Translated material
I got excited
61-year-old Walter Johnson was in prison for almost 30 years-in 1997 he was sentenced to five life-long terms. He had heart problems, and he no longer believed that he would someday be free. However, on the morning of October 17, 2024, Johnson was called to a prison phone and said that he would be released within a few hours by decision of Judge Frederick Blok - it was he who sentenced Johnson, but 30 years later he realized that the verdict was “too harsh”. "Cold" tells this story.
After 27 years, the judge, who condemned a person by five life sentences, changed his mind and released him to freedom
Brooklyn guy
Walter Johnson was born in 1963 and grew up in one of the areas of New York-Brooklyn. He lived in state housing for poor families. At the age of 14, Johnson contacted a criminal group - from that moment a series of crimes committed by him began. In 1982, Johnson was accused of robbing parishioners of the Church of Jehovah's Witnesses, a year later - in the armed robbery of passengers of the city bus. In 1993, he was tried for a shootout with the police, which occurred during the robbery of the hairdresser, at that time Johnson was justified, but soon judged again.
By the mid-1990s of Johnson, who was already known on the streets as the “king of Tutankhamun”, was arrested dozens of times-he was serving the deadlines in various prisons, including on the island of Rairers. In 1996, he was interrogated in connection with the murder of rapper Tupac Shakura. Johnson denied the accusations.
In the same 1996, Johnson was charged with 12 more crimes. A year later, the jury found him guilty of several of them: in the spread of cocaine, robbery and pressure on witnesses.
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Five lifelong
Johnson was also suspected of rape. A woman named Crystal Winclay said that she was visiting her mother when Johnson and two other men with pistols entered the apartment and ordered them to go to the floor. Criminals were looking for money, drugs and valuable things. Winsplas refused to help them, after which Johnson and his accomplice raped her. However, the jury considered that the words of the witness were not enough to accuse.
When pronouncing the sentence, Judge Frederick Blok took into account the “law of three crimes”, according to which, those who at least have previously committed crimes related to violence and drugs, in the event of a relapse, almost guaranteed received a life sentence. The interpretation of the law depended on the state: for example, in California for a long time, a lifelong opinion could be obtained for any third crime - even for the theft of one dollar.
Johnson was already convicted twice for the robberies, which were considered serious crimes with the use of violence. Therefore, according to three charges, Judge Blok gave him three life sentences. There are two more accusations left - for the storage and distribution of cocaine. Based on them, the block could be sentenced from 10 years to life, but decided to give two more lifelong terms.
“Mr. Johnson, you are a classic example of a person who must be isolated so that society is protected from you. Your past is full of violence. You spent a lot of time in prison, and when you were at large, you caused the society all kinds of harm, ”Blok announced , sentencing Johnson to five lifelong terms.
Johnson did not expect that he would hear such a sentence: “I knew that I was problematic and made mistakes, but I said to myself:“ I cannot be a person who deserves five lifelong terms. ”
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"Exemplary prisoner"
Over the years, Johnson has changed a lot. He went on more than 100 educational courses: in psychology, economics, law, mathematics, computers, raising children and photographs. He also tried to help other prisoners: for example, he was a volunteer in working with people who tried to commit suicide, and participated in the creation of a support group for those who are serving a life sentence. “Even if I am destined to die in prison, let me be the person who is trying to change something,” said Johnson.
Prison employees described him as a “confident leader”, which during conflicts helps to reduce tension. He was called an exemplary prisoner and even awarded a letter of thanks from the head of the prison for active participation in public life. Johnson was considered responsible, supportive and with everyone was in good relations.
The wife helped to cope with his life in prison Johnson, NATOKA Johnson, with whom he talked on the phone and in letters: “She knew how to remind me that life is not always where you are geographically, but rather where you are psychologically,” he wrote later. NATOKA forced her husband to eat right, drink enough water and play sports, and also prepare for life in society - although he was sure that he would never leave the prison again.
For all years, Johnson did not have a single disciplinary violation in prison. He tried several times to appeal the verdict, but the court each time rejected his petition for release. The situation changed only in 2024, when Judge Frederick Blok, who was already an old man, realized that he had made a mistake.
