In 1996, an undercover police officer asked Mitchell Stevens, who was outside of a convenience store, about buying cocaine. Mr. Stevens went to a person he knew had drugs for sale, and brought back one rock to the officer’s car. The officer gave him $20. He was then arrested. Mr. Stevens was tried and convicted of distribution of cocaine. Without a history of drug convictions, and only two non-violent prior offenses, including one that was more than 20 years old, Mr. Stevens was sentenced to spend the rest of his life at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. This sentence would be illegal under today’s laws.
In 2020, Innocence & Justice Louisiana filed a motion for Mr. Stevens alleging that because of changes to the law, his sentence had become illegal, and that he should be eligible for re-sentencing and release. The judge and the prosecutors agreed, and Mr. Stevens was re-sentenced to time served.
