State Vs. Jeffrey Johnson; One Detroiter's Ordeal Details the Plight of Black Males in the Criminal Justice System

Michigan Chronicle › August 04, 2009

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Summary

You probably don't know Jeffrey Warren Johnson, and you probably don't know why you should. If you knew that Jeffrey Warren Johnson has served 26 years in prison for a murder he still swears he did not commit, you might wonder why this should make him so special. After all, there are thousands of African American men serving time in Michigan correctional facilities for crimes many of them say they didn't commit.

Secondly, this is a story about 'What if?' What if Jeffrey Johnson was a celebrity? What if he came from a well-connected and influential family? What if he wasn't so totally average? Would Johnson be a free man today? That is impossible to know, but one thing seems certain: much more careful attention would have been paid to his case. That's all Johnson has really wanted all these years, for someone who can make a difference to take another look. What his family wants is simply to have Johnson home again. They believe that even if he had been guilty of the crime, which none of them will concede, he has more than paid his debt to society. Any additional time served cannot possibly serve his interests, the interests of the victim's family, nor the interests of the state of Michigan.

"I just wanted a trophy," he said. "Remember how they advertised it? As the most powerful gun in the world? Remember the 'Dirty Harry' movie?"

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State Vs. Jeffrey Johnson; One Detroiter's Ordeal Details the Plight of Black Males in the Criminal Justice System

Part 1 of a 2-part series

So then the question becomes, why should you...

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