| Leslie Souwine Administrative Services Director |
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For 11 years I coached travel softball teams for ages 8 to 16. My teams traveled all over Iowa, IL, and MO playing in tournaments. In 2000 three of my teams traveled to Burlington Ontario, Canada where we played in the Burlington games.
I became involved in fighting police misconduct after my son age 22 was falsely arrested and convicted of a crime he did not commit. At his sentencing he informed the judge that he was going to advocate for all defendants who were victims of the justice system like he was. Because he is still incarcerated it is difficult for him to advocate so 4 members of his family went back to school in the field of Criminal Justice. I am in my third semester of Criminal Justice/Paralegal studies. His family members are his advocates and currently we are collecting information from Iowa Prison Inmates. Inmates who proclaim innocence send us the details of their arrest and convictions and we try to forward the information on to organizations that may be able to help them. We donate money when possible to Iowa inmates to help them be able to copy and mail their legal documents to those organizations. I hope to one day soon to see laws passed that make mandatory minimum sentences unlawful with the sentencing determination taken away from the prosecutors and given back to the judges where it belongs. Prosecutors who are trying to make a name for their selves should not be in control of how long defendants should be incarcerated.
The reason our family became involved in the Police Complaint Center is because we believe in the U.S. Constitution and the concept that justice is for all. Our justice system does not work the way our fore fathers intended it to work. Too many innocent people are being convicted and either sentenced to death or spend decades behind bars for crimes they did not commit. This is a result of police misconduct, falsifying reports, tampering with evidence as well as faulty eye witness testimony and snitches for hire. Martin Luther King once said “Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.” I too have a dream that one day the concept of “Justice and Liberty” for all will mean just that no matter who you are. The kind of justice you receive should not depend on the money you have or the color of your skin.
Leslie Souwine Administrative Services Director Police Complaint Center Digg this content or Bookmark it using your favorite service below                            |
I was born December 21, 1953 in St. Louis, Mo.