- unitid
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{"value"=>"3425247", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unittitle
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{"value"=>"Johnny Imani Harris"}
- bioghist
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{"value"=>"<p>Johnny Imani Harris was originally sentenced to life in prison in 1970. Harris was sentenced to the Holman Correctional Facility in Alabama, notable for inhuman conditions. In 1972, the inmates of this prison organized a group called Inmates for Action (IFA) and successfully led a work stoppage, which resulted in violent punishment by the guards. In 1974 an IFA member was beaten to death by guards, which led to prisoners taking over a cellblock and holding two guards hostage. During the process of taking back the prison from the inmates, both an IFA member and a guard were killed. Several prisoners, including Harris, were charged with the guard's murder and Harris was given the death penalty, despite there being no direct evidence that he was involved in the murder. Harris had been prosecuted directly by the Attorney General under a Civil War-era stature which gave an automatic death sentence to anyone convicted of first-degree murder while serving a life sentence.</p> <p>The Alliance sought to overturn Harris' death sentence and bring to light the lack of evidence in this case. In 1987, Harris' murder charge was dismissed and he was eventually granted parole.</p>"}
- scopecontent
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{"value"=>"<p>The materials include correspondence, petitions, appeals for clemency, open letters, press, flyers, list of trial attendance, and a copy of a drawing by Harris.</p>"}