NCJ Number
194322
Journal
Women & Criminal Justice Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: 2001 Pages: 27-63
Editor(s)
Donna C. Hale
Date Published
2001
Length
37 pages
Annotation
This article presents the story of Juanita Thomas, a battered woman’s struggle within the criminal justice system and her fight for judicial freedom.
Abstract
In order to aid in an understanding of the criminal justice system, and what it means to work as a team, this article presents the story of Juanita Thomas, an African-American woman who was continually abused and stalked by an aggressive boyfriend and then convicted of his murder. It is a story about the collaboration of a legal team, the perseverance of the convicted, and the importance of finding out the truth. The story consisted of nine parts: (1) a discussion on the role of a legal clinic; (2) a description of how the legal team became involved in Ms. Thomas’ case; (3) an outline of the basic strategy involved in designing, investigating, and writing a state post-conviction petition; (4) background and information about the events leading up to the night she was charged with first degree murder; (5) and (6) a description on how the legal team worked collaboratively, reviewed what happened at the trial, and what the case revealed throughout the investigation; (7) and (8) an explanation on how the case was put together and the strategy that evolved; and (9) a description of the results.