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Meet Richard DeLisi – The Longest Actively Serving Nonviolent Prisoner in the United States for Cannabis

Mariah Daly • Jun 29, 2020

Richard DeLisi is a 71 year old man serving a 90-year sentence in Florida at the South Bay Correctional Facility (SBCF) for marijuana. Richard has no history of violence and has been in prison since 1989 – 31 years.


In 1988, Richard was caught as part of a reverse-sting/entrapment operation for trafficking cannabis into the State of Florida. Richard and his brother, Ted DeLisi, were both charged for cannabis trafficking and sentenced to a total of 98 years in prison. (Ted DeLisi was released from prison in 2013.)


Although the crime he was sentenced for carried a guideline of 12-17 years, Richard received what amounts to 3 life sentences for a plant which has been deemed “essential” by many state governments during the pandemic and is now socially accepted and legal in many countries all over the world. Florida, a state notorious for harsh drug sentences, has since made cannabis legal for medicinal use. According to recent data, two-thirds of Americans believe that adult-use marijuana should be legalized. A poll by the University of North Florida reveals that 64 percent of Floridians now support adult-use marijuana.


Due to good behavior and good time credit, Richard’s release date is currently set for August 26, 2022. However, that day may never come for Richard. His age coupled with several underlying chronic conditions makes Richard particularly susceptible to the coronavirus, and SBCF has already become a hotspot for the virus. At SBCF, 280 people have tested positive for COVID-19 and one inmate has died according to data published by the Florida DOC. Additionally, 62 staff members have tested positive -- the highest number for any facility in the state of Florida. To date, a total of 1,826 COVID tests have been issued and over 100 inmates still have not been tested at Richard’s facility.


According to statistics provided by the Florida DOC, SBCF houses 1,948 inmates with room for only 2 more inmates -- meaning it is currently operating dangerously close to official “max capacity.” Though SBCF is not operating over max capacity, as many facilities in the US consistently do, the population size undoubtedly endangers both inmates and staff amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The conditions of confinement make precautionary measures like social distancing impossible, and mass incarceration has left prisons and jails highly susceptible to an outbreak given overcrowding, lack of resources, and little access to medical care. If Richard did contract the virus, (a seemingly inevitable outcome of currently being housed at SBCF) he is unlikely to receive adequate medical attention since the facility itself is overwhelmed, and the only area hospital is now out of ICU beds.


Even if lawmakers and elected officials aren’t swayed by the injustice of Richard’s potential death sentence, there is also a strong economic argument for his release and the release of elderly inmates who are most at risk of contracting the virus. According to inmate expense reports provided by the Florida DOC, health care for inmates costs the state $20,367 per year per inmate, but inmates over 50 year old can cost as much as $70,000 a year. Overall, Florida’s state prison population increased by 11-fold between 1970 and 2014 with a $1.1 billion increase in corrections expenditures and Florida’s elderly prison population has increased at a faster rate than any other age group over the past 10 years.


According to the DOC’s per inmate calculations by age, it has cost taxpayers up to $1,673,670.00 to keep 71-year-old Richard DeLisi incarcerated for his nonviolent marijuana offense, and if he lives to serve out the remainder of his sentence without release, the total cost to Florida taxpayers of keeping Richard in prison for the entirety of his sentence will be over $1.8 million dollars.


Since Richard has exhausted all other legal remedies, his fate is now in the hands of Governor DeSantis to grant executive clemency. Richard’s family has successfully launched a petition to DeSantis, urging him to free Richard. The petition has gathered over 2,700 signatures and many supporters note the injustice of keeping Richard incarcerated and the waste of state resources and taxpayer dollars. With widespread support for legalization and the burgeoning of the legal cannabis industry in Florida it seems that DeSantis’s constituents would agree that no nonviolent cannabis offender should face a death sentence.


To learn more about Richard's case and how YOU can get involved to advocate for Richard's release go to https://freedelisi.com/.

