 The WALL
Crishone Johnson
20 Years for Cocaine Conspiracy
The
United States of America imprisons its citizens at rates three
to ten times higher than other democratic societies. The sentencing
laws are getting tougher and tougher. The prisons are crowded,
dangerous, and offer only limited medical treatment. There is
no authentic rehabilitation in this system. The prisons of the
new millennium are set up for citizens to stay incarcerated for
a very long time. The federal system is stopping mothers from
raising their children. We need to stop relying on incarceration
and give prisoners a second chance, and an education.
Thousands of people are incarcerated illegally,
and I am one of them. My name is Crishone Johnson, born and raised
in Washington DC. I am a 37-year-old African American female,
and a first-time non-violent offender. I'm serving a 20-year
sentence for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute
Cocaine Base. My case is out of the Western District of Virginia,
and I have served almost nine years of my sentence. I have nine
years remaining to serve according to the justice system, but
GOD has the last and final answer. I was charged with conspiracy,
yet, in order to have a conspiracy charge you must have conspired
with two or more persons to commit a crime, right?
Wrong. I had a two-day trial alone with
no co-defendants. In my case the jury did not return a verdict
of drug amounts or enhancements. The reason being there was no
amount of drugs or enhancements in my indictment. My PSI states
that I had only 5.32 grams, which is not even one ounce.
However, I was convicted based upon the
judge and probation officer enhancing me up to 10 ounces of cocaine
base, resulting in an offence level 34. I also received a two-level
enhancement for a firearm that I never possessed. That brought
my base offense level up to 36 - not to mention an additional
two criminal points for probation, to place me in a higher category
even while the PSI report was being prepared for sentencing.
The people who testified against me, known
drug users, were working with the US attorney, and they told
lies in my case to get out of their own trouble. No evidence
was submitted or proved to a jury or finder of fact beyond those
charges in the indictment.
This is an illegal procedure prohibited
under the Sixth Amendment. My basic constitutional rights were
violated. All the enhancements that the judge and probation officer
made up in my case are improper and illegal under the latest
Supreme Court interpretations of Sixth Amendment intent in Blakely
and Booker. Under the new ruling I should have been sentenced
to 12-18 months instead of the 240 months I received.
I was raised in a middle class home in
Washington DC. My mother worked very hard to take care of her
two children, giving us the best education, clothing, medical
care, food, and housing. I took care of my little brother and
the household chores while she worked; this taught me to be independent.
Now my mother is taking care of my son. My mother is a wonderful,
loving person, and if it wasn't for her and God, I would be insane
inside these walls. The support my mother and son give me keeps
me uplifted.
This is my first time in prison, and I
know that I made a big mistake. I am a victim of the drug war,
a single mother working and just trying to make it and take care
of my child, bills and myself. I don't think that I deserve 20
years or more for the first time in prison.
I feel as though I should be punished for
what I did, but not for 20 years worth of time away from my child
and family. This time is affecting our children; they're wondering
when their mothers are coming home. My son asks all the time,
"Mommy, when are you coming home?" I tell him one day
soon because I have faith in God, and he will return me to my
son and family.
The children of today are our future. The
judicial system is not concerned how this affects them. Children
need their parents, especially their mothers. We need to teach
our children about this criminal justice system. Teach them about
the corruption and abuse within prisons, and the wrongful convictions
in the system. We need to be there for them, love them, let them
know they are somebody and that they can be productive citizens.
I have a child who is 14 years old. I have
been physically absent from his life for nearly nine years. I
love my son dearly. Most children I see in the visiting room
feel abandoned by their parents, dealing with psychological complexes
of desertion, and emotionally destroyed. Does our government
view this as the right thing for our children and society.
 Congress hasn't made the rulings in Blakely,
Booker, and Shepherd retroactive for people sentenced
illegally 20 years ago. Why must we wait for Congress to rule
if the Supreme Court stated that we were sentenced wrongfully?
Why are the Judges not trying to correct these sentences? In
thousands of cases, including mine, the facts were not proven
to a jury, the facts were found by the judge and the probation
officer. How can this continue to go on and on? I'm asking for
justice.
Crishone Johnson 05809-084
FPC Alderson
Glen Ray Road, Box A
Alderson, WV 24910
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