Freedom Project client Paul Redd, center, with family on the day of his release from prison after 44 years. Photo courtesy SF Public Defender’s Office
SAN FRANCISCO — After Paul Redd spent 44 years in prison, including 30 years in solitary confinement, before gaining his freedom and becoming a prominent advocate against harsh prison conditions, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office has launched a fellowship in his name aimed at helping others serving lengthy sentences pursue their release.
Funded by private donations, the Paul Redd Freedom Fellowship is a new paid position within the Freedom Project, which helps people serving lengthy prison sentences pursue their release.
The fellowship honors Redd, who was freed in 2020 with assistance from the Freedom Project after spending 44 years in prison.
According to the fellowship job posting, the Freedom Project is dedicated “to decarceration, successful reentry and post-conviction systemic change.”
Furthermore, the Paul Redd Freedom Fellow will support attorneys and social workers by organizing and summarizing case records, maintaining case files and assisting with resentencing, parole hearings and habeas petitions.
In addition, the position requires communicating with incarcerated clients, their loved ones and agencies — such as the Department of Corrections, Superior Court and District Attorney’s Office.
Raised in Oakland, California, Redd was one of two men accused of killing a local drug dealer in 1975 when he was 19 years old.
“The other man [involved] struck a deal with prosecutors, ensuring he would serve no time if he testified against Redd,” the article reads. “That testimony was the only evidence against Redd, who maintained his innocence, but he was convicted in a trial that lasted only three days from jury selection to verdict.”
A reflection from a volunteer who worked with the District Attorney’s Office further noted that Redd’s conviction relied heavily on his co-defendant’s testimony and that no physical evidence tied him to the scene of the crime.
After being convicted, Redd spent 30 of his 44 years in solitary confinement.
“Prolonged isolation of that length is widely understood to cause severe psychological harm and raises serious questions about the relationship between punishment and rehabilitation,” the witness working with the District Attorney’s Office states.
During his time in prison, Redd “participated in hunger strikes at Pelican Bay and was a named plaintiff in a landmark class action lawsuit against the state Department of Corrections. Both actions were instrumental in reducing the inhumane use of solitary confinement in California,” the article states.
Though he was later granted release with the help of the Freedom Project, Redd died in 2022 due to complications resulting from COVID-19.
Despite his death, Redd “is remembered as a fierce advocate who challenged the brutality of solitary confinement and created programs to support prisoners suffering from cancer.”
Redd’s nephew, Ugene Jackson, said in a statement that “the two-plus years our brother and uncle had in freedom were nowhere near enough, but we are deeply grateful to the Freedom Project for every moment he was able to spend free.”
“The Freedom Project team made those precious years possible, and we will always be thankful,” Jackson continued. “If he were alive today, Paul would never have stopped fighting for more freedom and more humane prison conditions. Thank you to the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office for creating this fellowship to honor his legacy and keep his work alive.”
Through the efforts of the Freedom Project, 109 people and counting have gained release from California prisons “through a range of legal pathways, including persuading courts to re-examine excessive prison sentences via parole hearings and Racial Justice Act challenges.”
“This fellowship will provide the right candidate with the opportunity to fundamentally improve the lives of individuals serving unjust sentences,” San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju said. “We’re pleased to be able to honor Mr. Redd and to expand the critical work of our Freedom Project.”
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Categories: Breaking News Everyday Injustice Tags: Decarceration Freedom Project Paul Redd Prison Reform San Francisco Public Defender Solitary Confinement