Phone/Email Zap: Free Jennarae Smith! Mother of 10 Illegally Detained Past Release Date

From Jennarae’s husband:

Jennarae Smith #241164 should have been released April 19th with the time cuts she has earned. She should have received 2 180-day time cuts. Indiana Women’s Prison only allowed 120 days for one of them and denied the other completely. Central Office is saying she has a 45 day victim hold. Jennarae is incarcerated for house arrest violation charge of felony escape. Indiana code 35-40-4-8 clearly defines “victim.” There are no “victims” on an escape charge, therefore she is currently being unlawfully detained by the state of Indiana at the Indiana Women’s Prison. And nobody, not even the Warden herself can explain why, just that it is.

I have E-mailed the IDOC Commissioner, to no response. I have left messages with multiple different people at IWP, NO RESPONSE. I’ve e-mailed 6, 13, and 59 news investigation teams. Waiting to hear back from them. I sent a very respectful email to the Governor. No response yet. The prison told my wife Jennarae that she would be an immediate release.

This has turned my whole household upside down. We have 10 children together one of which is my baby girl Ava 10 months old who I have not been able to even hold yet because she is incarcerated with her mother. Please take the time today to call Indiana women’s prison and Central Office to inquire about why Jennarae and Ava are still being detained on a 45 day victim hold on a victimless charge.

Please call:

IDOC Headquarters: (317) 232-5711 ext. 2, ext. 3, ext. 1

Email: Ombud@idoa.in.gov

Background:

Jennarenae is incarcerated on a conviction for the crime of Escape, for leaving home to get necessary groceries while she was on house arrest. She called house arrest and asked if she could run down the road and grab milk for her 6 month old baby. They said “a baby can go 24 hours without milk.” As her baby was hungry, and her husband was working long hours and she had no one else to ask to get her the grocieries, she went to get milk. When she came back she was arrested and touched up by the police. She was literally arrested and imprisoned for feeding her baby!