patrick swiney - an injustice in alabama

While I realize that this site is about the Swiney case, it's really about every case of injustice in America. For every person illegally imprisoned, there are people (usually family members and friends) who are caught up in the injustice. If there are only 2 of these folks for every imprisoned person in this country, that's 6 million, a very conservative estimate. Family and friends of innocent prisoners are not the only people affected.

Our entire society is affected when injustice is as widespread as it is in America. We read about Abu Graib and Guatanamo Bay and the atrocities committed there are not unusual; you can see things like this in almost every prison in America. Injustice affects all of us because it is the fact that reveals the motivation behind the criminal "justice" system.

This system is not about justice; it's not even about protecting society; it is about controlling society through threat of prison. Yes, there is a lot of money to be made in the prison industrial complex but $$$ is just the icing on the societal control cake.

I wish I could say that Patrick Swiney's case is unusual or remarkable but alas, I cannot say that. The real horror of his situation is that its more indicative of the norm than American citizens realize.

It was the Patrick Crusade site that first got my attention, after I was imprisoned in sweet home Alabama for something I was accused of that I did not do. I was too afraid to speak up, afraid of what the 'system' would still do to me.

I never believed that innocent people were thrown in prison until it happened to me. I was made a political prisoner because I staged a protest against drug dealers in Bullock County, Alabama. I am a Registered Nurse who saw many drug addicted people come into the hospital, overdoses, pregnant mothers on drugs having addicted babies, and watching the babies go through severe withdrawals, and also drug related murders. I was falsely accused of 'stalking' the king pin drug dealer, John Will Waters. I don't even know how to stalk, and he would be the last one I'd stalk if I did know. I
He is approximately 80 years old at this present time and has successfully ruined and destroyed many lives.

There was not a person (other than family) who would stand up with me against the horribly corrupt system that exists there. The average mentality is "well we see what they've done to you and your family, and if we speak up, they'll do the same to us".
There was not a court in Alabama nor U.S. District Court & U.S. Court of Appeals whose conscience was shocked by the miscarriage of justice against me. Everything I filed was denied, of course.
They are all one and of the same, catering to each other, self-serving in every way.

Unfortunately, Patrick Swiney was made a political prisoner.
Upholding justice and doing the right thing when he was a Policeman has literally cost him all these years of his life.
The courts commit heinous crimes against us, and like it has been written in this forum, NObody seems to care or to believe it until it happens to them.
Sad to say, but I am guitly of that. No one could have ever convinced me that innocent people are incarcerated, understandably so because I was raised by a very patriotic father, red/white/& blue all the way, respect our Country, the greatest on earth, etc. By the way, I will not have 'old glory' hanging on my house on July the 4th. I don't allow the red, white, & blue in my house. I burned any that I did have because I have zero respect for this country anymore.

My eyes were opened very widely through my ordeal.
Through my Pro Se Litigations, I have put the system to the test and they failed me miserably.

Like Patrick, I have overwhelming proof of innocence, yet the courts have turned a deaf ear to me for the sake of their good old boys.

I hope still that those fighting for Patrick will continue.
Maybe, just maybe his case will cross the desk of an honest judge who has some integrity.

I know this got long, but thanks for providing this Alabama Forum. Let's keep on until we are heard!!

Over the past few years, European respect for America has been badly eroded. America used to be World Leader - now, it seems to be thirty years behind everyone else in terms of conscience. Emails winged their war around the globe from angry Americans, ranting at the fact that the UN would not support President Bush with his decision to invade IRAQ. The attitude seemed to be 'you are with us, or against us - everything else is non-negotiable. Compromise is not an option.' Sadly, this attitude seems to have seeped into the very core of American society. You either agree with me, or I'll attack you - if I'm 100% sure that you're vulnerable and I can beat you. Otherwise, I'll just ignore you and hope that you go away. If I ignore you long enough - I won't have to deal with an unpleasant situation. Or better still, I'll wait until someone tells me what to do, so I dont have to make the decision, or accept the responsibility. I can pass the blame onto someone else.

