Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women

JUST RELEASED FROM PRISON AFTER 26+ YEARS, DEBORAH PEAGLER TO ADDRESS HER CASE AND HER CAUSE

Days after being released from prison, Deborah Peagler, a victim of domestic violence who was incarcerated for over 26 years for her connection to the murder of her abuser, will make her first public appearance this Wednesday. Her supporters are encouraged to attend.

In 1983, Peagler was sentenced to 25 years to life for her connection to the murder of Oliver Wilson, the man who abused her, forced her into prostitution, and molested her daughter. Evidence of this abuse was never presented in court when Peagler was sentenced. In 2002, attorneys Joshua Safran and Nadia Costa began working to free Peagler, and they sought to show the role domestic violence played in mitigating her culpability. Peagler?s legal team eventually discovered a long-hidden record of perjured testimony used in court against her in 1982-83, adding prosecutorial misconduct claims to her case. The pro-bono legal effort to free Peagler dragged on for years, and after she was diagnosed with stage IV terminal lung cancer in February of 2009, the lawyers worked overtime and secured final approval for her release through the parole process last week.

On Wednesday, August 26, Peagler will speak publicly for the first time as a free woman. The event is scheduled to take place outside the office of Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, who drew public criticism for withdrawing an offer his office made in 2005 to set her free. The broken deal led Peagler to file a civil lawsuit alongside her habeas petition, both of which are still pending in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, and which Peagler intends to pursue.

During her decades of incarceration, Peagler earned a reputation as a model inmate by leading the prison choir, earning college degrees through distance learning programs, teaching other inmates to read and write, and working in the highest paid jobs in the prison. After her legal battle attracted a public outpouring of support for her release, Governor Schwarzenegger rejected Cooley's arguments against Peagler;s suitability for parole and allowed her release to proceed.

Schwarzenegger's decision drew even more public attention to the case, and many supporters and news media had planned to travel to the Central California Women?s Facility to witness Peagler's first steps outside of the prison. But prison staff announced a false plan to release Peagler the following week, then quietly escorted her off prison grounds over the weekend. Peagler's family was only notified of her release when she was minutes from her sister's home in Carson.

On Wednesday, Peagler plans to speak about her personal journey and the plight of battered women in prison, and to express her gratitude to all who fought for her freedom. Members of both her and Oliver Wilson?s families are expected to attend. Peagler?s story will be the subject of an upcoming documentary film entitled Crime After Crime ( http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.CrimeAfterCrime.com), funded in part by the Sundance Documentary Institute. Footage from the film is being made available to news media.

Press Conference and Celebration of Deborah Peagler?s Freedom

12 Noon - Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Outside of 210 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012-3210

More information at: www.FreeDebbie.org contact (510) 508-6964