From the Sentencing Project (http://www.sentencingproject.org): By year end 2017, the United States prison population had declined by 7.3% since reaching its peak level in 2009, according to new data released by the Department of Justice. The prison population decreases are … Continued
To sign the letter below, go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjG900OVTEytMvu0rHhMuzGFfq7L8bFMxeaEEPPMBnPYy6yg/viewform. As people of faith, we support legislation that would allow for parole eligibility for those serving life sentences. This is because we believe in the full humanity of those who are harmed … Continued
From Families Against Mandatory Minimums (http://famm.org/): Great news! The push to restore Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated students has reached Congress. Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Reps. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and French Hill … Continued
From Community Legal Services (https://clsphila.org/): NOTE: Passage of this legislation was a priority for the Council’s Public Witness last year—we are pleased that it is moving on the path to full implementation. Community Legal Services is pleased to provide an … Continued
From Families Against Mandatory Minimums (http://famm.org/): Recently Pennsylvania state Senators Williams, Bartolotta, and Street introduced a bill (SB 14), that would reform how long Pennsylvanians stay on probation and the time they serve for probation violations. FAMM supports this bill … Continued
From Families Against Mandatory Minimums (http://famm.org/): President Trump signed the First Step Act into law on December 21, 2018. Since then, we’ve been getting tons of calls and emails with questions about the new law. We attempt to answer most … Continued
From Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (http://www.pa-abolitionists.org/): It’s time for a closer look. The report of the bipartisan Task Force and Advisory Committee on Capital Punishment in Pennsylvania identified serious and systemic flaws in the system, including the … Continued
Posted at https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2018-12-28/criminal-justice/for-those-with-criminal-records-new-year-can-bring-clean-slate/a65088-1 December 28, 2018 – Andrea Sears, Public News Service (PA) Play Audio in Browser Window Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate Act now allows records of some old criminal convictions to be sealed. (Activedia/Pixabay) HARRISBURG, Pa. – Many Pennsylvanians with … Continued
Posted at https://www.clasp.org/blog/when-first-step-not-enough Recently, Congress passed the First Step Act with overwhelming bipartisan support in the House and Senate. The compromise bill is the first federal legislation in decades that attempts to address the nation’s unacceptable mass incarceration problem, while also providing … Continued
Posted at https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2018-12-20/disabilities/criminal-justice-reform-a-major-issue-for-people-with-disabilities/a65006-1 December 20, 2018 – Andrea Sears, Public News Service (PA) Play Audio in Browser Window The First Step Act will apply to many of the 180,000 people in federal prisons. (PublicDomainPictures) HARRISBURG, PA. – The criminal justice … Continued