This is what's happening with Patrick's case, Beverly's Case, Roberta's case and hundreds - no, THOUSANDS of other wrongful convictions across the US. Over the last few days, have been reading your forums. On one, one poster advocates shooting all the Wrongful Convictions to save the aggravation, calling them martrys, erecting plaques, and moving on. Onto where, I have to ask - until a few years down the line when you have yet another group of Innocents sitting in your prisons that are an embarrassment, and you repeat the exercise this particular poster advocated? On the same Forum, a hurt, angry, grieving Murder Victim Family Survivor posted their distress, hoping for support. Did they get it from their own countrymen? What do you think? But the thread on Gay Fostering on the same Forum where people can openly attack, rant?- thousands.

Your Medicaid programs, your elder programs, your Education programs - all suffering cutbacks to support the prison culture. You cut Education, the kids don't learn, job prospects, college? So they turn to drugs, turn to crime, and then you lock them up and efectively throw away the key - you throw them into a cell in a prison built from their birthright, built on money taken from the people's rights of education, health, and welfare. Prisons enter into contracts with local industries to supply cheap inmate labour, while local people starve on welfare through no work being available to them.

You KNOW there's something wrong. Information is withheld from you, true justice is withheld from you, your rights are eroded on a daily basis in terms of education, health and welfare. The anger is building, and it shows in the anger that's coming through on these boards a lot of the time. One young lady on another board has posted 'these are just my small town girl thoughts' as if she's breaking the rules in speaking out. That young lady has as much right to speak out as the President of the United States, has as much right to voice her opinion, and to ask questions.

Come on Heartland America - the politicians and the InJustice system run the country, while you struggle to survive. Defense Attorneys earn the least if they don't take on private cases - nevertheless, when did you last see a Poor lawyer working for the State? When did you last see a State lawyer say he was going to win this election by getting to the truth? No, he's usually going to win the election by sacrificing someone, REGARDLESS of the truth. Stir the Dragon, wake up - your kids deserve more than what's rapidly becoming an automatic birthright to time in a prison cell if Mommie and Daddy doesn't earn big bucks.

As an actor, I have been part of some pretty wild tales. But if you told me just a few years ago that my own country would be holding prisoners without trial in secret CIA prisons, I'd have told you that was pretty far-fetched.
If you told me that the United States would also be torturing these prisoners, I'd have said you were nuts.
When our own government engages in torture, they are doing so in my name - and yours.
That's why I have joined with Amnesty International USA to urgently demand that our leaders get out of the torture business. And it is why I strongly urge you to join me by making an emergency donation to Amnesty's Stop Torture Campaign.
June is "Torture Awareness Month." But awareness isn't enough - we must speak out, and we must end it.
Just consider:
Barely two years have passed since the horrific images of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib came to light - shocking the conscience of the world. Yet even today, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, our government claims the abuses were only a few isolated acts.
In the wake of Abu Ghraib and other revelations, Senator John McCain introduced a bill to affirm the absolute ban on "cruel, inhumane and degrading" treatment by U.S. agents anywhere in the world. The administration fought tooth and nail to defeat the measure. When passage of the bill became inevitable, the Administration succeeded in inserting amendments that seriously undermined it.
What is more, the President unilaterally declared himself not bound by the law, basically claiming unlimited powers to torture in alleged wartime situations.
This past April, Amnesty released a shocking report that exposed the U.S. government's "secret airline" for outsourcing torture. It revealed an elaborate and secretive spider web of private and charter flights designed to ship detainees to countries where torture is routinely practiced - Egypt, Jordan, Syria and elsewhere.
Once upon a time, the United States led the world in advocacy of human rights and dignity for all. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted and signed on our shores. That was no accident.
Today we are part of the problem. It will take years for our nation to rebuild its credibility as a human rights advocate.
But together, we can make this the month when our nation begins in earnest to return to its mostly deeply cherished values - the rule of law, due process, and respect for individual freedom and dignity.
Please join me today in support of Amnesty International's life-saving work to stop torture.
Sincerely,
Tim Robbins
P.S. Check out my newly released video urging Americans to take action against the practice of torture worldwide: low-fi or hi-fi.
Copyright 2006 Amnesty International USA
5 Penn Plaza New York, NY 10001
Tel: Two One Two.Eight Zero Seven.Eight Four Zero Zero

sherry, patrick is in my prayers, you just keep advocating and some where some body is going to see you are not giving up and all the people are with you on this , that is your love one and never give up, I also seen the court document on the man at FL STate Prison and that was a shame. My son was in that same prison for petty crimes, cooking for them. and he was treated so bad in that place they kept taking all his gain time for little petty things of nonsense, these systems are corrupted and is not functioning proper especially the one your husband is in ..God bless you

Is this the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave,... I really have to wonder anymore, as 20,000 other people wonder. What ever happened to ..Justice?? All the evidence, in this case,points to this man's innocence! What is the problem with the courts there in Alabama????This is Not Right! This man doesn't belong in Prison, they need to and should have been finding the REAL Murderer!This man exposed some corrupt happenings-told the Truth, and now , he is being punished. This is wrong oh so wrong!!!!

