Jeffrey Evangelos, former independent state representative from Friendship, is the recipient of the NAACP Beacon of Hope Award. The award is in recognition of Evangelos' work and advocacy for criminal justice reforms, establishment of parole, and his effort to help the innocent who are unjustly incarcerated. 

 

The award presentation took place at the Maine State Prison in Warren, according to a Nov. 11 news release. Foster Bates, President of the Prison Branch of the NAACP, and prison resident Dennis Dechaine gave the keynote addresses and presented Evangelos with a prison shop handcrafted hardwood plaque honoring his work.

 

“The inspiration of one man brings hope to others and that Jeff always followed through in his efforts to help and communicate with the residents of the prison,” said Bates, in the release. “Jeff attended both days of my recent post-conviction hearing in Portland, sitting in the front row of the courtroom with my father. It meant so much to me for Jeff to be there to support me because he sponsored the innocence bill."

 

Dechaine thanked Evangelos for his advocacy and determination to help the innocent. Dechaine commented that he had to wait 33 years for the state to agree to DNA tests of the crime scene evidence in his case, which was recently tested by court order.

 

"The results of the items tested excluded me,” said Dechaine, who is waiting on a ruling by the judge for a new trial, the release said.

 

"Rep. Evangelos' efforts to pass LD-54, the post conviction innocence reform bill, raised awareness among the Judiciary about the injustices of imprisonment of the innocent,” said Dechaine.

 

In his acceptance speech, Evagelos thanked the 100 people in attendance and reminded the audience the he filed a civil rights complaint with the U..S Dept of Justice regarding unconstitutional aspects of Maine's criminal justice system, including the collapse of the indigent legal defense system, which is a violation of the Sixth Amendment's right to legal counsel and a fair trial.

 

Evangelos told the audience, "the New England Innocence Project is on record here in Maine, testifying that Maine is the only state in the nation to never have adjudicated an innocence exoneration, a fact that the agency found deeply troubling."

 

Evangelos said he was particularly pleased that Foster Bates and Dennis Dechaine presented the award to him. 

 

"How fitting that the two individuals who plead innocent and have been imprisoned for decades, both now anxiously await news of a possible new and fair trial, as the recent  DNA results in each of their cases  excluded them from key crime scene evidence,” said Evangelos, according to the news release. “I'm very optimistic that the Superior Court Justices will allow justice to finally prevail for them."