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“Fair” may be his first name, but the life sentence Fair Wayne Bryant (63), 63, received everything but fair in 1997, according to his supporters.
And so did the Louisiana state government, which earlier this month granted Bryant parole after nearly 24 years in captivity.
The photo above literally shows Bryan’s first step towards freedom after being released from prison on Thursday.
Previously convicted
Bryant was convicted of burglary in 1997 after stealing a hedge trimmer from a property and was sentenced to life in prison, writes CNN.
The 63-year-old is one of many Americans who have had to serve long prison terms after partly trivial and non-serious crimes under the so-called “three strikes” laws.
A total of 28 states passed a variant of this legislation in the 1990s, which in practice states that if you are convicted three times, you can automatically be sentenced to life in prison after the third sentence.
Because Bryant was convicted of attempted armed robbery in 1979, possession of stolen property in 1987, attempted fraud in 1989, and attempted robbery in 1992, the punishment was severe for the robbery he committed in 1997.
And that’s precisely why Bryant’s attorneys went to court in 2018. It ended in a legal drama that in practice could have shattered the 63-year-old’s hope of being released from prison.
“Exaggerated”
Because in August of this year, the Louisiana Supreme Court concluded that the verdict against Bryant not it was illegal and therefore they had no opportunity to repeal it.
But the court’s decision was not unanimous.
State Supreme Court Justice Bernette Johnson disagreed, writing, among other things, that the sentence was “excessive and disproportionate to the crime,” CNN wrote in August when the decision was made.
This is also how state authorities justified why they now wanted to release Bryant on parole.
The court is uncertain
The Board of Parole discussed Bryant’s case Thursday this week in an open but digital hearing. There, some of the members expressed doubts about whether it was right to grant Bryant parole.
“By all accounts, you have a terrible criminal record,” said Tony Marabela, one of the members of the court, according to the online daily The Lens, who therefore expressed doubts about why he should vote.
But in the end, Marabela and the other two court members obtained Bryant’s parole, in exchange for Bryant following follow-up from the non-profit Louisiana Parole Project, which supported the 63-year-old’s request.
– Victory in overtime
And on Thursday, Bryant was released from Louisiana State Prison, the largest high-security prison in the United States with about 5,000 inmates.
“While nothing can remedy all the years Bryant lost to this extreme and unfair sentence, today’s decision on parole is an overtime victory for Bryant, his family and the fight for equal justice for all,” said Alanah Odoms, director of the ACLU’s civil rights organization. Louisiana.
Now, the ideal foundation Louisiana Parole Project will help Bryant with his newfound freedom, claims the foundation itself.
