Amy Ralston Povah Explained

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]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 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. News: 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 . 2020-12-27.
  4. Web site: Is there real hope for prison reform? Nonviolent offenders and the "Kim Kardashian moment". June 29, 2018. Salon.
  5. Web site: President Trump Takes a Hands On Approach to Pardons. NPR.org.
  6. Web site: The power of presidential pardons. December 25, 2020. PBS NewsHour.
  7. Web site: Clinton Commutes 4 Women's Sentences.
  8. Web site: Donald Trump grants clemency to 144 people (Not himself or family members) in final hours.
  9. Web site: Munoz . Carlos R. . Sarasota woman's life sentence commuted by Obama . Sarasota Herald-Tribune . en.
  10. Web site: Harrison . Haley . West Texas woman submits petition to President Trump for sentence reduction . www.cbs7.com . en.
  11. Web site: 'Everything Costs More on the Inside:' Meet the Women Fighting for Pot Prisoners. 31 August 2020.
  12. Web site: Obama's Pardons Highlight Need for Criminal Justice Overhaul. 6 September 2016.
  13. Web site: 420: The Documentary (2013).

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