Hello, my name’s Valentino Facey. I’m 37 years old, calling from Massachusetts [Correctional] Institution – Norfolk, and I’m in prison serving a life sentence. I’ve been in for a little over 16 years and I’d like to speak to y’all about what put me in prison. Was a theory that they’ve practiced out here in Massachusetts for a long time called Joint Venture, which they hold the person, if there’s two or more people locked up on a charge of murder – they’re saying that even if you didn’t commit the actual murder, you’re just as guilty as the person that did perpetuate the crime. So they hold everybody accountable for one man’s actions, and one man’s decision.
So we got a nonprofit that we’re working on called We Are Joint Ventures, coming off the ground. And we really want to shed light to help change this because the UK, they was practicing – I guess that’s where it started at – they started Joint Venture, and they realized it was wrong because it’s really almost impossible to say you share the same mindset as somebody when there’s no evidence that clearly says that that was the plan. So we’re trying to change that out here in Massachusetts, because the place that originated it, they’re not no longer practicing it. Why should we be practicing it out here? And the reason why I say why should we but I know the real reason is because it only mostly affects the Black and brown communities in this state. We’re the ones that are getting the brunt end of that theory. A lot of is losing a lot of our lives in here and our freedom because of the court system, the lack of or caring of justice. They just care about the numbers that they’re rounding up. As long as we getting paid, they gonna keep perpetuating this.
So we want to really have people educated to help fight and stand by us. We got a bill going in in January. And we’d like to have as much support as we can have to help change this because we have men and women in here for decades on decades that never hurt nobody, and they’re taking responsibility for their actions. And we want to be held accountable for our actions. We’re not trying to say just open the door and let us out. If something like – if we did something wrong, yeah, hold us, deem us punishable, you know, do what you gotta do but let us out for real.
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.
