A 67-year-old Black man recently walked free after serving a 20-year jail term in the US.
That’s not unusual. But wait till you hear his crime.
He had stolen two shirts, whose value was less than $500, according to a Mail Online report.
Guy Frank was arrested in September 2000 and handed a lengthy 23-year prison sentence, thanks to the controversial habitual offender laws in Lousiana state, which enable prosecutors to pronounce harsher sentences.
Frank had reportedly been arrested 36 times and convicted for three felonies before the shirt-stealing incident.
His case was taken up a few years ago by The Innocence Project New Orleans through its Unjust Punishment Project. They started campaigning for Frank’s release.
“His case shows how poor Black people are disproportionately affected by these extreme sentences. It is hard to imagine a White person with resources receiving this sentence for this crime. He received this egregious sentence despite the fact that he was never a threat to anyone,” the Innocence Project New Orleans said in a statement.
They convinced District Attorney Jason Rogers Williams to review the case, according to a Washington Post report.
Williams ruled favourably for Frank, cutting the last three years of his term.
His poor family suffered during his imprisonment. By the time he walked out of prison, Frank had lost his wife, son, and two brothers.
“Mr Frank’s case gets to the heart of what is wrong with Louisiana’s multiple offender law. He received this egregious sentence despite the fact that he was never a threat to anyone, and had never done more than steal in small amounts. His case shows how poor Black people are disproportionately affected by these extreme sentences. It is hard to imagine a White person with resources receiving this sentence for this crime,” Innocence Project New Orleans wrote in their Facebook page.
