Issues

Wrongful convictions

Driven by the wrongful conviction and execution of Nathaniel Woods, the Woods Foundation investigates cases of wrongful conviction in Alabama, across both capital and non-capital offenses. It works to identify potential routes of appeal and match prisoners with attorneys to run those appeals.

Excessive sentencing

The Woods Foundation works with those serving excessive sentences in the Alabama prison system. The legacy of the Three Strike Rule and the War on Drugs, as well as other unjust sentencing practices, is clearly felt in Alabama prisons. The Foundation brings challenges to the legitimacy of those sentences, aiming to free prisoners or give them the possibility of parole.

The Post Mortem Project

Started by Death Row defense attorney and human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith OBE, the Post Mortem Project aims to identify cases of wrongful execution across the US. Those working on the project are currently looking into 185 cases of suspected wrongful execution. The Woods Foundation oversees the research into those executions which occurred in Alabama, including that of Nathaniel Woods.

Anomalous laws in Alabama

Alabama currently has 165 people on Death Row. 146 would not be on Death Row in any other state for two reasons:

Alabama is the only state which allows people to be sentenced to death by a non-unanimous jury
Alabama is the only state with people on Death Row because a judge overrode a jury verdict of life without parole.

The Woods Foundation is working to outlaw death sentences by non-unanimous juries and make the 2017 ban on judicial override retroactive for the 31 people now on Death Row by this unjust practice.