"Joanne Little (1953

The case of Joan (prononunced "Jo-Anne") Little helped bring

awareness to sexual abuse of women in prison.On this in 1975,Ms.Little became the first woman acquitted of murder using a self-defense plea after she killed an abusive white prison guard.She was born in in Washington,North Carolina,a small coastal town.She had a tormented childhood and often rebelled against her strict religious mama.As one of 10 children Joanne served as a caretaker for siblings while her mama worked.After several instances of truancy and running away from home,she eventually fled to Philadelphia and graduated from high school there.She returned to North Carolina and immersed herself in a life of crime.Along with her brother,Jerome Little,she burglarized homes in Beafort County,racking up a string of arrests before being convicted
of grand larceny in 1974.At age 20,Joanne was ordered to serve seven to ten years at the Women's Prison in Raleigh.Joanne chose to serve her time at the Beaufort County Jail to raise bond and appeal her conviction.At just 5-foot-3 and 120 pounds,Joanne was considerably smaller than the male prisons guards.
The county jail was often lax in its security and it was known that guards often promised freedom to the inmates in change for sexual flavors.
According to Joanne's account married prison guard Clarence Alligood
entered her cell one evening and allegedly tried to assault her.In a scuffle,Clarence,who stood 6 feet tall and weighted 200 pounds,was stabbed 11 times with an ice pick.
Joanne took Clarence keys and escaped.It was believed that she took the ice pick from the guard,as it was a
common tool used for odd jobs around the jail.Although evidence of attempted assault was found at the scene,she was charged with murder.After her captured,she was moved to the Women's Prison,in
Raleigh out fear retalilation and hopes of a fair trial.
The case went public in 1974 and the explosive five-week trial began in July 1975.Joanne became a "cause celebre"among feminists,civil rights activists and others worldwide.The case attracted the attention of local
attorney Jerry Paul and Southern Poverty Law Center general counsel Morris Dees from Alabama.The pair created the "Joan Little Defense Fund" and raised $350,000 which she used to make bail.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference President Ralph Abernathy and activist Angela Davis were both vocal in their support for Joanne,which they argued had racial implications.When the trial began,Dick Gregory,Julian Bond and other protested outside the courts.On the final day of the trial,the jury handed down and acquittal after just 78 minutes of deliberation.
Despite her good fortune,she couldn't let go of her past.Just a month shy of making parole after returning to prison to finish her grand larceny time,she escaped.After her recapture and serving out
her sentence,she was sentenced twice more in 1979 and in 1989 while living in New York.Joanne authored a poem "I Am Somebody," which was incorporated into mural in San Diego's Chicago Park by the female muralists of Sacramento's Royal Chicano Air Force.
The cappella musical group Sweet Honey in the Rock included a song title "Joanne Little on their 1976 self-titled album.
In 1989,she was arrested again in New York City on charges including driving a stolen car.She telephoned William Kunstler,who had assisted her in the past,for help.