By Efren Paredes, Jr. LatinaLista (Editor’s note: Efren Paredes, Jr. is a Michigan prisoner sentenced to life without parole as a juvenile in 1989. Learn more about Efren) Today the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion abolishing life without parole (LWOP) sentences for the 2,500 prisoners across the U.S. who were condemned to die in [...]
Guest Voz: Wrongfully convicted juvenile offender still waits, after 19 years, to be pardoned by Michigan Governor
LatinaLista — Nationwide, there are more than 2,200 juveniles serving sentences of life without parole. That figure includes dozens of children as young as 13 years old. Four years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-to-4 decision that executing anyone for a crime committed when he or she was younger than 18 is unconstitutional. Last [...]
Son’s 20 years of wrongful imprisonment hasn’t dimmed the hopes of one mother’s wish for justice
Since first learning a couple of years ago about Efren Paredes and the sad way the justice system of 20 years ago failed a young Latino Honors student, and how the current system is only perpetuating the wrongs committed then, Latina Lista has solidly stood among the many supporters who believe that Efren was wrongfully [...]
The phrase “Wise Latina” is creating a cottage industry
LatinaLista — Ever since the Republicans chose to ridicule Sotomayor for her usage of the words “wise Latina” in a speech she gave, it has become the battle cry and impetus for countless “wise Latina” groups to be formed, products created and, in this case, a poem. The following poem written by Efren Paredes, Jr. [...]
One Latino Michigan inmate shares his perspective on prison life as he waits for Gov. Granholm to decide his fate
LatinaLista — In yesterday’s Latina Lista post recounting how prisons are the breeding grounds for new tensions arising between blacks and Latinos, one faithful reader, Efren Paredes, Jr., who has been behind bars since the age of 15, in a gross miscarriage of justice, serving three life terms for a crime, that has been extensively [...]
