Thanks for your response. Believe me I've been helping this boy with his case since the beginning. You see, he is black, poor and his mother can't write letters,etc., so I am helping them out. The pro bono work was mentioned by my husband too, so I'll start calling, but the Bar Assoc. I already spoke to, and they didn't have any real useful info for me. They just wanted a fee for their services, which to me is bs.
If you could read about this case you'd fall over. This boy went to jail with no evidence against him whatsoever, just on the word of a white girl (who he was living with mind you)! They yanked him out of a college scholarship program and put him in jail. He was totally and completely RAILROADED by a slick assistant DA who was obviously trying to gain career points....and believe me, I told her off. In fact, when the girl who pressed the charges asked to DROP the charges against him, the DA intimidated her, screamed at her, and made her not drop the charges! Everything about this case reeks of *set up*, and from what I understand, Pa is known for this kind of behavior when it comes to black against white.
I only wish that someone like Barry Scheck would blow this DA away! Oh, the charges were rape and other things, but there was no evidence (like a rape kit) or anything like that either. AND the boy had over 20 witnesses in HIS favor, the girl had NONE!
Then he gets one of those *connected* attorneys from downtown who laugh and joke with the DA and make him plea, doesn't call ANY of his witnesses at trial, and just throws the boy away to prison for four years.
I am thoroughly disgusted with the performance of that attorney, he admitted on the stand in front of a judge that he did not do his job!