Efrén Paredes, Jr. Public Hearing Press Conference

Efrén Paredes, Jr. Public Hearing Press Conference
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: NorthStar Center • 106 Lathrop St. • Lansing, MI 48912

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Friday, November 21, 2008

Media Contact
David Mitchell
NorthStar Center
Phone: 517-242-3501

The Michigan Parole Board has scheduled a public hearing on Thursday,
December 4, 2008, to consider the possible commutation of sentence for
Efrén Paredes, Jr., #203116. It will be held at 11:00 a.m. at the
T-100 Training Center, G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility,
Jackson, Michigan.

Efrén is an innocent Latino former honor student who was arrested at
age 15 and wrongly convicted in 1989 for a murder and armed robbery he
did not commit; a crime to which others plead guilty. The crime
occurred in St. Joseph, Michigan (Berrien County), USA.

The case against Efrén was entirely circumstantial. There was no
physical evidence linking Efrén to the crime, no eyewitnesses to the
crime, and Efrén was home with his parents and two brothers when the
crime occurred. He was arrested, tried and convicted in a three month
period and was sentenced to three life sentences. Efrén has been
imprisoned nearly 20 years and is now 35-years-old.

The Berrien County Prosecutor's Office and investigating police
provided false and erroneous information to the media in an attempt to
convict Efrén in the media before trial. Their unethical conduct and
betrayal of the public trust infected every level of the legal process
and contributed to Efrén's unlawful conviction.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) prohibits the
imposition of life without parole sentences and the death penalty
against juveniles. One hundred ninety-two nations in the world have
ratified the CRC. Refusal to acknowledge this treaty is a human
rights violation that contravenes the evolving standards of decency in
a civilized society.

Efrén enjoys the support from notable scholars and knowledgeable
people across the country, including authors, criminologists, clergy,
community leaders, activists and a world renowned wrongful convictions
expert and veteran private investigator, Paul Ciolino.

Ciolino is the author of numerous articles in professional
publications and the book "In the Company of Giants: The Ultimate
Investigation Guide for Legal Professionals, Activists, Journalists &
the Wrongfully Convicted." In addition he co-wrote the best-selling
and critically acclaimed textbooks "Advanced Forensic Criminal Defense
Investigations" and "Advanced Forensic Civil Investigations."

Others supporting Efrén's release include The Injustice Must End
(TIME), National Lawyers Guild, Michigan Coalition for Human Rights,
NorthStar Center, Peace Education Center, Multi-Racial Unity Living
Experience (MRULE), Advocacy, Re-entry, Resources, and Outreach
(ARRO), American Friends Service Committee -Lansing (AFSC), Second
Chance for Youth (SCY), College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP),
Chicanos y Latinos Unidos (CAMP), Greater Lansing Network Against War
and Injustice (GLNAWI), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch,
Everybody Reads Bookstore, Gone Wired Cafe, et al.

According to Efrén's family, "We strongly support the commutation
request that was submitted by The Injustice Must End (TIME) Committee
on Efrén's behalf to the Michigan Parole Board. We are confident that
upon his release Efrén will be a productive member of society and
society as a whole will benefit from his release. As long as Efrén
remains incarcerated we all remain imprisoned to injustice."

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