Sep UK wrote:

I agree with Chris1. The law and the justice system have totally lost sight of each other. Likewise the integrity of those who manifested the case against Patrick and those who prosecuted it and their conscience. But what can be expected of 'corrupt power'. It is without conscience. It walks the Institutions of every government daily, seeking out the weak to perpetrate their evil upon.

We have the abuse going on right here in Alabama and I am for sure elsewhere too. I never thought that any of my family members would ever end up in jail. We do not have a history of criminals in our family. It was not until my youngest son got hooked to weed when he was just 12 years old. Who gave it to him? Not me and not any of my family members. In fact, for years we have tried to keep him away from these horrible drugs. Unfortunately, to no avail. He is in prison now for committing armed robbery with a bebe gun to further his drug addiction with a lot of other people that were older than him and that provided transportation and the gun.(Most of them are walking around free and the ones that are in jail have a few years in a youth detention center that is more like a school than prison and they can earn "good time".) My son cannot earn "good time" and he got 20 1/2 years. If you cannot afford a good lawyer you do a lot of time here in Alabama. He has admitted to what he did and just wanted a fair trial. He got abused (beaten, stripped naked, shackled, and handcuffed, etc.)in November 2005 and numerous other inmates with him here in Russell County Jail, Alabama. My family and I have to deal with retaliations too that come in form of prison personnel making remarks towards my son that has him believe that something bad will happen to him or his family if he does not keep quiet. Yes, my son is not innocent but I do not believe that anybody has the right to treat another human being this way and I know that these people in charge have sworn an oath to uphold the law and not to abuse anybody that they are in charge of!
How much more horrible does this have to be for somebody like Patrick Swiney - an appearantly innocent man - knowing that he is innocent and having to live like this for 17 long agonizing years in a prison system and judicial system as worse as Alabama's!!!
I can appreciate that more now since I have my youngest child in prison and I have to wonder every day of my life what is happening to him right now! I have regretted more than once having followed my husband to America. Don't get me wrong, during the 20+ years that I have lived in the United States I have met plenty of very nice people and have made many friends. It is not the people, it is the system that is so abhorrently unjust! The only one that I completely trust in is Jehovah, the almighty God. He has promised that he will take care of the unrightesnous here on earth and I know that he will take care of it soon.(2. Tim. 3:1-5),(Rev. 21:3,4), and (Ps. 83:18)

My heart and thoughts are with Patrick and Sherry.........WE MUST FIGHT ON and have this injustice righted.

What does it take to move the people in Alabama into fighting for what is right?

K x

GUTS. Anyone out there, with any?

people who dont live in america dont understand..america is goverment for the rich by the rich...and in america you can and will be imprisoned for making the rich mad...why dont some one care about the thousands of people held in jail for years..never seeing a judge or court room..or is that a well kept secret

Arlen wrote:

Why does everyone so automatically assume that Patrick is innocent? And what is this 'undisputable' evidence that says hes not? I have searched this thread and cannot find it anywhere.

Here is the undisputable evidence of innocence:

-Crime Scene photos found in 2002 that show no bullet hole in the kitchen window or screen, contrary to the prosecutor’s claims;

-Police records showing that Patrick was 10 miles away from the crime scene at the time of the shooting;

-Forensic reports found ten years after the trial proving that there was no gun shot residue on Patrick, or blood on his clothing, including his shoes; and

-Newly discovered GSR (gun shot residue) evidence by a renowned forensic scientist that proves Swiney was not and could not have been the shooter in this crime.

Any questions?

