Kirk Bell's Freedom Fund

Today we celebrate the freedom of Kirk Bell, who was incarcerated for nearly 28 years of a life sentence for a drug offense. Mr. Bell was in his 20s when he was arrested for this charge, but because he had two prior convictions, the judge gave him a sentence of life without parole. Mr. Bell's lawyer did little to stop the imposition of this sentence: he did not explain the mitigating circumstances of his priors, the personal difficulties that had led Mr. Bell to interactions with the law, his strong family support nor his capacity for change. When the judge sentenced Mr. Bell, all he looked at was a list of crimes.

But Mr. Bell has always been more than that. He is smart and determined and thoughtful. In prison he became a welder, studied the Bible, and mentored others. And somehow he cultivated the inner strength to weather the difficulties of prison for more than 10,000 days. Now he is free.

Mr. Bell is the 25th client to be freed through IPNO’s Unjust Punishment Project. If you want to support Mr. Bell, please donate to his Freedom Fund or purchase an item from his wish list.