This episode on the Real Deal it gets realer than real! Join us as we talk directly to Michael Clifton, a 41 year old African American, about his 98 prison sentence within one of Colorado Maximum Enclosed Prisons. Clifton describes a little bit about himself as well as life before his big case that he now faces. 

Clifton and his fellow co-defendant committed two robberies on the same day within the year of 1998. One robbery took place during the morning at a local Blockbuster Video store and the second one occurred in the evening at a local Hollywood Video store. Even though this was Clifton's first time getting in trouble as an adult, his co-defendant and Clifton was found guilty & convicted for two counts of kidnapping, burglary, and the crime of violence. During this time in America, harsher sentences were given to people who committed non harmful or minor crimes. Therefore, since Clifton was charged for a crime of violence, the minimum sentence for this charge was 98 years which Clifton received as a 19 year old. 

As we are currently going through this pivotal time in America where race relations are a hot topic right now as the Black Lives Matter Movement exploded over the current events surrounding police brutality, it's just as important to educate ourselves about the injustices that occurs in judicial systems and criminal justice systems here in America. African Americans faces many kinds of oppressions within the prison system and outside of it as well. 

To learn more about the case of Michael Clifton here are some helpful links you could use as resources: 

Michael Clifton's Gofundme Page 

Michael Clifton's Freedom Petition 

Michael Clifton's Facebook Page 

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE CORRUPTED SYSTEM EPISODE SERIES TUNE IN FOR MORE ABOUT MICHAEL CLIFTON'S LIFE CHANGING STORY!