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Willie Junior Simmons is an Alabama resident serving a life without parole sentence for stealing $9 in 1982. He has been in prison at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama for 38 years. Simmons, who had three prior nonviolent convictions, was prosecuted under Alabama’s controversial Habitual Felony Offender Act, or HFOA.

The harshness of Mr. Simmons’ sentence has attracted national attention. Several publications, including Essence, NPR and the Washington Examiner , and celebrity activists such as Kim Kardashian have highlighted his story. Almost three million people have signed an online petition on Change.org calling for his release.

The Alabama chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has called for the Alabama legislature to repeal the Habitual Felony Offender Act, citing Mr. Simmons’ case as a clear example of its draconian sentencing outcomes.

Mr. Simmons was born in 1957 and grew up in poverty in Enterprise, Alabama. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16. He was 17 when he was first arrested for grand larceny. By the time he was 25, Mr. Simmons had three convictions on his record. None of his convictions were for violent offenses.

In 1982 at the age of 25, Mr. Simmons wrestled down a man on the street and stole the man’s wallet. The wallet contained $9. Mr. Simmons was arrested and convicted of 1st degree robbery. Because he already had three prior convictions, he was prosecuted under Alabama's HFOA and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The Habitual Felony Offender Act (HFOA), also known as Alabama's "three strikes" law, was passed in the 1977 to crack down on repeat criminals. The law permits a life without parole sentence for a single Class A felony if someone has a prior minor drug or property conviction. About 500 Alabamians are sentenced to die in prison for non-homicide crimes under this law. HFOA is criticized for disproportionately targeting people of color. Three out of four people sentenced to life without parole under HFOA are Black. It is also criticized for leading to “unjust and unusual results.”

All o Willie Junior Simmons’ petitions for review and reconsideration of his sentence have been denied.