By Adrian Rocha 28 Mar, 2024
It is with a heavy heart that we share the news Governor Youngkin has vetoed our cannabis sentence modification bill, SB 696. Under the bill, thousands of individuals charged for cannabis offenses under outdated laws would have had their sentences reevaluated in light of legalization. Instead, the Governor’s veto message not only ignored the intention of this bill but, more importantly, ignored the plight of thousands of families across the Commonwealth whose lives have been permanently altered by prohibitionist laws repealed three years ago! Virginia may have ended cannabis prohibition in 2021, but there remains a significant injustice for those individuals who continue to be incarcerated for offenses that are no longer considered illegal. According to the Virginia Department of Corrections, the average cost of housing an individual in custody is $33,994. Furthermore, as of 2023, Virginia has generated over $8 million in tax dollars from medical marijuana according to the US Census Bureau. Thus, SB 696 represents a critical step towards rectifying this injustice by allowing for the modification of sentences for individuals convicted of cannabis-related offenses. But the fight is not over. We still have an opportunity to let the people speak and encourage Virginia lawmakers to override this veto. It is important that you write to your state representative and senator to support SB 696 by voting to override Gov. Youngkin's veto and ensure justice for Virginians harmed by cannabis convictions. By joining the effort to override the veto and make SB 696 law, you have the opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and ensure that hundreds of Virginians with cannabis offenses have their sentences either reduced or vacated completely. This bill is not just about correcting legal inconsistencies; it is about improving public safety by providing individuals with the chance to rebuild their lives and contribute positively to their communities. Thank you to Marijuana Justice Virginia, Nolef Turns, the Virginia NAACP, NORML, the Virginia Student Power Network, The New Majority Virginia, Rise for Youth, and all the members of the CannaJustice Coalition for all of your hard work and dedication to ensure justice. We must continue until no one remains in prison for cannabis. Send a letter today!
By Stephen Post 25 Mar, 2024
Date and time: Wednesday, March 27 · 12 - 1pm PDT Location: 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza Oakland, CA 94612 Primary Press Contact: Amber Senter, Executive Director of Supernova Women amber@supernovawomen.com Supernova Women alongside Last Prisoner Project , Drug Policy Alliance , and the California cannabis and California justice communities will hold a press conference at Oakland City Hall 12pm PST, to call on the federal government to decriminalize and deschedule cannabis. They will be joined by celebrity advocate Rosario Dawson. The call to action is being held in solidarity with the bi-partisan Unity Day of Action for comprehensive cannabis legalization occurring in Washington D.C. on April 18th. At the press conference, Supernova Women, Last Prisoner Project and Drug Policy Alliance will launch their sign-on letter from California cannabis stakeholders and justice advocates to President Biden calling for him to “support the descheduling of marijuana from the CSA and to take action to ensure that the federal government begins the work that California and now so many other states have started -- to acknowledge, end and address the harms of criminalization and to shift the federal government towards a federal framework that better promotes public health, public safety, equity and the will of the American people.” California stakeholders who support marijuana federal decriminalization are invited to sign-on to this petition . “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has suggested moving cannabis to Schedule 3, but this half-measure still perpetuates injustice, especially in Black and Brown communities.” Said Amber Senter, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Supernova Women. “It's time for complete descheduling to end the disastrous era of cannabis criminalization.” Despite 24 states and the District of Columbia having moved forward with adult-use cannabis laws, Congress has failed to send the President a comprehensive cannabis bill. The MORE act has passed the house twice led by Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congressman Earl Bluemnaur. The Senate however has yet to vote on a comprehensive reform package. “Both Congress and the Biden Administration have an opportunity and responsibility to take immediate and comprehensive action to end our country’s failed approach to marijuana and right it wrongs. In order to end federal marijuana criminalization, marijuana must be descheduled – removed entirely from the Controlled Substances Act,” said Cat Packer, Director of Drug Markets and Legal Regulation at the Drug Policy Alliance. “From the streets of Oakland to the halls of Congress and the front gates of the White House, the people are demanding the full legalization of cannabis and the release of all cannabis prisoners.” Said Jason Ortiz, Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Last Prisoner Project. “This issue is the most popular and bi-partisan issue in American politics. 