Franky Carrillo, DPF Justice Advocate, speaking about his experience.

 The Justice Advocates Project empowers people with firsthand experience of the death penalty system, including the wrongfully convicted and law enforcement professionals, to become advocates for fairness and justice.

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Our Justice Advocates are able to speak about their experience and the death penalty to your organization, school, or church. Please fill out this form to request one of our powerful speakers. 

Meet our Justice Advocates:

Franky Carrillo

At 16, Franky was wrongfully convicted of a 1991 murder based solely on identification testimony from six people. Franky spent 20 years in prison before being released and exonerated in 2011.

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Obie Anthony

In October of 2011, Obie was released from a California sentence of life without the possibility of parole, after 17 years of wrongful imprisonment.

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Aaron Owens

In 1980, Aaron was seven years into a life sentence for a double homicide he did not commit, when he saw his last hope for freedom during a parole board hearing. That hope came from an unlikely source: the prosecutor who had sent him to prison in the first place.

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Reginald (Reggie) Reese

Reggie worked for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) for 28 years, serving both in the Youth Authority and Adult Corrections. During his tenure, supervising those units, two inmates were executed at San Quentin. 

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Michael Mitchell

Michael Mitchell has had a long career in law enforcement. He served in the Air Force, worked as a Police Officer on patrol and on special assignments, and had a 28 year career in corrections. During his time in corrections, Michael participated in four executions.

Steve Fajardo

Steve Fajardo has thirty years of experience in law enforcement, beginning in East Harlem with the New York City Police Department and then moving to Oakland, California. His long professional experience has made clear to him that throwing away hundreds of millions of dollars on a death penalty system that doesn’t make us any safer is a waste of resources.

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Earl Smith

Earl Smith was hired in 1983 to become the Protestant Chaplain at San Quentin Prison. In 1992, Earl became the Lead Chaplain for Robert Alton Harris, the first man executed in California since 1976. During his time as Chaplain, Earl experienced the plight of the condemned, the need for ministry to family members of victims and the need for spiritual counseling for staff members assigned the task of carrying out the execution.

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