Monday, July 18, 2011

August 5Th Jordon Brown(Age 13) Gets His last Chance To Ask For Transfer To Juvenile Court

Document - USA: Further information: Transfer hearing scheduled for boy aged 13
Further Information on UA: 97/10 Index: AMR 51/062/2011 USA Date: 6 July 2011 Date: 6 July 2011

URGENT ACTION

TRANSFER HEARING SCHEDULED FOR BOY AGED 13

O n 5 August Jordan Brown will have a rare second chance to argue for his case to be transferred to juvenile court for trial. The Pennsylvania Attorney General should seize this opportunity to agree unconditionally to the transfer .


On 8 June, Jordan Brown’s lawyers met with the prosecution and the trial court judge to prepare for the hearing, ordered by the Pennsylvania Superior Court, on the issue of transferring his case to a juvenile court. It is yet to be decided whether parties will introduce new evidence or whether the hearing will be based on prior oral arguments.


According to press reports, the Senior Deputy Attorney General, Anthony Krastek, has indicated that he may consider moving the case to juvenile court on the condition that Jordan Brown admits guilt. Defense lawyers for Jordan Brown have responded in the press that the 13-year-old boy has no intention of doing so, standing by his denial of the charges for the past 25 months.


The hearing is the result of the Pennsylvania Superior Court’s decision to vacate an earlier ruling which denied Jordan Brown’s petition for transfer to juvenile court. Aged 11 at the time of the crime, he has been automatically charged for trial in an adult court, as required by Pennsylvania law for cases involving murder. He has been charged with two counts of homicide, because the victim, Kenzie Houk, was eight-and-a-half months pregnant and her unborn child also died. If tried in adult court and convicted of first-degree murder, Jordan Brown would be automatically sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole. This sentence, when imposed on anyone who was under 18 years old at the time of the crime, violates international law.


PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in English or your own language:

Explaining that you are not seeking to excuse the killing of Kenzie Houk;

Pointing out that international law prohibits life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for anyone who was under 18 years old at the time of the crime;

Calling on the prosecution to meet its international obligation to ensure that Jordan Brown is not sentenced to life imprisonment without parole;

Urging the prosecution to seize the opportunity of the hearing to agree to the transfer unconditionally and drop its pursuit of a trial in an adult court.


PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 16 AUGUST 201 1 TO:


Pennsylvania Attorney General

Linda L Kelly

Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General

16th Floor, Strawberry Square

Harrisburg, PA 17120, USA

Fax: +1 717 787 8242

Email: http://attorneygeneral.gov/contactus/ Salutation: Dear Attorney General

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR51/062/2011/en/ab55aa18-14f2-4eae-bfaa-5d13f7611bb1/amr510622011en.html

Friday, July 1, 2011

Rights Denied

The following will be actual events with no distortion of the facts as they are known

Our 16 year old daughter was denied many of her rights, thus leading to a murder conviction for which she will be sentenced soon .
According to due process of law. Regardless of
the charge,juveniles do have rights that differ from adults,
and MUST BE APPLIED when taken into custody,and through of the judicial process,otherwise the system will fail( which it has) and democracy will inevitably cease to exist.
When She was first picked up by police,and taken into custody, she was not allowed 2 completed phone calls within one hour.(Welfare & Institutions Code 627).Her father went to the police station and was told he could not see her
(Penal Code 120.6).
Her 14th Amendment Rights were violated because she was denied counsel (her Father) during questioning. She was not mentally evaluated, and had very little knowledge of the criminal justice system (Wel.& Institutions Code 30.23).
Mental condition is a very important issue according to Evidence Code 1016a. A 16 year old girl should not be alone with adult male police detectives for questioning because it infringes on the 5th ,6th,& 14th Amendments of the Constitution concerning due process.
Failure of telling her that her father
was there is a direct violation of Wel. & Inst. Code30.11). It is still unclear what probable cause initiated her to be taken into custody(Penal Code 995). Her deprivation of rights and privileges is a violation of U.S. Code 14141a. All of these violations occurred
during her 1st hours of custody.
(Wel.&Inst. Code 627.5)The minor AND parent to be immediately advised that any thing the minor says will be used against him or her, and to be advised of the presence of counsel during interrogation.
(Title 28 United States Code 1343 Provided A Federal court Forum In Which Citizens Can Seek Redress From The Deprivation Of Rights.