Man Imprisoned For Nearly A Decade Over $30 Marijuana Sale Is Released

A Louisiana man sentenced to life in prison for less than $30 of marijuana has now been released from prison after nearly a decade of serving his time.

Derek Harris‘ life sentence was recently reduced to time served, amounting to nine years. He was released from the Louisiana State Penitentiary, according to a Tuesday press release from the Promise of Justice Initiative, which is a New Orleans-based nonprofit organization.
Harris’ freedom comes at a time when prisons across the country face elevated risks from the coronavirus.
The Louisiana State Penitentiary has notoriously received the nickname of “Angola,” considering the land on which it’s located used to be the Angola slave plantation. The plantation was given the name “Angola” after the country in which its former slaves originated.
According to the press release, Harris used to work in the prison’s hospital for years, but now he’s unemployed as a free man. He’s also in need of “basic help for medications and other necessities to get him started in his new life,” according to the release.