability of beds available for substance abuse patients, Carol couldn't obtain a bed. It wasn't easy to meet this requirement. Due to her inability to find a residential treatment program, Judge Jason Thompson sentenced her to 499 days in jail for violating her parole.
Four hundred ninety-nine days to a 76 year may very well be a death sentence. Jefferson has brought attention to this case with rallies and social media posts with the #JusticeForCarol tab. Additionally, they have offered an in-home substance abuse treatment program, offers to give up her car and license, and home detention. It costs the county approximately $20,000 a year to lock up a citizen.
Jefferson explains that one thing we can do is vote and vote YES on the amendment to waive state sovereignty.
For more information on #JusticeForCarol