70% of Americans support legalization, and we look forward to reminding the President of this fact, his campaign promises, and of our power to hold him accountable.” Scheduled speakers include: Amber Senter, Supernova Women Jason Ortiz, Last Prisoner Project Cat Packer, Drug Policy Alliance Rosario Dawson Julia Arroyo, Young Women's Freedom Center Evelyn LaChapelle, The Weed Lady Ross Gordon, National Craft Cannabis Coalition Jehan Laner, Immigrant Legal Resource Center Etienne Fontain, Veterans Action Council Ellen Komp, California NORML Chaney Turner, Oakland Cannabis Regulatory Commission More information about the event can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/yc27k64t ABOUT SUPERNOVA WOMEN Founded by Black and Brown women in 2015, Supernova Women is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that works to empower Black and Brown people to become self-sufficient shareholders in the cannabis and natural plant medicine space through education, advocacy, and network building. ABOUT LAST PRISONER PROJECT The Last Prisoner Project is dedicated to freeing those incarcerated due to the War on Drugs, reuniting their families, and helping them rebuild their lives. As laws change, there remains a fundamental injustice for individuals whose conviction is no longer a crime. We work to repair these harms through legal intervention, constituent support, direct advocacy, and policy change. Visit www.lastprisonerproject.org or text FREEDOM to 24365 to learn more. ABOUT THE DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE The Drug Policy Alliance is the leading organization in the U.S. working to end the drug war, repair its harms, and build a non-punitive, equitable, and regulated drug market. We envision a world that embraces the full humanity of people, regardless of their relationship to drugs. We advocate that the regulation of drugs be grounded in evidence, health, equity, and human rights. In collaboration with other movements and at every policy level, we change laws, advance justice, and save lives. Learn more at drugpolicy.org .
By Stephen Post 21 Mar, 2024
The company’s $100,000 donation to Last Prisoner Project in December of last year has already made big impacts to those most affected by the War on Drugs. PHOENIX, Ariz. (February 26, 2024) – HBI International, established independent and international producers of the RAW® brand of plant-based rolling papers and innovative smoking accessories, is honored to share that the company’s 2023 donation to Last Prisoner Project, is seeing profound impacts on individuals who have recently been released from incarceration on cannabis-related charges. The company donated $100,000 to Last Prisoner Project, an organization that aims to free everyone incarcerated for cannabis charges through public education and advocacy, in December, 2023. Half of the funds were allocated to provide re-entry support for those recently released from prison on cannabis-related charges. The other half of the donation is allocated toward funding programs to assist those who were incarcerated under non-violent, cannabis-related crimes. “While our customers are rolling up with our papers, thousands of people remain wrongfully jailed for nonviolent cannabis offenses,” said Josh Kesselman, founder and CEO of the company behind RAW. “We are proud to be part of the solution through our donations to Last Prisoner Project, an organization that is truly putting in the work to reform our criminal justice system.” The Last Prisoner Project recently shared the real-life stories of constituents working to rebuild their lives who have been impacted by RAW’s donation. The affected individuals include Kyle Page, who spent six years incarcerated for a non-violent cannabis offense, and Stephanie Shepard, who was sentenced to ten years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons for a first-time, non-violent cannabis offense. Shepard now serves as the Last Prisoner Project’s director of advocacy and chairwoman on the board of directors. “We are grateful for the generous donation from Josh Kesselman and the team at RAW, which has helped us facilitate the liberation of non-violent cannabis offenders, as well as fund our push for systemic change,” said Mary Bailey, managing director at Last Prisoner Project. “In just a few short months, RAW’s donation has provided significant impacts to our organization.” Officially launched in 2005, following years of research and development, RAW Rolling Papers has garnered a reputation for excellence. The minimalist branding, plant-based materials, and smooth smoking experience have elevated RAW into an iconic brand recognized around the world. RAW produces a large portfolio of rolling papers, cones, tips, apparel, and other smoking gear. The Last Prisoner Project was founded in 2019 with a mission to reform America’s policy of cannabis prohibition and free those incarcerated due to the impacts of the War on Drugs. The organization works toward policy changes, provides re-entry support to newly released individuals, and engages in direct advocacy for criminal justice reform. ### About RAW Rolling Papers Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona and launched in 2005 by Josh Kesselman, RAW is an independent, global brand producing plant-based rolling papers and other smoking accessories. Their unbleached, slow-burning papers are the preferred product for millions of smokers. The company is committed to sustainability and social good and, through its RAW Giving initiative, has provided millions of dollars in direct cash contributions for many charities, including those that work to provide access to clean water and rescue homeless pets. For more information, visit: rawthentic.com . About Last Prisoner Project The Last Prisoner Project is dedicated to freeing those incarcerated due to the War on Drugs, reuniting their families, and helping them rebuild their lives. As laws change, there remains a fundamental injustice for individuals whose conviction is no longer a crime. We work to repair these harms through legal intervention, constituent support, direct advocacy, and policy change. Visit www.lastprisonerproject.org or text FREEDOM to 24365 to learn more. Media Contact: Sadie Thompson Proven Media 602-527-0794 sadie@provenmedia.com
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