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The first step
The “law of three crimes” was adopted in the 1990s, when the US was an increase in the level of crime and drug use.
From the beginning of the 1980s to 2014, the number of prisoners in the United States grew several times-the prisons were crowded with aging prisoners, not all of which were all the same for society. The workload of prisons was associated, including with the “law of three crimes”, which introduced a mandatory life imprisonment and canceled UDO for recidivists. In addition, the law was criticized that it was disproportionately hit by minorities: almost half of the prisoners serving a life sentence were African Americans.
Excessively long periods for drug crimes related to drugs also affected the boom in prison. Billions of dollars for the maintenance of prisons were allocated from the budget annually-while the percentage of relapses remained high, because due to lack of money they saved on rehabilitation programs.
In 2018, the United States adopted the Law “On the first step” (meaning that this is the first step of the reform of the prison system). The judges were able to review their decisions, and prisoners - to achieve early liberation. Legislators also reduced punishments, especially on narcotic articles, and developed measures for the rehabilitation of prisoners: returning to society has become more important than a long imprisonment in prison.
The initiative was supported by members of both parties: “I cannot recall a single bill that would enjoy such support of left and right, liberals and conservatives, democrats and republicans,” said Richard Durbin, a Democrat Senator from Illinois.
In 2024, 61-year-old Johnson asked for liberation , relying on the law "On the first step."
Work on mistakes
In 2024, Frederick Blok was already 90 years old, but he still works in the same court as a senior judge. For many years, Blok openly talks about the problem of overly harsh sentences in the United States. In the fall of 2024, he released a book entitled "The second chance: the federal judge decides who deserves it." In it, he analyzes cases from his practice and proves the need for a softer attitude to the defendants.
Almost 30 years after Blok sentenced Johnson to five lifelong terms, he called that sentence “excessively harsh” - albeit legal at that time. The judge noted that Johnson could already be freedom, if not for the "law of three crimes." According to Blok, during the first sentence in 1997, he worked as a judge for only two years and was inexperienced, and only 25 years later he came to “judicial maturity”.
From the court documents it follows that the block found several reasons why Johnson should be released. The first is Johnson's young age at the time of crimes. The two robberies, after which the third led to a life sentence, he made at 19 and 20-it turns out that a 61-year-old man is in prison due to mistakes of youth. Over the past 30 years, American courts began to pay more attention to the age of criminals - even if they reached adulthood.
The second reason-due to changes in the laws for similar crimes, are now softer, so it is unfair to leave Johnson in prison.
The judge’s opinion was also influenced by Johnson's “impeccable reputation”.
Crystal Winclue, who accused him of rape, also advocated for the liberation of Johnson. In a letter to the court, she said that she wants Johnson to be released: “Although I understand the severity of his crimes and how they changed my life, I was able to forgive him. And the fact that he continues to be in prison constantly reminds me of the painful past and does not allow me to live the present. " She said that Johnson had “had enough time” to “think about his actions.” “If there is an opportunity and proper support, he has the potential to become a productive member of the society,” Winsplay graduated.
Blok reduced Johnson's term to the already served - on the condition that he will live under the supervision of law enforcement officers for three more years. A few hours later, Johnson was released.
Wife, friends and little dog
Johnson spent the first day with his wife Natoka. The couple walked on the coast in the harbor of the city of Stamford, an hour riding from New York.
The first week was rich: Johnson posted a video from a night club and a photo from restaurants , where he went with his wife and friends. At the end of October, their company gathered at a Halloween party - Johnson takes pictures a lot with his wife and little dog. Natoka says that the husband is “miraculously adapted” to a new life.
After the release, Johnson wrote a letter to Judge Blok, where he said that the judge had saved his life.
“I was taught violence and destructive behavior. I was delayed by pain, confusion, fear and hatred that I came across daily, ”wrote Johnson. But years later, in prison, he realized that it could be not only a "thug, outcast, criminal and gangster."
Now Johnson is coming to the schools in which he has grown up, and tells his story to the children so that they do not repeat his mistakes.
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Author: Daria Korotych Photo: Dexdiamond / Instagram