To: Governor Gavin Newsom
Gov. Brown: Protect the innocent! Sign SB 569 and SB 618!
Dear Gov. Brown,
I urge you to sign SB 569 and SB 618 into law. These are two simple and important steps toward justice in California. SB 569 would require the videotaping of interrogations of juveniles charged with homicide, improve criminal investigation techniques, reduce the likelihood of wrongful conviction, and provide strong evidence for convicting the guilty. The reforms within SB 618 will streamline the process for exonerees to gain access to compensation for time spent incarcerated due to their wrongful conviction. Both measures will make our criminal justice system more fair, efficient, and cost-effective.
With your support, we can help protect the innocent and make sure that those who have been wrongfully convicted get fair access to compensation.
Please sign SB 569 and SB 618 into law.
Why is this important?
Getting sent to prison for a crime you did not commit may seem like a far-fetched movie plot but for hundreds of Californians it’s a horrifying reality.
We both spent over 20 years in prison despite being innocent of the crimes for which we were convicted. We will never get back the time we lost but there are other ways California can give back to those who have been wrongfully convicted, and prevent wrongful convictions from happening in the future.
For the last few months we've traveled to Sacramento to urge our state representatives to pass two important bills that will help to protect innocent people from wrongful conviction and give back to the wrongfully convicted after our criminal justice system fails them. These two bills are in Governor Brown's hands now and we are hoping and praying that he signs them into law.
Senate Bill 618, authored by Sen. Mark Leno, will streamline the process for exonerees to receive compensation for time spent incarcerated due to their wrongful conviction. That compensation is desperately needed to help exonerees, like us, begin to rebuild our lives after wrongfully spending years behind bars.
Senate Bill 569, authored by Sen. Ted Lieu, will require law enforcement to videotape the interrogations of juveniles charged with homicide. False confessions during police questioning of suspects is the second most frequent cause of wrongful convictions, with juveniles most at risk.
These two bills provide simple solutions to make California’s justice system more fair and equitable. We need Gov. Brown to sign them into law, so we waste no more time and take concrete action to protect the innocent and help those who have been wrongfully convicted.
Please sign the petition to urge Governor Brown to sign SB 569 and SB 618 into law!
With deep gratitude,
Franky Carrillo, 20 years in prison for a crime I did not commit Maurice Caldwell, 21 years in prison for a crime I did not commit