About John

The Prison Years Forté Faces
Due To A Broken System

John Forte's life was forever changed in July of 2000. He agreed to transport a package, and in turn was arrested on a drug trafficking charge. He did not accept the plea bargain offered him, as he maintained that he was innocent of the charges against him.

In 2001, John Forté stood trial in a Texas court and was convicted of this non-violent crime. It was his first offense. Due to the outdated mandatory minimum sentencing laws currently in place, he received the only prison term available for the judge to hand down - 14 years in a federal penitentiary. John is not eligible to be released until he is at least 38 years old.

Many judges (both liberal and conservative) agree that Mandatory Minimum last leave them unable to use their own discretion in evaluating individual cases. Even Justice Anthony Kennedy of the Supreme Court calls them "harsh and unjust."