Abuse
On the Me Too Movement:
NEW: Post Conviction Relief filed on behalf of April Wilkens
Updates about the Sept. 13 Criminalized Survivor interim study sought by Oklahoma House Representative Toni Hasenbeck
A roundup of coverage about the study before and after:
McCarty joined OKAppleseed when it formed last spring to support justice and opportunity for every Oklahoman by addressing criminal justice reform, mental health care for people in the justice system, and addressing the root causes of over-incarceration.
Recently McCarty was co-host, with attorney Leslie Briggs, of the new podcast “Panic Button,” which outlined the case of April Wilkens, a Tulsa victim of domestic violence who was convicted of murdering her partner in 1999.
The case raises the issue of criminalized survivors who through no fault of their own must defend themselves from abuse and often are convicted of crimes with long sentences.
The podcast is intended to raise awareness of unjust incarceration of victims of domestic violence. Wilkens has been in prison for 25 years.
The Interim Study was sought by Rep. Hasenbeck, and approved for this year by Speaker of the House Charles McCall, R-Atoka.
Among the cases highlighted was that of Tulsan April Rose Wilkens, who remains in prison for the 1998 killing of her former fiancé. According to attorneys Collen McCarty and Leslie Briggs, Wilkens shot Terry Carlton after he raped and handcuffed her and said he was going to kill her. This, they said, followed years of abuse, including several rapes and at least a dozen stalking complaints.
When moms fight back: Stories from the Capitol – VNN – Sept. 14, 2022.
She and fellow attorney Leslie Briggs co-host “Panic Button”, a podcast that promotes awareness of the April Wilkens case, which both women discussed during Tuesday’s study.
Wilkens is currently serving the 25th year of a life sentence for killing her rapist and abuser Terry Carlton.
Despite 14 police reports, three protective orders, and two substantiated rape kits filed over the course of his abuse, Carlton was only arrested one time.
“She has maintained her story and every single piece of that has been substantiated by external evidence,” McCarty said.
“This case happens to be one of the most corroborated cases of abuse and self-defense that I have ever seen,” Briggs added.
VNN LIVE | April Wilkens Update
What is the point of being sentenced to Life with the possibility of parole if you can never attain parole?
Letter from April’s son to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board and Governor Kevin Stitt
April Wilkens in Oklahoma Needs your help:
A letter from April about Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board Member Scott Williams
“Interested in what it’s like for brand-new prisoners here at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center (“MBCC”)? Here’s a taste.”
We have asked April to send us messages for us to post about what life is like for her. This came in yesterday:
Hi Friend!
Interested in what it’s like for brand-new prisoners here at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center (“MBCC”)? Here’s a taste. “Leah” (a real person, though not her real name) arrived at MBCC during the first week of January 2022, when temperatures plummeted and wind chills were around zero at times. It was bitter cold, much like this morning when a weathercaster warned that frostbite can set in within just three minutes. Most MBCC prisoners have to go outside three times a day and walk up to roughly an 1/8 of a mile, depending on which housing unit they live in, to eat in the chow hall, and then they have to walk the same distance back. When the chow hall’s or housing units’ entry doors are locked, prisoners also have to wait outside to get in. And although MBCC provided Leah with a lightweight coat/jacket, the prison did NOT provide her with a stocking cap, gloves, or thermals. Fortunately for Leah, she does not have to wait outside in long lines for medication, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, like a lot of other MBCC prisoners.
Prisoners are strip searched and stripped of their belongings when they come to prison. Upon arrival, here are the clothing and bedding items that MBCC provided to Leah:* 3 short-sleeved t-shirts, short-sleeved uniform tops, pants, panties, bras, and pairs of socks
* 1 pair of canvass slip-on shoes
* 1 set of thin pajamas
* 1 thin robe
* 1 towel
* 1 blanket
* 1 pillow case
* 2 sheets
* 1 mat
* 1 coat/jacket
* 1 laundry bagSome of Leah’s prison-issue clothes are too small. (New arrivals are given clothes and canvass shoes that are too big or small when the right size is out if stock.) Most of her clothes are used but still wearable. (New arrivals have been given used underwear, too.) Leah’s towel is used, worn, and stained. Same goes for her sheets, one of which has a hole in it that looks like a cigarette burn. Her mat is approximately 2-inches thick (less than that when compressed), ragged, and stained with who-knows-what (looks like blood but is probably rust from the rusty metal beds here). She was not given a pillow. What’s more, she was not provided with shower shoes to protect her feet from the filthy shower floors.
Also, three sets of clothes may seem sufficient for mild weather, but MBCC only washes clothing two times a week, if that. Sheets only get washed every other week, while blankets and coats get washed once a month. Plus, MBCC does not typically do laundry on state holidays or during lockdowns. Leah’s laundry day fell on a holiday this this week and her clothes did not get washed that day. MBCC will only wash her clothes once this week. Prisons are crowded hotspots for the spread of illnesses and diseases, making clean clothing, sanitation, and hygiene all the more important.
On that note, here’s what the prison provided Leah for personal hygiene:* 1 small bottle of shampoo, 8 oz
* 1 toothbrush
* 1 small tube of toothpaste, 1.5 oz
* 2 bars of soap
* 1 small deodorant, 1.5 oz
* 1 combNO dental floss, lotion, hair conditioner, or other such items many people take for granted.
MBCC new arrivals cannot purchase anything from MBCC’s canteen until the week after they arrive, and then only if they have money, which many do not. And for those who can afford it, it still often takes weeks and sometimes months to get ordered clothing items, including thermals and sweats. What’s more, MBCC’s canteen does not even sell gloves.
My heart goes out to the new arrivals in a world so cold.Blessings,
April
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