Helping ex-offenders achieve successful reentry into society

In a recent Miami Herald article, the idea of throwing every criminal in prison and throwing away the key is being reconsidered in the wake of Florida’s growing budget problems.  The article further states, “But changes to sentencing laws and increased support for inmate re-entry programs have support from conservative business groups, such as Associated Industries of Florida and Florida TaxWatch.”

Today’s Miami Herald article discusses how a South Florida company that operates private prisons could profit from lawmakers’ plans to outsource corrections operations.  Is this a move in the right direction for the corrections industry?

In today’s Miami Herald article, the topics of community and relationships are seen as what they are: vitally important!  One cannot do without the other, and when there is a break down present, neither the community nor relationships can stand on its own and hope to make a difference or bring together unity.  Whether “we” as society like it or not, we can only turn our heads away for so long saying, “it is not our problem”.  The concern is, does the “issue” have to hit “close to home” before we own it?

In a recent Miami Herald article, more than 200 radiation protection suits manufactured in Medley, Florida by the company, Radiation Shield Technologies have been donated to aid power plant workers and rescue teams in Japan… may this encourage us all, as we look within ourselves for ways to help those around us, that donations need not always come in the form of money!  And volunteering does not always need to appear in the form of time.

Read a compelling story of one woman’s journey to FULL restoration 14 years later after a 1997 conviction was vacated in its entirety…

February 14, 2011

Coral Gables, FL – The 1997 conviction of former Lee County Commissioner Vicki Lukis was vacated in its entirety today by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Judge John E. Steele found that the trial court had acted without legal authority in Lukis’ prosecution under the so-called “honest services fraud” statute.

“This has been a long and painful journey, and I am relieved to finally restore honor and dignity to my good name, to my family and to my friends who always stood with me,” Lukis said.

The original prosecutor joined Lukis in seeking a writ of error coram nobis, an extremely rare legal proceeding which completely nullified Lukis’ conviction and completely clears her record of the conviction.

“Mrs. Lukis has been completely acquitted of all charges that she accepted monetary or other benefits for decisions she made in her official capacity as a county commissioner,” said Thomas Green, her defense attorney.

The U. S. Supreme Court recently ruled in an unrelated case that honest services fraud applies only in cases where bribery or kickbacks are involved, confirming Lukis’ long-argued interpretation. That ruling, in turn, prompted the District Court in Fort Myers to review Lukis’ case, and to conclude that her actions were not a crime under the law and that she was wrongfully accused and convicted for a non-existent crime.

Lukis, then Vicki Lopez Wolfe, was elected to the Lee County Commission in November 1990. During her tenure, she dated Sylvester Lukis, a prominent lobbyist based in Washington, DC, who represented clients before the county board. The commissioner resigned from office in January 1993, and the two wed in August 1994. In March 1995, Vicki and Sylvester Lukis each was charged with one count of honest services mail fraud, one count of bribery and eight counts of using a facility in interstate commerce to commit bribery.

Following a two-week trial in April 1997, jurors cleared Sylvester Lukis of all counts and found Vicki Lukis not guilty of all counts except one: honest services mail fraud. In post-trial interviews, several jurors stated their belief that Vicki Lukis had lied about her relationship with Sylvester Lukis, as the prosecution had argued. Sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, the ex-commissioner served more than 15 months before then-President Clinton commuted her sentence in November 2000.

“Mrs. Lukis’ conviction and her subsequent time in federal prison is the most unfortunate and unfair outcome I have ever experienced in my 44 years of criminal defense work throughout the United States,” said Green, of the Sidley Austin law firm. “Mrs. Lukis was wrongly accused of honest services fraud because she attempted to keep private her personal relationship with a man who later became her husband, but her denials had nothing to do with her official duties. They only had to do with her desire to keep the press away from her personal life.”

Following her release from prison in Central Florida, Lukis returned to her home in Coral Gables and dedicated herself to criminal justice reform. She serves as the vice chairman of the Florida Department of Corrections’ Reentry Advisory Council and is a board member of Florida’s Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises (PRIDE). She also served as the chairman of then-Governor Jeb Bush’s Ex-Offender Task Force and is the former executive director of Miami-based Girls Advocacy Project (GAP), Inc.

“I am very pleased with the court’s decision today and feel totally vindicated,” Lukis said. “I am grateful to the government for joining me in seeking this deserved relief. It has been a long and winding road to justice, but one that provided the catalyst for the important reform work in which I am engaged.

“It is my fervent hope that the renewed interest in my criminal case because of today’s decision will result in greater attention to the important reform efforts for which I and so many other dedicated volunteers advocate,” Lukis added.

In December 2004, Governor Bush and the Florida Cabinet restored Lukis’ civil rights. Since then, she has emerged as a well-respected authority regarding criminal and juvenile justice issues, with a focus on enhancing public safety and reducing corrections costs. Her expertise includes prisoner reentry and the needs of girls in the juvenile justice system. Lukis consults with local, state and national government officials, policymakers and stakeholders concerned about prisoner rights.

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Vicki and Sylvester Lukis live in Coral Gables. She can be contacted at (305) 216-7794 or at vickilukis@mac.com.

The following documents can be found at http://www.mediafire.com/?ukdbgtcyjnoac.

1. Petition for Writ of Error Coram Nobis and Memorandum of Law for Support Thereof  and  Appendices

2. Government Response to Petition for Write of Error Coram Nobis

3. U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida Opinion and Order

4. Vicki Lopez Lukis biography

Read an interesting Miami Herald article about Miami-Dade County state attorney’s office prosecutor, Kionne McGhee, and his passion for second chances to offenders.  It’s exciting to read about others whose zeal is synonymous with our organization’s mission and vision to provide second chances to those less fortunate.

A recent Miami Herald article discusses Florida’s tough sentencing policies and recommendations for change by Florida TaxWatch, an unrelenting champion of fiscal conservatism in state government.  Will Florida follow behind famously tough-minded states who have decided that warehousing low-level criminals was at once ineffective and very expensive?  Will the dire need for support and an increase of investment in halfway houses, work release programs and other innovations for non-violent offenders be recognized and championed ?

Through its Philadelphia Green Program, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society [PHS] has worked for more than 30 years in partnership with residents, community groups, government, and businesses to empower people through horticulture and transform the urban environment through greening.  Click here to read more about how “Philadelphia Green” has helped hundreds of city residents turn neglected, vacant lots into vibrant community gardens.

Miami-born Ralph Martin’s story is hardly a fairy tale.  In fact, one of the article’s unfortunate truths – that citizens convicted of crimes continue to be punished even after they have “paid their debt” to society – reminds us that while progress has been made with re-entry initiatives, the road is still long.  Click here to read more of Ralph Martin’s near impossible rise to success amid life’s challenges and trials…