The founding of Amicus

Amicus was founded in 1992, in memory of Andrew Lee Jones, the Lifelines penpal of Jane Officer.

Despite a lack of scientific evidence linking him to the crime, Andrew was charged with murder and executed in Louisiana in 1991. Details of his mental illness were withheld by the prosecution, vital mitigation was not presented and he was represented by an inexperienced lawyer who had never tried a capital case. Andrew was convicted by an all-white jury in a trial that took less than a day.

Good legal representation could have saved Andrew’s life. Instead, his death led to the formation of Amicus.

Learn more about Jane Officer and Andrew Lee Jones by watching the video below.