Haverford Students for Abolition, Liberation, and Transformation (SALT) recently conducted a teach-in to spread awareness about Carmen Woods, a man who has been incarcerated since May 20, 1982 for the murder of Chester Laws Jr. In the past 40 years, information has come to light indicating that Woods’s imprisonment was wrongful. In light of this development, SALT held the teach-in as both a fundraiser and call to action for fellow students.
Held on November 11, the teach-in began promptly at 6:00 p.m. with a video message from Carmen Woods to the students of Haverford College, saying that he “appreciates any support y’all can offer.” There will be a court hearing on December 4 to determine whether his conviction should be overturned. Woods’ video was a plea for court support: a strategy in which a courtroom is filled up by those who are sympathetic to the defendant to show the judge and district attorney that the defendant is part of a supportive community. When asked how court support helps the defendant, Kalia D. Boutier, one of the organizers of SALT, said that “court support is in a way trying to swing the outcome in favor of the defendant. It also boosts morale — it’s nice to see people there [who] you know are friendly and you know are there for you.”
Woods told the audience the story of his 1982 conviction, before moving into explaining the addition of new and previously ignored evidence that has the potential to overturn it. Shortly after Woods’ original conviction, his trial lawyer, Ronald Morrison, admitted to the PA Bar Disciplinary Board that he struggled with alcoholism. Morrison had to stop taking cases shortly after Woods’s conviction. While the board originally found this did not affect his representation, that decision was later reversed.
The DA has also admitted to suppressing evidence including witness statements and a police report– all of which pointed to someone else having committed the crime. This suppression of evidence violates due process rights and could have resulted in a different sentencing had it been disclosed in 1982. In 2006 a new witness came forward, willing to testify that he saw the shooter that night and it was not Carmen Woods.
Albert F. Sabo, the original judge to preside over Woods’s case, was extremely pro-Commonwealth and at the time of his death in 2002, held the record for death sentences handed down by a Pennsylvania judge. Over a third of attorneys who worked with Sabo have said that he was incompetent on the bench. During Woods’ case, the key witness admitted on the stand that he wasn’t sure who actually killed him, and the judge did not allow the witness to be cross-examined after he said this.
All of this evidence put together casts a shadow of reasonable doubt over Woods’s conviction and emphasizes the need for an appeal. As Woods said in his video, “what happened to me could happen to anybody.”
The teach-in closed out with a slideshow contextualizing wrongful incarcerations in America and underscored the inhumanity of incarceration, especially as it relates to the genocide in Palestine: many have referred to Gaza as an “open-air prison.”
There are numerous ways to aid Carmen Woods in his fight, including following his page on Tiktok and donating on his website. SALT is also hosting a book raffle, and all of the money from that is going directly to Carmen and his family. SALT will also be in attendance at court as a group. To sign up to go, email them at rethinkinkcarceration@gmail.com, or contact them on Instagram. SALT emphasized the need for court support on December 4 many times, reminding students that just showing up can give Woods the best chance for an overturned conviction.
The power of college students in cases like Woods’s cannot be overstated. On student involvement, SALT organizer Renata Muñoz stated, “something that Carmen has told me about that he really appreciates is having the Judge see young people also be a part of that visible support system; it’s not just his immediate family but young college students who are really invested in the survival and freedom of this individual.”
As Carmen Woods said in his video: “I’m still fighting and this journey of fight goes on.”