Excerpts from the recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court banning mandatory life without parole (LWOP) sentences for juveniles in the case of Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. __ (2012):
"The Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment 'guarantees individuals the right not to be subjected to excessive sanctions.' Roper, 543 U.S., at 560. That right, we have explained, 'flows from the basic 'precept of justice that punishment for crime should be graduated and proportioned' to both the offender and the offense. Ibid. (quoting Weems v. United States, 217 U.S. 349, 367 (1910))."
...
"Because juveniles have diminished culpability and greater prospects for reform, we explained, 'they are less deserving of the most severe punishments.' Graham, 560 U.S., at __ (slip op., at 17)."
...
"Our decisions rested not only on common sense -- on what 'any parent knows' -- but on science and social science as well. Id., at 569. In Roper, we cited studies showing that "'[o]nly a relatively small proportion of adolescents'" who engage in illegal activity "'develop entrenched patterns of problem behavior.'" Id., at 570 (quoting Steinberg & Scott, "Less Guilty by Reason of Adolescence: Developmental Immaturity, Diminished Responsibility, and the Juvenile Death Penalty," 58 Am. Psychologist 1009, 1014 (2003)). And in Graham, we noted that 'developments psychology and brain science continue to show fundamental differences between juvenile and adult minds'--for example, in 'parts of the brain involved in behavior control.' 560 U.S., at __ (slip op., at 17). We reasoned that those findings--of transient rashness, proclivity for risk, and inability to assess consequences--both lessened a child's 'moral culpability' and enhanced the prospect that, as the years go by and neurological development occurs, his "'deficiencies will be reformed.'" Id., at __ (slip op., at 18) (quoting Roper, 543 U.S., at 570).
...
"Deciding that a 'juvenile offender forever will be a danger to society' would require 'mak[ing] a judgment that [he] is incorrigible'--but "'incorrigibility is inconsistent with youth.'" 560 U.S., at __ (slip op, at 22) (quoting Workman v. Commonwealth, 429 S.W.2d 374, 378 (Ky. App 1968)). And for the same reason, rehabilitation could not justify that sentence. Life without parole 'forswears altogether the rehabilitative ideal.' Graham, 560 U.S., at __ (slip op., at 23). It reflects 'an irrevocable judgment about [an offender's] value and place in society,' at odds with a child's capacity for change. Ibid.
...
"'[J]ust as the chronological age of a minor is itself a relevant mitigating factor of great weight, so must the background and mental and emotional development of a youthful defendant be duly considered'" in assessing his culpability. Id., at 116.
...
"Such mandatory penalties, by their nature, preclude a sentencer from taking account of an offender's age and the wealth of characteristics and circumstances attendant to it."
...
"And still worse each juvenile ... will receive the same sentence as the vast majority of adults committing similar homicide offenses--but really, as Graham noted, a greater sentence than those adults will serve."
...
"('A State is not required to to guarantee eventual freedom,' but must provide 'some meaningful opportunity to obtain release based on demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation'). By making youth (and all that accompanies it) irrelevant to imposition of that harshest prison sentence, such a scheme poses too great a risk of disproportionate punishment."
...
"[G]iven all we have said in Roper, Graham, and this decision about children's diminished culpability and heightened capacity for change, we think appropriate occasions for sentencing juveniles to this harshest possible penalty will be uncommon. That is especially so because of the great difficulty we noted in Roper and Graham of distinguishing at this early age between 'the juvenile offender whose crime reflects unfortunate yet transient immaturity, and the rare juvenile offender whose crime reflects irreparable corruption." Roper, 543 U.S., at 573; Graham, 560 U.S., at __ (slip op., at 17)."
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Thursday, June 28, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Nation’s High Court Ends Mandatory Life Without Parole Sentences for Youth
by Efren Paredes, Jr.
Today the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion abolishing mandatory life without parole (LWOP) sentences for the 2,500 prisoners across the U.S. who were condemned to die in prison for crimes they were convicted of as juveniles.
Courts will now have discretion to impose a lesser sentence in those cases and consider age as a factor in sentencing. Juveniles can receive LWOP sentences, however, it is a discretionary sentence now, not a mandatory sentence in cases involving homicide. Prisoners already serving LWOP sentences for crimes they were convicted of as juveniles are now eligible for resentencing. How that process occurs will vary by state.
