In 1999, police claimed they saw James Baker throw down a small bag with heroin in it as they approached. He was convicted of possession of heroin. Because he had prior non-violent felony convictions he received a life sentence.
In 2001, the laws changed and his sentence became illegally lengthy. In 2018, a Louisiana Supreme Court decision declared that the 2001 laws applied retroactively to people like Mr. Baker. The decision, however, did not mean that people with illegal sentences were automatically released or notified that they might be eligible for release. Instead, people who heard about the case and figured out that they were eligible had to file their own motions from prison or hire an attorney. Mr. Baker did not know about the case and did not have an attorney to file a motion for him. He sat in prison for 5 years until Innocence & Justice Louisiana learned about his case and filed a motion arguing that he should be resentenced to time served.
After serving more than 23 years in prison, Mr. Baker was freed on February 2, 2023, at age 63.
