People v. Emanuel

Justia Opinion Summary Louis Sanchez Emanuel was convicted of first-degree murder under the felony-murder rule after his co-defendant, Jacob Craig Whitley, fatally shot John Cody Sonenberg during a robbery. Emanuel and Whitley had planned to rob Sonenberg of marijuana. During the robbery, Whitley unexpectedly pulled out a gun and shot Sonenberg, who resisted giving up […]

We Celebrate Newsom’s Commutations,

Call for More Governor Newsom granted 18 commutations and 37 pardons last Friday, giving these individuals the opportunity to be reviewed by the California Parole Board. The Drop LWOP coalition welcomes Governor Newsom’s exercise of executive clemency, an important gubernatorial power that he has been hesitant to utilize. “While we applaud Newsom’s action, we urge him to […]

DROP LWOP STATEMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECENT POSITIVE RULING IN WASHINGTON SUPREME COURT ON THE CASE OF KIMONTI CARTER AND SHAWN REITE.

As the struggle to challenge the inhumanity and unconstitutionality of Life Without Parole (LWOP) continues in the courts, we are inspired to see the Washington Supreme Court affirm last week that a life sentence with no potential release date is unconstitutional when applied to 18-to 20-year-olds because it denies discretion to consider the mitigating qualities […]

Two Individuals Credited with ‘Rehabilitating and Changing’ Get Second Chance after Washington State Supreme Court’s 2024 Decision

Davis Vanguard By: Vy Tran Date: May 27, 2024 OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Supreme Court ruled 6-3 last week Kimonti Carter and Shawn Reite will remain free after they were released in 2022 from their life-without-parole (LWOP) sentences. The court in 2022 “did not err” when it ruled the sentences were “unconstitutional for their age […]

Drop LWOP Coalition Celebrates Newsom’s Commutations, Calls for More

April 2, 2024 Media Contact: Courtney Hanson courtney@womenprisoners.org, (916) 316-0625 Governor Newsom granted 18 commutations and 37 pardons last Friday, giving these individuals the opportunity to be reviewed by the California Parole Board. The Drop LWOP coalition welcomes Governor Newsom’s exercise of executive clemency, an important gubernatorial power that he has been hesitant to utilize. “While we […]

UN ‘Special Rapporteur on Racism’ Charges U.S. Death by Incarceration Prison Sentences Especially Hurt Black, Latino Criminalized by Domestic Violence

Posted by Vanguard Administrator Date: November 17, 2023 NEW YORK CITY, NY – The United Nations special rapporteur on racism this week released, according to the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP), a powerful statement charging the U.S. “makes it way too easy for people to receive death-by-incarceration prison sentences, especially Black and Latino people and women who are […]

Governor Newsom Grants Executive Clemency

Friday, July 1, 2022 SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that he has granted 17 pardons, 15 commutations, and one medical reprieve. The California Constitution gives the Governor the authority to grant executive clemency in the form of a pardon, commutation, or reprieve. The Governor regards clemency as an important part […]

2021 DROP LWOP STRATEGY WEEK

This October 16th-23rd the Drop LWOP Coalition is hosting an online Strategy Week to bring together organizers dedicated to ending Life Without Parole. The week will be a mix of information sharing and brainstorming so we can build on the momentum of the past two years since our L.A. Strategy Session in 2019 and work together to accelerate concrete plans […]

SB 300

On February 9th, Senator Dave Cortese announced SB 300, The Sentencing Reform Act of 2021, to reform California’s unjust “felony murder special circumstance” law and ensure that the death penalty and life without the possibility of parole cannot be imposed on those who did not kill, nor intend that a person die, during a crime. […]

Strategy Session

Sept 14-15, 2019 Los Angeles On the weekend of September 14-15, over 125 people gathered at the beautiful Community Coalition building in South L.A. to strategize about how to end Life Without Parole and all extreme sentencing in California. The convening was initiated by the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP), Californians United for a […]