The court conveyed what any parent, educator and common sense can tell us: children are different than adults. They possess the unique capacity for change and growth because they are still cognitively developing, and should be provided a path for rehabilitation during their incarceration.
Children are not incorrigible or expendable, nor are they miniature adults. They are not transformed into adults because they make mistakes or bad choices no more than they are transformed into adults for positive achievements or making good decisions.
It is undisputed that young people must be held accountable for their actions. This accountability, however, can only be achieved in ways that reflect the young person's age and his/her capacity for change. Just as the punishment should fit the crime, the punishment should also fit the offender.
In Michigan, 73% of the prisoners serving LWOP sentences for crimes they were convicted of committing when they were juveniles are people of color, yet they comprise only 27% of the youth in the state.
Nearly half of those convicted are also first-time offenders. Most grew up in impoverished areas, were victims of abuse, and were regularly exposed to drugs and violence.
The International Journal of Forensic Mental Health reports that 2/3 of males and 3/4 of females in the juvenile justice system show signs of one or more psychiatric disorders.
Taken together these findings reflect a very vulnerable demographic of 200,000 to 250,000 juveniles annually transferred to adult courts that are disparately being subjected to the harshest sentences meted out by judges.
Sadly, the vast majority of these juveniles are incapable of defending themselves against the political gamesmanship and cascade of abuses and mistreatment they are subjected to by older, experienced professionals in the criminal justice system.
It is a moral imperative that we now amplify the national conversation about the draconian policy of sentencing juveniles in adult courts. Rather than abandon and demonize young people, citizens should urge legislators to reform sentencing guidelines and work to ensure fairness in the parole process.
Life sentences in any form are veritable death sentences in Michigan. As long as they remain sentencing options for juveniles their opportunity for serious parole consideration will remain an unattainable reality.
To read the US Supreme Court Decision in its entirety click on: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/10-9646g2i8.pdf Today the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion abolishing mandatory life without parole (LWOP) sentences for the 2,500 prisoners across the U.S. who were condemned to die in prison for crimes they were convicted of as juveniles.
Courts will now have discretion to impose a lesser sentence in those cases and consider age as a factor in sentencing. Juveniles can receive LWOP sentences, however, it is a discretionary sentence now, not a mandatory sentence in cases involving homicide. Prisoners already serving LWOP sentences for crimes they were convicted of as juveniles are now eligible for resentencing. How that process occurs will vary by state.
The court conveyed what any parent, educator and common sense can tell us: children are different than adults. They possess the unique capacity for change and growth because they are still cognitively developing, and should be provided a path for rehabilitation during their incarceration.
Children are not incorrigible or expendable, nor are they miniature adults. They are not transformed into adults because they make mistakes or bad choices no more than they are transformed into adults for positive achievements or making good decisions.
It is undisputed that young people must be held accountable for their actions. This accountability, however, can only be achieved in ways that reflect the young person's age and his/her capacity for change. Just as the punishment should fit the crime, the punishment should also fit the offender.
In Michigan, 73% of the prisoners serving LWOP sentences for crimes they were convicted of committing when they were juveniles are people of color, yet they comprise only 27% of the youth in the state.
Nearly half of those convicted are also first-time offenders. Most grew up in impoverished areas, were victims of abuse, and were regularly exposed to drugs and violence.
The International Journal of Forensic Mental Health reports that 2/3 of males and 3/4 of females in the juvenile justice system show signs of one or more psychiatric disorders.
Taken together these findings reflect a very vulnerable demographic of 200,000 to 250,000 juveniles annually transferred to adult courts that are disparately being subjected to the harshest sentences meted out by judges.
Sadly, the vast majority of these juveniles are incapable of defending themselves against the political gamesmanship and cascade of abuses and mistreatment they are subjected to by older, experienced professionals in the criminal justice system.
It is a moral imperative that we now amplify the national conversation about the draconian policy of sentencing juveniles in adult courts. Rather than abandon and demonize young people, citizens should urge legislators to reform sentencing guidelines and work to ensure fairness in the parole process.
Life sentences in any form are veritable death sentences in Michigan. As long as they remain sentencing options for juveniles their opportunity for serious parole consideration will remain an unattainable reality.
