​Friends,

Appleseed justice centers across the country seek to amplify community voices and empower community members to be involved in decision-making processes. At New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center, Executive Director Renee Steinhagen is engaged in multiple litigation efforts helping community groups to properly participate in administrative and judicial hearings and enforce community empowerment provisions.

Friends,
 
I’d like to take a moment to celebrate the release of Ronald McKeithen, an Alabama man sentenced to life without parole for a first-degree robbery – in which no physical harm occurred – 37 years ago. Ronald is one of the many victims of Alabama’s draconian Habitual Felony Offenders Act, mandating life without parole for anyone convicted of a felony if they have three prior felonies on their record, regardless of whether they were nonviolent crimes or how long ago they occurred. This past summer, Alabama Appleseed took on Ronald’s case and, as of December, successfully won his release. They have since been helping him adjust to daily life in the midst of a global pandemic after 37 years inside a correctional facility.