澳彩开奖

An honors student at Coahoma Agricultural High School who earned a basketball scholarship to college, Patterson never wanted drugs to be part of his life. But in order to get by, he sold marijuana and cocaine.

Although he loved college and playing ball, he quit both as a young father to focus on providing for his children. Drugs were all around him, so he knew that selling them was a fast and easy way to earn cash.

In 2000, he was arrested for marijuana possession and was sentenced to three years鈥� probation. In 2007, he received two separate charges for simple drug possession. For those charges, he was sentenced to house arrest for one year, along with four years鈥� probation. In November 2008, he was charged again with simple drug possession. Because he had two prior convictions, the district attorney鈥檚 office could prosecute the November 2008 charge under the habitual offender law. 聽聽

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want my children to grow up like I did, where drugs were everywhere, but there came a point when I couldn鈥檛 pay my bills,鈥� said Patterson, now 45. 鈥淏ut I never liked selling drugs, not one minute.鈥�

On Nov. 16, 2008, because the district attorney鈥檚 office chose to prosecute him under Mississippi鈥檚 habitual offender law, he was sentenced to 26 years in prison. Under the law, also known as the 鈥�,鈥� a person convicted of a third felony can be harshly punished, regardless of the severity of the crimes.聽The law gave Patterson no possibility of parole, even though his offenses were nonviolent.

In April 2019, however, the 澳彩开奖 鈥� through its Three Strikes Project 鈥� was able to get Patterson released on parole. The project aims to reduce Mississippi鈥檚 overly crowded prison system by providing pro bono representation to individuals serving mandatory prison sentences for nonviolent offenses.

Nicky with his 15-year-old daughter, Wylou. To Nicky's right is his 22-year-old son, Nickalus Alonzo Patterson, Jr., also known as "Lil Nick."

鈥淭hat sentence was not fair to me,鈥� Patterson said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 expect people to understand, and I don鈥檛 want to justify what I did, but 26 years? That wasn鈥檛 fair.鈥�

The Three Strikes Project emerged from the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 criminal justice reform work, which culminated with the passage of Mississippi House Bill 585 in 2014. Under the bill, someone who was sentenced to a mandatory maximum, parole-ineligible sentence under the 鈥淭hree Strikes Law鈥� and has served at least 25 percent of his or her sentence may petition the sentencing court for parole eligibility.

鈥淥ne petition at a time, the project strives to strengthen families and communities, and aims to allocate more funds for rehabilitation, education and enrichment, rather than incarceration,鈥� said Jade Morgan, the 澳彩开奖 attorney who represented Patterson. 鈥淲ithin the first year, the team was able to get four petitions granted. As a result of the four granted petitions, more than 70 years were taken from the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC), which saved Mississippi taxpayers over $1.3 million in housing costs.鈥澛犅�

鈥業t was horrible鈥�

Before 2018, however, if a prosecutor sought to impose the mandatory maximum sentence through the 鈥淭hree Strikes Law鈥� and secured a conviction, judges were required to order the statutory maximum without the possibility of parole.

For Patterson, finding out that he was ineligible for parole during his 26-year sentence was gut-wrenching.聽聽 聽聽

鈥淚t was horrible,鈥� he said. 鈥淎t first, I thought of ending my life. I thought, 鈥業 know I can鈥檛 do 26 years here.鈥� And that was just based off of what I saw going in.鈥� 聽聽

Mississippi joined the tough-on-crime wave that swept the country decades ago, establishing harsh penalties for repeat offenders in 1976. The state in 2018 to incarcerate individuals like Patterson, who were sentenced for nonviolent offenses. 聽聽聽聽

鈥淟aws like the 鈥楾hree Strikes Law鈥� do not reduce crime rates or promote deterrence,鈥� Morgan said. 鈥淚nstead, nonviolent offenders serve disproportionately long prison sentences in dangerous and overcrowded prison systems like MDOC.鈥�

The project also secured parole for Donnie Cook, 56, a Jackson, Mississippi, resident who was sentenced in 2005 to 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole, based on a charge of intent to produce methamphetamine.

He was freed on Jan. 6, 2020.

鈥淚t feels great to be out, even if it is on parole,鈥� Cook said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very excited to begin this new chapter, and right now, I don鈥檛 see me ever being locked up again.鈥澛犅犅犅�

鈥楾he project saved me鈥�

Mississippi has one of the the world. A 2018 poll of 800 registered voters in Mississippi believed it was important to reduce the number of people in jail or in prison.

Through the Three Strikes Project, the 澳彩开奖 aims to help incarcerated individuals who have received draconian prison sentences return to their loved ones and become productive members of society, where they can engage in the rehabilitative process outside of prison walls.

Patterson鈥檚 release was the project鈥檚 first. He served 11 years of his 26-year sentence and was released on May 8, 2019.聽聽

鈥淚 had never had a lawyer ask me if they could represent me,鈥� Patterson said. 鈥淛ade Morgan really fought for me at a time when I thought no one cared. I started crying when they granted my petition, I was so happy. The project saved me.鈥澛�

Following his release on parole, Patterson has remained committed to the ongoing fight to improve the criminal justice system by attending prison reform rallies in Jackson.

He also plans to write a book about his journey, and to open a barbershop after he and his fianc茅e get his parole transferred to Arkansas, where they plan to move.聽聽聽 聽聽

鈥淚鈥檝e done a lot of adjusting,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople know I鈥檓 a really strong person, and that鈥檚 something I have to live up to. I try to be the best I can be now.鈥�

Lead photo by iStock