Access to justice in Louisiana, especially for the minority or poor individuals, has been a problem for many years. Louisiana has regularly limited funding for public defenders and, as a result, has left thousands of people who are being or were sued without proper representation.
To try and lessen the judicial crowding, some areas have ordered non-criminal attorneys to represent the poor. At times, judges have called upon personal injury attorneys in Louisiana, or insurance or tax lawyers, to represent people in criminal trials, including murder crimes where the person being sued could face life in prison.
The Life and Death of Glenn Ford
In 1984, Glenn Ford was declared guilty for committing murder in Louisiana. Ford spent almost 30 years on death row, in Louisiana’s Angola prison, until new proof revealed in fact that he did not commit the crime. He was cleared from guilt in 2014, but sadly died of lung cancer approximately a year later.
In a 60 Minutes interview from 2015, Bill Whitaker spoke to the prosecutor who proved him guilty and sent Ford behind bars: Marty Stroud from Shreveport, Louisiana.
Stroud admits the cards were stacked against Ford from the very start; Ford’s court-selected attorneys had never practiced criminal law.
Stroud further acknowledged that “There were no African Americans on the jury. So, when Glenn Ford walks into that courtroom, he’s got a count of zero and two against him, and a fast ball’s coming right at his head for strike three.”
Ford was sent to one of the most infamous prisions in America, Angola, a maximum-security facility known for uncivil conditions, including summer temperatures that reached 104° Fahrenheit on the death row block.
Dale Cox, who is the current district attorney of Caddo Parish, states that Glenn Ford received a “delayed justice,” but justice nonetheless.
According to Cox, the fear of putting an innocent man to death is a risk all of us must be willing to take in order to secure peace and an effective criminal justice system.
Compensation for the Wrongfully Accused
Glenn Ford was qualified for by right according to law to a $330,000 compensation, for his wrongful judgement of guilt in court and mistreatment at Angola. However, the state is now denying Ford’s family the opportunity to receive that amount, after the Louisiana Supreme Court announced it would not consider the two lawsuits brought on by Ford’s family.
Last year, a state district judge ruled that Ford wasn’t eligible to receive payment because “the trial evidence showed that he was involved in lesser related crimes.”
More specifically, Ford is accused of knowing about the robbery of Shreveport jeweler, Isadore Rozeman, was to take place and he didn't do anything to try and prevent it.
Louisiana's compensation law does not pay for anyone who did/perform any crimes based upon the same set of facts used in the original conviction, and allows a judge to consider any evidence regardless of whether it’s allowed or kept from the criminal trial.
In addition, people who are exonerated in Louisiana must prove that they are innocent in any related crimes in order to be paid. This is very different from states such as California, where the state pays without the need to prove one is innocent for any related crimes.
Ford was found to be someone who helped or knew about the armed robbery after the fact; he was also found to have stolen items that were taken from the same crime. Because of this, Ford’s 30 years on death row will not be paid.
Better Access to Justice
Louisiana Rep. Cedric Glover is trying to fight for better access to justice in cases similar to Ford’s. Cedric Glover is trying to change Louisiana’s current compensation legislation, and will bring his second attempt forward some time this year (the first attempt was not successful).
Andrea Armstrong, the person in charge for handlingFord’s estate, claims that this “is not the end of [Glenn’s] story…”
Having the right to justice is important to everyone in Louisiana, not just the wrongfully convicted. Everyone should have qualified representation, lest we forget what happened to Glenn Ford and his family.
If you have questions about obtaining access to justice, or a personal injury claim, we at the Monroe Law Office of J. Antonio Tramontana, Attorney at Law, want to hear from you.
For a free case review, please fill out the form at https://www.
