NEWS FLASH!
Christy Camp, author of many CDM articles, was sentenced in 1989 to 16 years to life for killing her abusive husband. On July 20th she was released after serving almost 20 years.
Christy was a
battered woman who lived a life of isolation and confinement at the demand of
her late husband. She was not allowed to work, have access to money, or leave
the
house
without Mr. Camp. When Christy did act independently, Mr. Camp punished her
physically, verbally and psychologically. He had threatened Christy’s safety on
numerous occasions, including her life, and used their two children as leverage
for her to stay with him.
Prior to the passage of a state law in 1992, the "battered woman syndrome" was not permitted to be used by the defense as a mitigating factor in a trial. Therefore, Christy’s lawyer could not use evidence of her husband’s abuse in her defense.
Unfortunately, there was no mention of retroactivity in the 1992 law. It wasn’t until 2002 that the CA judicial system began to allow the law to be used in cases where the convictions’ preceded the passage of the law.
Since she had no record of violence, criminal activity or juvenile delinquency prior to this single offense, she was granted a parole date on December 30, 2003 and again on February 13, 2008.
In 2003 Gov. Schwarzenegger declined to review her parole request. However, in 2008 during the 30 day review period, the CA Woman’s Legislative Caucus wrote a very strong support letter asking the Gov. to grant Christy Parole. The 30 signatures at the end of the letter must have had a serious impact because Christy was out on parole as of July 20th 2008.