Sherry Swiney
www.patrickswiney.com

Clifford

It's not a well kept secret. It's just as long as people are prepared to sit back and accept this behaviour, it'll continue. Dont you find it ironic that once WMD's weren't discovered, the invasion of Iraq became a humanitarian exercise because of torture, flse imprisonment etc - and yet American does the exact same thing behind closed doors, and no-one does a thing? Aren't you curious as to why the cops would feel the need to falsely imprison one of their own, what he may have been about to reveal? They certainly didn't go to all this effort simply because they had nothing better to do that day. What's Alabama covering up? What are they that frightened of being brought to light, that they'll deliberately ignore this injustice? How deep are these pockets, and more importantly - who do those pockets belong to?

I have been following Patrick Swiney’s case for several years. Investigations spearheaded by his wife Sherry, attorneys, and forensic experts unequivocally prove that Mr. Swiney could not possibly have committed the murder for which he is imprisoned. There are, on the other hand, indications of prosecutorial, law enforcement and judicial misconduct. A read of Mr. Swiney’s case will horrify those who believe that the American system of justice is just that fair and just. It is not. An honest judge [read that one who is neutral and follows the law] would review Mr. Swiney’s case and see clearly that he is a victim, both civilly and humanistically of the American legal system that is saturated with corrupt and abusive officials. I hope that an honest judge will emerge, review this case, and take appropriate action to remedy the injustice that has befallen Mr. Swiney. Furthermore, I pray that those responsible for the abuses: civil and human rights will be held accountable for their actions.

I have been following Patrick Swiney’s case for several years. Investigations spearheaded by his wife Sherry, attorneys, and forensic experts unequivocally prove that Mr. Swiney could not possibly have committed the murder for which he is imprisoned. There are, on the other hand, indications of prosecutorial, law enforcement and judicial misconduct. A read of Mr. Swiney’s case will horrify those who believe that the American system of justice is just that fair and just. It is not. An honest judge [read that one who is neutral and follows the law] would review Mr. Swiney’s case and see clearly that he is a victim, both civilly and humanistically of the American legal system that is saturated with corrupt and abusive officials. I hope that an honest judge will emerge, review this case, and take appropriate action to remedy the injustice that has befallen Mr. Swiney. Furthermore, I pray that those responsible for the abuses: civil and human rights will be held accountable for their actions.

This is how I see the case of Patrick Swiney:

Just a common American man, as there are millions of them.

A common man, trying to make an honest living, working hard.
An honest man, who sees corruption etc. and knows that ain't his thing and tries to do something about it for as far as possible.
He believes he lives in a country being fair with equal justice for all, the land of the free and the brave.

Dream on common American man, you found out that when you attack the system (the old boys network) they will get you.
They got you indeed, life without parole for something you didn't do.

But, what if you can proof you didn't do what they sentensed you for?
No sweat, the system always finds an excuse to let you stay where you are.

A fairy tail, I wish it was, it's the truth, common practize in the USA.
People wake up before you get in the same situation, this might happen to you too !

Is there any freelance journalists out there who would be interested in writing a story??
Let me know
Karen

this dont just happen in alb.its nation wide...also these drug dealers often shoot and kill people..the law wont touch them because thats where the reelection money comes from..remember that judge you are standing before has to run for office...just who is going to put up the money..we live in goverment for the rich by the rich...remember that before you go to court...

I see a bunch of brits posting feverishly after that remark about the yellow fringe on Americas flag, that illegal ALTERATION, and I suppose its because many british people DO know about the tawdry and cheap ploy by their scum royalty to retake America through subterfuge and control of the currency. It would be nice to see britain eradicated forever, and all its royalty. I hunger for heads on pikes. Its because of their machinations that things like happened to Patrick can even be...who is behind the worlds illegal opium? Who has ALWAYS been behind it? Anybody with sense will leave britain and distance themselves now, because if anyone like myself ever gets any power here, britain is going to be history and fast. And Germany is second on the list. Lying scum, all. The luftwaffe here in NM is behind the chemtrailing and the antennae mind control...This legal set up that allows mutts like the bush family to take power is foreign and british and the copyrighted code which these animals have replaced our constitution with is is owned by britain and israel. Research the thompson group in montreal. LORD Thompson. Lords and kings of all kinds are unamerican. ALL kinds. Hi Candyce!!

you will need to explain that futher most people wont understand ,they never heard of it

Not a Brit:) And not into Royals or the like BUT I do fight for justice and so do many other people in UK for people like Patrick and others.