My disabled son and myself were denied the right to fair and impartial hearing. A judge refused me the civil right to represent myself in court, on multiple occasions. He also refused witnesses and evidence into the trial. He ordered my son to remain in the custody of a unfit parent. I was married for 25 years to an abusive man. We have a disabled son who is 22 years old. I was his sole caregiver from birth until he was 17 years old. My husband filed for divorce. Early in the divorce, the judge was notified by Social Services, that while in his fathers custody, my son was "traumatized, depressed, neglected, and abused". My cries for an immediate return of the custody, fell on deaf ears. Judge James Russell in Memphis , Tennessee, refused to allow any testimony, evidence into the trial regarding the dire situation that my son was now being forced to live in. My son has continued to endure six years of continuous abuse and neglect. When we were finally allowed to go to trial three and a half years later, the judge still would not allow evidence into the case. Two weeks before the trial, my son was brutally assaulted by persons unknown. This police report and pictures, were also not entered into the trial. I was suddenly declared by the judge as "emotionally unstable", which was done without the proper mental competency hearing. However, he still ordered that I was to have "unsupervised visitation". The judge then awarded my ex all of the marital property, which I had equally contributed to, including the home and all of its contents. There is a very large disparity in incomes, and as further punishment, I was awarded ten dollars in alimony. Most of all, I worry about the safety and well being of my severely disabled son. He is Autistic, has Cerebral Palsy, severe developmental delays, and is unable to speak. Injuries and lack of medical attention have hindered the small amount of sign language that he was able to do. If past history and recent activity is any indication of behavior, my son is in horrific shape. Drugging him up will not stop someone from raping him, or beating him up, cursing and verbal abuse, and simply shunning him. We were ripped from each other, just like they used to do in slavery days. The person or people who had illegally taken custody of him need to be held accountable for their actions. I am not a lawyer, so I cannot say for sure exactly what it is I need done. I ONLY ASK THAT THIS CASE BE REOPENED AND THAT ALL EVIDENCE BE PROPERLY SUBMITTED INTO THE COURT RECORD. I would also ask for a mental competency hearing, so that I can see my son without being physically harmed or retaliated against. I have not seen my son in THREE years. He is not able to talk or use a telephone, he is DEFENSELESS.

Because we are DEMANDING JUSTICE for the death of Jonathan Denver.

Shirley Skinner is a soon to be 80 year old inmate in Illinois. Her only crime is protecting her granddaughter and great granddaughter from a hostile intruder who happened to be in a custody battle with her granddaughter. The local sherrif originally treated this as self defense but other local people got involved and Shirley was charged with murder. Even though a wonderful group of students and their professor from DePaul University have been working for more than two years to get this case reviewed, we have all been unsuccessful. We are now petitioning Governor Quinn for clemency so Shirley can spend the last years of her life with her family. However, this case has become so political we fear the petition will not be successful unless there are hundreds and perhaps even thousands of people who are willing to work with us in getting Shirley heard. Please see Facebook: Save Nanny - for additional information.

These laws tie the hands of prosecutors and judges around the country and they disproportionately impact people of color. In fact, as Sen. Paul correctly stated recently, "the majority of illegal drug users and dealers nationwide are white, but three-fourths of all people in prison for drug offenses are African American or Latino." To address these extreme punishments, costing millions of taxpayer dollars as well as being unjust, Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Rand Paul (R-KY) have introduced the Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013, which reforms the mandatory minimum laws and provides judges with more discretion in sentencing.

My daughter Khrysti (7yrs old at the time) was viciously assaulted, both physically and sexually on her school bus by another student for 17mins, while two adult staff members were present on her mini bus. Khrysti is blind and cognitively delayed. She cannot communicate her feelings or thoughts and therefore it is impossible to show evidence that proves she is emotionally affected by this incident. The punitive damages suggested by the bus company are only a fraction of what a typical child capable of communicating would be awarded. The crimes committed against my little girl should not be punishable under the same standard that would apply in the case of a typical child, since we cannot evaluate the psychological effects of her trauma.

He often takes a position of moral superiority concerning politics and should be careful about throwing stones living in a glass house!

Amnesty International has called on authorities in Honduras to drop spurious charges against three indigenous leaders, Bertha (Berta) Cáceres, Tomás Gómez and Aureliano Molina. If the three leaders are imprisoned, Amnesty said it will consider them prisoners of conscience. There have been increasing attacks against human rights defenders in the country ahead of presidential elections in November, Amnesty said. “Defending human rights in Honduras has become a life-threatening activity with Indigenous leaders protecting their peoples’ rights, being particularly vulnerable to attack,” said Nancy Tapias Torrado, Researcher on Human Rights Defenders in the Americas at Amnesty International. “It is clear that Bertha Cáceres is being harassed in order to stop her from defending the rights of the Lenca Indigenous Peoples,” said Nancy Tapias Torrado. Urge President Obama and Congress to use U.S. influence to press the Honduran government to drop the spurious charges. Reference: Honduran Indigenous leaders at risk of unfair imprisonment http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/honduras-indigenous-leaders-2013-09-19

The Voice for Vera Jo Riegal, we as a community seek Justice for this poor girl's life being taken at the Hands of the Brooks Family. who have admitted to the beating torture and death of this por girl. The sytem has the evidence and has only prosocuted them on minmal charges. they are guilty of the planning and excution of murder, torture abuse and sexual assult of this girl. for days she suffered and now with the evidence received justice should be served.Cheri Brooks the ring leader was passed a slap on the wrist cause she has health issues, well do drug dealers get that no. so because she has issues she should be allowed to murder people. where is the justice in that. the system is suppose to protect us this is not protecting or serving our community. sign this to show your support.

A dog known as Puppy Doe was discovered in Quincy Massachusetts on August 31, 2013 with injuries consistent with long term abuse. Her torturer inflicted knife wounds, burns, broken bones, starvation and also split her tongue. The torture was described as a "medieval" form of torture. The injuries were so significant that Puppy Doe needed to be euthanized. Animal abuse in Massachusetts is a felony with a maximum penalty of five years incarceration. There is no minimum mandatory for egregious cases. Strengthening our existing laws should be a top priority in light of this case. A mandatory minimum of a one year incarceration is needed to get these abusers off the street.

My nephew Kenneth Bullock purchased a vehicle in 2012, the collision shop owner came to court and told the judge he sold Kenneth the car, but yet the courts wrongfully convicted Kenneth of the crime. The judicial system is flaw and seriously in crisis the case lack evidence in a conviction, but without a doubt was built around "Reasonable Doubt". Please Help Me!

A family member's abusive partner recently got out of prison because domestic violence is not on the list of violent and serious crimes. The perpetrator had been convicted of "corporeal abuse on a spouse" (domestic violence) under the original Three Strikes law, but that is no longer one of the forty crimes listed as serious or violent. Because domestic violence is not on the list of violent and serious crimes in the new law, he was released early, causing further threat and trauma to the family.

My husband Fred Martinez and his co- worker Higinio Gonzales were killed by a drunk driver in Wichita Kansas, I feel that the owners and servers of alcoholic beverages, in a establishment should also be held accountable. To this date they cannot be held accountable for over serving there patrons Kansas has on average 18,500 auto accidents a year involving alcohol, which resulted in 154 people being killed, and approximately 6,100 more being injured. I feel this is a very important law, and I think it would help cut down on drink driving.