(Efren Paredes, Jr. is a
Michigan prisoner sentenced to LWOP as a juvenile in 1989. Learn more about
Efren at
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Chippewa Correctional Facility Adds TASERs to Its Use of Force Continuum
by Efren Paredes, Jr.
Yesterday afternoon as I was seated on a bench in the Control Center at Chippewa Correctional Facility (URF) awaiting a visit I observed three facility staff members congregate around a computer monitor.
The video was replayed and the same female staff member who was watching the video burst into a loud laugh once again and then walked away from the monitor. When she moved from the monitor, I observed a portion of the video before it was turned off.
Funding for the weapons came from rate increases to telephone calls made between prisoners and their family members. Contact between prisoners and family members is an evidence-based proven part of rehabilitation for prisoners. Despite this fact, the MDOC preyed on this demographic to fund the purchase of their new weapons.
Several staff members have expressed opposition to their colleagues being armed with electro-shock weapons inside the prison. They express this sentiment because of the potential for abuse and the increased aggression exhibited by some of the staff who are armed with the weapons. According to one staff member, "This lack of professionalism could endanger others and unnecessarily exacerbate existent tensions within the facility."
If the recent nauseating events of MDOC staff viewing the tasing video is any indication of how electro-shock weapons will be misused against prisoners, and how sadistic the culture of violence and abuse against prisoners will escalate, Michigan citizens will witness a new frontier of inhumane treatment against prisoners ushered in by the misguided decision to arm MDOC staff with electro-shock weapons.
Yesterday afternoon as I was seated on a bench in the Control Center at Chippewa Correctional Facility (URF) awaiting a visit I observed three facility staff members congregate around a computer monitor.
While staff watched the screen,
I began hearing sound from a video they were viewing of an incident earlier
that day involving staff use of TASER-manufactured electro-shock weapons on a
prisoner in one of the housing units.
I could hear officers in
the video yelling at a prisoner and ordering him to go to the back of the cell.
After an exchange of words, staff discharged an electro-shock weapon on the
prisoner. Upon impact of the taser projectile, I could hear the prisoner who
was hit hollering.
I subsequently heard one
of the staff members watching the video utter in an excited tone, "Fuck
yeah! Took the fight right out of 'em!" Amused by what she observed, a female staff
member watching the video immediately began laughing loudly.
The video was replayed and the same female staff member who was watching the video burst into a loud laugh once again and then walked away from the monitor. When she moved from the monitor, I observed a portion of the video before it was turned off.
The following day
prisoners at the facility heard staff members talking and laughing about the
tasing incident. Staff also encouraged co-workers to view the above-referenced
video in the Control Center.
Last year the Michigan
Department of Corrections (MDOC) added electro-shock weapons to their arsenal
as a tool to incapacitate prisoners when MDOC staff deem necessary. The MDOC
entered into a $3 million contract
with Michigan TASER Company until 2013.
According to URF Warden
Jeffrey Woods, the weapons can be used anywhere in the facility. This includes
on members of the public, if necessary. The weapons will be available at MDOC
prisons across the state by July 2012.
Funding for the weapons came from rate increases to telephone calls made between prisoners and their family members. Contact between prisoners and family members is an evidence-based proven part of rehabilitation for prisoners. Despite this fact, the MDOC preyed on this demographic to fund the purchase of their new weapons.
Several staff members have expressed opposition to their colleagues being armed with electro-shock weapons inside the prison. They express this sentiment because of the potential for abuse and the increased aggression exhibited by some of the staff who are armed with the weapons. According to one staff member, "This lack of professionalism could endanger others and unnecessarily exacerbate existent tensions within the facility."
If the recent nauseating events of MDOC staff viewing the tasing video is any indication of how electro-shock weapons will be misused against prisoners, and how sadistic the culture of violence and abuse against prisoners will escalate, Michigan citizens will witness a new frontier of inhumane treatment against prisoners ushered in by the misguided decision to arm MDOC staff with electro-shock weapons.
Not surprisingly, these
weapons are being discharged the most at prisons housing large numbers of
mental health patients. According to MDOC staff who asked to remain anonymous,
"No special consideration is given to mental health patients or prisoners
with physical disabilities before tasing them. We've been told to treat each
prisoner the same."
