“I am a great father, a good friend, and I love my family,” Ferrell Scott said in a recording from a prison in Pennsylvania.
Scott, 56, is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole on charges of possession and conspiracy to distribute marijuana — a substance that is legal now in many parts of the country.
“I just think there is more to life than me being here for the rest of life … Sometimes I think if you were put to death it would be better because this is harder than death,” he added.
The audio file was published by the Third Strike Campaign, a platform created to showcase the voices of individuals whose lives have been tragically derailed by the U.S.’ “war on drugs.” The campaign was produced by the criminal justice reform groups The Decarceration Collective and the Buried Alive Project.
“The mission is to rescue people who have been buried alive under America’s unfair and unjust three strike drug law,” MiAngel Cody, the lead counsel of The Decarceration Collective, told Cheddar. “It is really easy to get a life sentence in America.”
And while there is growing support across the political spectrum for criminal justice reform, the Third Strike Campaign aims to shed light on — and give a voice to — the real people that continue to suffer everyday from the “tough on crime” justice system and the mandatory sentencing guidelines under three strikes legislation.
Scott, for instance, was denied an appeal in 2014 despite having a clean prison record. He was also not included in the 568 federal drug cases that were granted executive clemency by President Obama — which were, nonetheless, a major victory for justice advocates given that President Bush granted just one drug pardon and President Clinton granted zero, according to the Buried Alive Project.
“The power comes by giving the prisoners a voice,” Mikkel Noe Westh, the CEO of the digital design firm Granyon, told Cheddar. Westh, whose company built the Third Strike Campaign’s platform, added that his engineers were fully invested in the project after hearing the voices of the prisoners and seeing the gross injustice.
Among several others, the site features Troy Lawrence, 44, who is also serving a life sentence in Pennsylvania. “My mind and my spirit our in a new place. I’m ready to be a father to my children,” Lawrence said.
Carlos Munoz, Head of Asset Manager Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Engagement at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, discusses how 'The Equity Collective' is helping to diversify the financial services industry and what the initiative means for racial equity.
Headspace Health has just launched the 'Headspace for Teens' social impact initiative, which will offer free access to the Headspace app for all teens ages 13 - 18 in America. Alice Nathoo, head of social impact at Headspace joins Cheddar News to talk about the program.
Many brands and industries are announcing their predictions for new trends to watch in 2022. According to Forbes, cooking robots and plant-based meat are just some of the many food trends that are expected to dominate. Jeff Crivello, CEO of BBQ Holdings, joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
YouTube star and dancer JoJo Siwa and mom Jess Siwa joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about their show "Dance Pop Revolution" alongside their girl-group XOMG Pop who were formed from the show's competitors. JoJo, who got her own start on Lifetime's "Dance Moms," talked about the differences between competing at such a young age to having the opportunity to executive produce her own project. She also talked about her time on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and competing as the franchise's first same-sex couple.
Boxed, an e-commerce grocery platform that sells bulk consumables to businesses and household customers, began trading under the ticket symbol "BOXD" after completing a transaction with SPAC Seven Oaks Acquisition. Chieh Huang, co-founder and CEO of Boxed joins Cheddar News to talk about the company's growth.
Live music took a big hit last year, and many artists had to cancel or postpone their tours to 2022. Many partnered with the graphic novel company Z2 Comics to make money by creating unique comic book stories. Josh Bernstein, executive vice president of Z2 Comics, and Sridhar Reddy, founder and publisher at Z2 Comics, join Cheddar News to talk about the company's popularity.
On this episode of Your Future Home, Ryan Trudell, VP of Landscape Architecture, Creative Environments, breaks down factors that have led homeowners to become wearier of their living spaces, driving greater demand for outdoor living experiences; Jean Chatzky, CEO of HerMoney.com, discusses ways new homeowners can protect their budget and restore some peace of mind—even if they’ve made the decision to waive an inspection; Cheddar breaks down everything you need to know about how to properly winterize your home.
Not only do outdoor living environments increase the number of spaces you now have for entertainment, but you will see a high return on investment and add value to your home. Ryan Trudell, VP of Landscape Architecture, Creative Environments, joins Your Future Home to break down factors that have led homeowners to become wearier of their living spaces, driving greater demand for outdoor living experiences.
Jean Chatzky, CEO of HerMoney.com, joins Your Future Home to discuss ways new homeowners can protect their budget and restore some peace of mind—even if they’ve made the decision to waive an inspection.
