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Jazz 91.9 WCLK | Membership Matters

The Local Take talks #JusticeForCarol with Community Advocate Sherri Jefferson

This week on WCLK's The Local Take(Saturday 8am), I speak with community advocate Sherri Jefferson, founder of theAfrican 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