The future of assaulting
prisoners with electro-shock weapons and showcasing the incident videos is
pregnant with potentially myriad dark possibilities. The only thing that
remains to be seen is the depth of the darkness.
Updated June 30, 2012
Updated June 30, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Support Documentary Film Calling for End to Life Without Parole Sentences for Youth
by Efren Paredes, Jr.
Today the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments to consider whether or not to end the sentencing of youths to life without parole (LWOP) -- death by incarceration -- nationwide.
If the high court rules in favor of abolishing this deplorable sentence it will make 2,500 juveniles across the nation eligible for parole consideration. Michigan incarcerates 358 of these juveniles, 15% of the total number of juveniles serving this sentence globally.
Ending LWOP sentences alone will not result in releasing a single prisoner. Parole Boards will just begin having the authority to give release consideration to these prisoners. Parole Boards currently have no authority to release prisoners serving LWOP sentences. Only state Governors can grant them a pardon or commutation of sentence that will result in their release.
To help end the shameful imposition of LWOP sentences on youths, a documentary film in its post-production stage titled "Natural Life" is seeking financial support necessary to be complete and distributed nationwide by the summer of 2012.
A complete description of the film is available at the end of this message, as well as information about how you can make a donation to help make the film completion a reality.
Please take a few minutes to visit the link and, if able, make a financial donation to this project. You can also contribute to this project in a big way by circulating the link to the fundraising project widely via email, Facebook, Twitter, and Google. You can also mention the link in editorials, in comment posts to articles on the Internet, and by posting flyers on college campuses, at churches, libraries, community centers, etc.
Your participation in this project can help change the course of history and end the mistreatment of juveniles by the criminal justice system. It will also send a message to the rest of the world that you stand in defense of human rights and the inherent dignity in our nation's youths.
I have been imprisoned since age 15 and the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling could impact my life in a huge way. Just four days ago I completed 23 years of imprisonment. I have spent 8,474 days -- over half my entire life -- locked away from society in adult jail and prisons.
If we do not end LWOP sentences for juveniles in the U.S. many of us will die in prison having never experienced living one single day in society as a free adult. We will never have been given the opportunity to be rehabilitated and be a productive citizen because of a crime we were convicted of committing when we were juveniles.
Let us remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who reminded us "Our lives begin to end the moment we stop caring about the things that matter." The lives of children matter. And so do their futures and the future of this nation.
The fundraiser link is: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1031057648/natural-life
Today the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments to consider whether or not to end the sentencing of youths to life without parole (LWOP) -- death by incarceration -- nationwide.
If the high court rules in favor of abolishing this deplorable sentence it will make 2,500 juveniles across the nation eligible for parole consideration. Michigan incarcerates 358 of these juveniles, 15% of the total number of juveniles serving this sentence globally.
Ending LWOP sentences alone will not result in releasing a single prisoner. Parole Boards will just begin having the authority to give release consideration to these prisoners. Parole Boards currently have no authority to release prisoners serving LWOP sentences. Only state Governors can grant them a pardon or commutation of sentence that will result in their release.
To help end the shameful imposition of LWOP sentences on youths, a documentary film in its post-production stage titled "Natural Life" is seeking financial support necessary to be complete and distributed nationwide by the summer of 2012.
A complete description of the film is available at the end of this message, as well as information about how you can make a donation to help make the film completion a reality.
Please take a few minutes to visit the link and, if able, make a financial donation to this project. You can also contribute to this project in a big way by circulating the link to the fundraising project widely via email, Facebook, Twitter, and Google. You can also mention the link in editorials, in comment posts to articles on the Internet, and by posting flyers on college campuses, at churches, libraries, community centers, etc.
Your participation in this project can help change the course of history and end the mistreatment of juveniles by the criminal justice system. It will also send a message to the rest of the world that you stand in defense of human rights and the inherent dignity in our nation's youths.
I have been imprisoned since age 15 and the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling could impact my life in a huge way. Just four days ago I completed 23 years of imprisonment. I have spent 8,474 days -- over half my entire life -- locked away from society in adult jail and prisons.
