Prison Injustice: Tuition Fund For Jamael

America's corrupt legal system sent my brother Mel to prison for 20 years. Now please help us send him to college.

For the past 12 years, my brother, Jamael Stubbs, has been incarcerated in federal prison. At the age of 26, he was charged with a crime he did not commit but was an accessory to when he was 19. Because the charges against him were inaccurate, he naively tried to fight in court, believing his innocence would be recognized. By exercising his constitutional right to a trial, my brother (we call him Mel), received a punishment much harsher than he would have had he pled guilty; he was sentenced to over 160-months in federal prison in total. 

 

Our system, which is rigged and unjust in so many ways, punishes people who exercise their right to a trial instead of accepting a plea bargain. More than 90% of people convicted of federal crimes have pled guilty, not because they necessarily are guilty, but often because they were coerced or to receive a lighter sentence. Of those who go to trial, fewer than 1% are acquitted.

 

Mel is my best friend, but for the first few years of his incarceration, I rarely went to see him—our visits were wonderful, but I couldn’t stand the sadness I felt when I had to go home without him. I was also reluctant to tell people about his circumstances, fearing they would discount or define my family and me because of it. But it wasn’t just that: Talking about what happened to Mel means acknowledging the systemic racism that led to his lengthy incarceration, acknowledging that not only is my brother vulnerable to it, so am I. So are my mom, my dad, my niece, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, my best friends. Like leaving my brother behind when visiting hours are over, this fact feels unbearable.

 

Mel has thrived as much as possible in a system meant to punish, not rehabilitate or prepare people for eventual release, taking advantage of every opportunity for growth. Through a training program he participated in while incarcerated he has become a skilled artist and leatherworker. As he continues to try to better himself and his circumstances and prepare for his release in two years, Mel applied for and was accepted into the business program at Adams State University.

 

For over 12 years, Mel has had to ask my family for everything, which is emasculating and in no way rehabilitates ANYONE. He works full-time in prison as an HR specialist, but minimum wage for people who are federally incarcerated is 23 cents an hour, with a cap of $1.25. Because he is incarcerated he is not eligible for the federal grants that help fund the educations of almost 7 million students in this country. In order for Mel to attend ASU and achieve his goal of getting a business degree before he’s released, he needs help beyond what my family can give.

 

We created this Gofundme because Mel’s resilience, humility, talent, and work ethic deserve reward. As humans, we all need things to believe in, and I’m asking you to join me in believing in Mel. Our dream is to raise enough money to pay for his tuition and books, which will both help prepare him to become an asset to society when he’s released and also allow him a little bit of independence while he remains incarcerated.

 

Please share and donate whatever you can—all efforts are felt, and even reading this will send the positive vibes our way. You can read Mel's story in his own words and see photos of his leatherwork on Twitter.