Amy Ralston Povah

Amy Ralston Povah is an American prisoner advocate and the founder of the CAN-DO Foundation.[1]

Arrest and clemency

Povah (then Amy Pofahl) served nine years of a 24-year sentence for conspiracy in an MDMA trafficking case. After several media pieces covering her sentence including a Glamour magazine story by David France,[2] her sentence was commuted by President Bill Clinton on July 7, 2000.[3][4][5][6]

Her sentence was commuted along with the sentences of Louise House, Shawndra Mills, and Serena Nunn; all of whom "..received much more severe sentences than their husbands and boyfriends" according to Clinton White House Press Secretary, Jake Siewert.[7]

On January 20, 2021, she received a full pardon from Donald Trump.[8]

CAN-DO Foundation

Following her release from prison, Povah founded the CAN-DO foundation to advocate for the release of prisoners serving sentences for non-violent drug offences.[9][10]

As of August 2020, she has helped more than 100 prisoners receive clemency from the federal government.[11]

She is one of the founders of the National Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.

Media

The 1998 book Shattered Lives: Portraits from America’s Drug War featured her.

Her story was featured in the 2016 documentary Incarcerating US.[12]

She directed and produced the 2013 documentary film 420: The Documentary.[13]

References
  1. "Arkansas prisoner gets compassionate release due to COVID-19 pandemic". thv11.com.
  2. France, David (June 1999). "A Crime Against Women". Glamour. New York: Condé Nast.
  3. Baker, Peter; Goodman, J. David; Rothfeld, Michael; Williamson, Elizabeth (2020-02-19). "The 11 Criminals Granted Clemency by Trump Had One Thing in Common: Connections". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  4. "Is there real hope for prison reform? Nonviolent offenders and the "Kim Kardashian moment"". Salon. June 29, 2018.
  5. "President Trump Takes a Hands On Approach to Pardons". NPR.org.
  6. "The power of presidential pardons". PBS NewsHour. December 25, 2020.
  7. "Clinton Commutes 4 Women's Sentences".
  8. "Donald Trump grants clemency to 144 people (Not himself or family members) in final hours".
  9. Munoz, Carlos R. "Sarasota woman's life sentence commuted by Obama". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  10. Harrison, Haley. "West Texas woman submits petition to President Trump for sentence reduction". www.cbs7.com.
  11. "'Everything Costs More on the Inside:' Meet the Women Fighting for Pot Prisoners". 31 August 2020.
  12. "Obama's Pardons Highlight Need for Criminal Justice Overhaul". 6 September 2016.
  13. "420: The Documentary (2013)".
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