Hi my name is Saleema and I reside in Philadelphia. I have two children. Okay so an assault happened in 2009 and the assaulted accused me, don’t ask me why but I was not there I didn’t even see the fight but I still got locked up, served 2 weeks in jail then made bail. Then I was going to court back and forth to fight the case because she had to prove her allegations so a couple days before the trial my public defender told me that I have two choices. Take it to trial and if I lose I will serve 10 years or plead guilty and do 5 years of probation. I have never been in jail and I will be dammed if I go for nothing. So I pleaded guilty for something that I did not do because I didn’t want to take a chance like that, and I have two girls to look after in this world. He didn’t tell me that would make me a convicted felon (I thought you get convicted and serve time is what make you a convicted felon). So now after that I can’t find work and my housing is being threatened because of it. So me and my girls might get put out in the cold for that guilty plea. This matter is in gods hands now (god has the control over everything any)but I have no where else to turn.

User story by saleema johnson in Pennsylvania

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