PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Ohioan Jonathan Shue has been in jail for 18 years for an accidental shooting when 15
by Free Shue Coalition Tuesday, Apr. 12, 2011 at 5:31 PM
freeshoe@yahoo.com

Jonathan Shue In Jail for 18 Years For an Accidental Shooting at Age 15

iN 1992 when Jonathan Shue was 15, he and his friend found a gun. They played
with it. The trigger was malfunctioning. The gun went off and Jonathan's friend was dead. Jonathan has maintained for the 19 years since then that it was not an intentional shooting. In 1993 Lynn Slaby, Akron Ohio prosecutor, decided to try Jonathan as an adult. Jonathan's attorney was now Judge Tom Teodosio. Slaby achieved a conviction of 15 years to life. Jonathan has now been in jail for 18 years.

Last year the Supreme Court issued an opinion in Graham V Florida in regards to
juvenile defendants. As a result of that decision, the Ohio Public Defender's Office..
Atty Steve Goldmeier
Office of the Ohio Public Defender
250 East Broad Street - Suite 1400
Columbus, Ohio 43215
(614) 466-5394
(800) 686-1573
is now taking 6 weeks to consider if they will include Jonathan Shue along with
others who were sentenced as juveniles to very long sentences in their work to obtain release for such prisoners. We would be grateful if you called or wrote
to request that the Public Defender's Office include Jonathan Shue in their
Graham Project cases.

The imprisonment of each prisoner in Ohio costs the city or county of the
prisoner $40,000 a year. Jonathan's unusually harsh imprisonment has cost the citizens of Akron Ohio $720,000. Since he has been in prison he has taken many courses and is close to a B.A. in business administration from Wilmington College.

Many states are releasing men and women who are incarcerated for nonviolent
offenses such as smoking marijuana. Ohio has not yet joined this wave. Now as the governor privatizes and sells prisons, prisoners have been sent into Marion Correctional Institute which is now at 200% capacity. Jonathan jailed for
an act which occurred when he was 15 has served more time than adults
serve in many states.

Jonathan's address is
Jonathan Shue
283466
Marion Correctional Inst.
P. O. Box 57
940 Marion-Williamsport Road
Marion, Ohio 43302

Prisoners at Marion Correctional Inst. may not receive phone calls, may only
initiate collect calls lasting a maximum of 15 minutes. Global Tel requires prepayment. The charge is $1 per call plus 32 cents for each minute. We know that in the world's prisons it is rare for billionaires or centimillionaires to be sentenced, and that the going rate in Ohio for attorneys is $150 to $500
or more an hour. The US has the highest percentage of incarcerated men and women in the world and is among the top 5 in the length of sentences imposed. Relatives of a retiring Ohio senator have profiteered from
prison privatization. It is our opinion that the Ohio Parole Board needs to
include many more in church and prisoner's rights groups, Ohio is one of only 2
northern states still involved in execution. Only 25% of US states, most of them
in the South, kill prisoners in the name of the state. Only 12% of the world's countries are still involved in execution.

Two churches have prayed as a group for Jonathan's release. If your social
justice group or church, mosque, mandir or temple can join our Free Shoe Coalition, please write freeshue at yahoo dot com...

God through grace set your captives including Jonathan Shue free.

The following are some groups working for prisoner rights in Ohio and elsewhere.

http://www.ohiojpc.org
http://www.innocenceproject.org
http://www.ohioaclu.org
http://www.amnesty.org
http://www.prejean.org

Free Jonathan Shue Coalition

Please multipost this release on forums. Please email this
and circulate it to media, government officials, and all who can
help.