Drug War Stories interviewed Amy Povah of CAN-DO in a Q and A about her activism, Obama’s clemency initiative, the drug war, the Trump administration, and what is on the horizon at CAN-DO. Read the whole story here. 
Amy Povah was interviewed by John Odermatt for Lions of Liberty’s Felony Friday. She talked about her case, the conspiracy law, clemency and why we need more conspiracy cases scrutinized to understand the fundamental injustices and abuse that people … Read the rest
Malik King was interviewed by John Odermatt of Lions of Liberty on April 14th for their segment called Felony Friday, about his communications with prisoners and the relationship he has garnered over the years that has made him a … Read the rest
Today is International Women’s Day and HIGH TIMES would like to recognize and salute the women in our community who have worked shoulder-to-shoulder to help bring about the legalization of cannabis in its various forms.
Legalization, decriminalization and putting … Read the rest
Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly made headlines for his comments on Sunday’s Meet the Press, when he pronounced that marijuana is “not a factor” in the War on Drugs and that solving the nation’s drug problem does not … Read the rest
In 2007, Ferrell Scott was sentenced to life in prison, without parole, for possessing and conspiring to sell marijuana. Scott had no priors and has had perfect prison conduct. Yet when he appealed to President Obama for clemency, he … Read the rest
It’s important to understand how federal defendants are sentenced by judges who no longer have the ability to judge the mitigating circumstances of any given human being standing before them. Doesn’t matter if a woman was a victim of well … Read the rest
Sarah Glazer has written a thorough report on Women in Prison for Congressional Quarterly, citing CAN-DO, quoting CAN-DO President Amy Povah, and closing the article with the following:
However, Povah, whose organization CAN-DO helped women prisoners file clemency petitions, … Read the rest
Victoria Law of Truthout focused on Michelle West, William Underwood and Leonard Pelletier who were championed by the media, clemency advocates, politicians and high profile celebs. Most believe these people have already served far too many years in prison and … Read the rest
The Outline featured several clemency recipients in an article by Marisa Aveling, including Schearean Means; #5 on the CAN-DO Top 25 Women.
“I think clemency was Obama’s way of performing triage on the broken criminal justice system, and for … Read the rest
CAN-DO Vice President Anrica Caldwell worked with C.J. Ciarmella, a reporter for Reason to delve into the ironic nature of her fiancé, David Barren’s clemency:
“I’ve been commuted,” he told Caldwell in a flat voice, before pausing to take a … Read the rest
Huge congratulations to Ricardo and his family, especially his daughter, Cynthia who called CAN-DO’s president, Amy Povah after she got the wonderful news! It could not have happened to a nicer man, nor anyone more deserving!
Excerpts: “With about four months to go before Obama’s term ends, time is running out to even that proportion, according to Amy Povah, a former federal inmate whose 24-year sentence was commuted by President Bill Clinton in 2000.”
“Povah, who … Read the rest
CAN-DO Founder Amy Povah collaborated with The Council* to write an ‘Open Letter’ to President Obama which was published in Business Insider on Dec 12, 2016. CAN-DO coordinated with other advocacy organizations plus reached out to, and secured 42 … Read the rest
On President Obama’s last day in office, he granted another 330 commutations to nonviolent drug offenders, bringing his total number of clemencies to 1,715—more than the last 12 presidents combined.
But clemency advocates argue that Obama’s clemency policy consistently overlooked … Read the rest
Amy Ralston Povah Founder
Alaine Lowell Senior Vice President
Anrica Caldwell Vice President
Cheryl Ward Secretary
Pat Williams Treasurer
Malik King Prison Outreach Coordinator
Maurenne Griese Program Director
Karen Dickson-Morrison Research Director
Lisa Jacobi Administrative Assistant