If we do not end LWOP sentences for juveniles in the U.S. many of us will die in prison having never experienced living one single day in society as a free adult. We will never have been given the opportunity to be rehabilitated and be a productive citizen because of a crime we were convicted of committing when we were juveniles.
Let us remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who reminded us "Our lives begin to end the moment we stop caring about the things that matter." The lives of children matter. And so do their futures and the future of this nation.
The fundraiser link is: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1031057648/natural-life
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Contacting Efren Electronically
Recently the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) installed kiosks in the housing units at the Chippewa Correctional Facility (URF) -- where Efren is currently housed -- that allow prisoners to send and receive electronic messages ("JPay messages").
To send Efren JPay messages you need to visit www.JPay.com and create an account. Once you create an account you must purchase electronic stamps to send Efren messages. The electronic stamps cost 20 cents each. You do not have to pay to receive messages from Efren via JPay. He pays to send his own messages.
After you have created a JPay account and purchased electronic stamps the next step is to locate Efren on the JPay.com web site to write him. You do this by entering his prison number in the "Inmate Locator" box on the site. Efren's prison number is "203116".
To initiate correspondence with Efren using JPay.com you must first send him a JPay message. The MDOC does not allow Michigan prisoners to send messages to members of the public until the prisoner first receives a message from the person who is trying to communicate with the prisoner. Once Efren receives a message from you he can begin responding to your messages.
Note that all incoming and outgoing JPay messages are screened by the MDOC.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Support Campaign to Lower Michigan Prisoner Phone Call Rates
by Efrén Paredes, Jr.
In June 2011, the new contract for Michigan prisoner phone service began. The phone call rates nearly doubled, prisoners are now making fewer phone calls to members of the public, and they are being further isolated from society.
Consequently prisoners will have less contact with family and friends, who are a vital part of their survival and, in many cases, maintaining their sanity and sense of self-worth during their incarceration. The life line that the majority of prisoners cling to is slowly drifting away as they painfully witness the erosion of ties with family and friends.
The phone rate increases were unnecessary and avoidable. The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), however, awarded the prisoner phone contract to PCS, a phone company that charges higher rates than other companies for the identical security features they are providing to MDOC to monitor and control prisoner phone use.
To support the campaign to lower Michigan prisoner phone rates, you are encouraged to visit the link at the end of this post and sign the petition.
When you sign the petition, an e-mail opposing the rate increases will be sent on your behalf to Governor Rick Snyder, MDOC Director Dan Heyns, the Chairs of the Corrections Appropriations Committee, and your State Senator and Representative. The petition automatically identifies your state legislators based on your zip code.
If we do not lend our voices to this important campaign, the MDOC could earn $8 million and PCS could earn $3 million from the thousands of prisoners and members of the public being affected over the next four years.
Please share the petition link with others in e-mails, blog posts, and by posting it on Facebook and Twitter. The wider the circulation, the greater the impact. Support for this campaign is growing exponentially and dozens of those who have signed the petition have already received responses from their legislators.
Petition link: http://tinyURL.com/NoMoreSEF
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Berrien County Prosecutor Lacks Accountability
by Efrén Paredes, Jr.
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In the Fall of 2009 Berrien County Prosecutor Art Cotter dismissed 40 convictions because Benton Harbor police manufactured evidence, conducted illegal searches, and wrongfully arrested people.
Cotter has it all wrong however. The real problem is that he would have the audacity to make the latter statement knowing there are likely many other wrongful convictions that occurred under his watch. His inept office reviewed the 40 cases he dismissed before the suspects were arrested and subsequently convicted. Not only did errors abound with the arrests themselves, but the review process by Cotter’s office was riddled with errors as well. Cotter has offered no explanation as to how his office got the review process and prosecutions wrong 40 times.
Rather than be embarrassed by all the errors he is personally responsible for in the cases he dismissed, Cotter has attempted to eschew responsibility altogether.
The reality is that there are only two logical explanations of how so many cases were wrongly prosecuted by Cotter’s office: either he is totally incompetent, or he knowingly allowed it to occur, was complicit, and should be investigated for corruption.
Since Cotter admitted to dismissing the 40 wrongful convictions, he has not publicly shared the findings of the dozens of other cases involving possible police misconduct that he was allegedly reviewing. The print, television and radio media in the area have also not held Cotter accountable for his errors and have not reported about Cotter’s review of the cases he claimed to be conducting. As far as anyone knows, Cotter could be covering up his mistakes as part of his damage control.
The citizens of Berrien County deserve answers. They also deserve to be represented by a prosecutor’s office that cares as much about not committing errors that wrongly rob people of their freedom as it does about protecting the public from crime.
One thing is certain. A large number of Berrien Country voters have lost confidence and respect for Cotter and his office, and rightfully so. He has made many obvious mistakes with impunity, and his hubris prevents him from admitting it.
Voters will be able to express their discontent and restore integrity in the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office next election. The obvious answer for starters will be ensuring Cotter vacates his office.
Citizens shouldn’t keep paying the price for Cotter’s mistakes or malfeasance with their hard earned money or the loss of their liberty. I know firsthand what a heavy price citizens can pay for the mistakes of the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office. I’ve spent 22 years in prison so far to prove it!
In the Fall of 2009 Berrien County Prosecutor Art Cotter dismissed 40 convictions because Benton Harbor police manufactured evidence, conducted illegal searches, and wrongfully arrested people. At the time of the case dismissals, Cotter claimed to be reviewing many other cases involving possible police misconduct as well. Cotter defended the police by saying they “didn’t engage in misconduct in every case they did.”
In an August 28, 2009, Michigan Messenger article, Cotter was quoted as saying, “The problem is that everybody who had a case now wants review.”
Cotter has it all wrong however. The real problem is that he would have the audacity to make the latter statement knowing there are likely many other wrongful convictions that occurred under his watch. His inept office reviewed the 40 cases he dismissed before the suspects were arrested and subsequently convicted. Not only did errors abound with the arrests themselves, but the review process by Cotter’s office was riddled with errors as well. Cotter has offered no explanation as to how his office got the review process and prosecutions wrong 40 times.
Rather than be embarrassed by all the errors he is personally responsible for in the cases he dismissed, Cotter has attempted to eschew responsibility altogether.
The reality is that there are only two logical explanations of how so many cases were wrongly prosecuted by Cotter’s office: either he is totally incompetent, or he knowingly allowed it to occur, was complicit, and should be investigated for corruption.
Since Cotter admitted to dismissing the 40 wrongful convictions, he has not publicly shared the findings of the dozens of other cases involving possible police misconduct that he was allegedly reviewing. The print, television and radio media in the area have also not held Cotter accountable for his errors and have not reported about Cotter’s review of the cases he claimed to be conducting. As far as anyone knows, Cotter could be covering up his mistakes as part of his damage control.
The citizens of Berrien County deserve answers. They also deserve to be represented by a prosecutor’s office that cares as much about not committing errors that wrongly rob people of their freedom as it does about protecting the public from crime.
One thing is certain. A large number of Berrien Country voters have lost confidence and respect for Cotter and his office, and rightfully so. He has made many obvious mistakes with impunity, and his hubris prevents him from admitting it.
Voters will be able to express their discontent and restore integrity in the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office next election. The obvious answer for starters will be ensuring Cotter vacates his office.
Citizens shouldn’t keep paying the price for Cotter’s mistakes or malfeasance with their hard earned money or the loss of their liberty. I know firsthand what a heavy price citizens can pay for the mistakes of the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office. I’ve spent 22 years in prison so far to prove it!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Follow Efren Uncaged on Twitter
The Injustice Must End (TIME) Committee to Free Efrén Paredes, Jr. has created a Twitter page named "Efrén Uncaged" to share Efrén's thoughts, interests and social activism. The page can be viewed at: Efrén UncagedThere will be a broad range of subjects covered, including Latino politics, history, culture and identity; comprehensive immigration reform, education, juvenile life without parole sentences, life in prison, and other topics of interest.
Since entering the twittersphere, Efrén's posts have been read and shared by many. He offers a unique perspective and important commentary about a host of current events, and he elects to employ honesty over political correctness.
Efrén's social justice and human rights activism spans the globe and is widely supported and recognized by those in the domestic and international communities. His efforts have been instrumental in reducing violence, ending human rights violations, building institutions of learning, rallying support for or opposition to candidates of political office, and creating paradigm shifts for progressive change in society.
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