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MAPS/WAMM Day @ Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing

Join MAPS (http://www.maps.org/) and WAMM (http://www.wamm.org/) at the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing (http://www.santacruzmountainbrewing.com/).

SCMB will be donating $1 for every beer sold to our organizations, so this is a great way to enjoy a local, organic beer while supporting two great organizations at the same time!

Meet your favorite staff members!
...
Come for the beer, stay for the good feeling of helping. Don't forget to tell your friends and bring them along too!

Harm Reduction Coalition After Party Launch Event and Fundraiser

The Harm Reduction Coalition is hosting this launch event and fundraiser to premiere our new online social marketing campaign, After Party! After Party is a smart and sexy music video-style HIV prevention campaign addressing the link between alcohol and drug use and unsafe sex. The After Party campaign is directed towards young adults, including African Americans, Latinos, and men who have sex with men of all races/ethnicities. Come to the After Party Launch Event and celebrate with us as we start our campaign!

To register, see https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1627/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=61395

For more information, contact Erica Poellot at [email protected].

Awesome Police Dept. Teaches Citizens to Flex Their Rights

Dear friends,

You and I are well-trained to refuse certain police requests. But when I was approached by Columbia, MO Police Chief Ken Burton the other month, I was happy to consent.

The Chief called to ask my permission to use 10 Rules for Dealing with Police as part of a department-backed public education campaign to inform the public of their rights. Enthusiastically, I said yes.

Within weeks, a new report was released showing that in 2009 black motorists in Columbia were 127% more likely to be stopped than white motorists. At a public forum hosted by NAACP and other groups concerned about racial profiling, Chief Burton put 10 Rules to work.

The Columbia Daily Tribune editorialized in favor of the event, specifically citing 10 Rules.

State NAACP President Mary Ratliff called the video "a powerful teaching tool for both sides" and urged its wide distribution.

This is quite a coming-together. Ratliff has been critical of police in their confrontations with black people, and police have defended themselves in standoffs typically without a mutually agreeable resolution. The video gives both sides a way to communicate outside the context of a traumatic incident and might help subjects avoid trouble with the police.

The police department deserves credit for taking action to bridge the understanding gap, and Ratliff deserves similar credit for responding positively. This is a big deal, and I commend both parties.

Let’s follow Chief Burton and Mary Ratliff's lead! If you or someone you know has a friendly relationship with your local police chief, why not give them a 10 Rules DVD and a copy of the Daily Tribune editorial? (Enter coupon code "10RULES4COPS" to get $5.00 off your DVD order between now and July 7.)

Let’s create hundreds of police-led screenings across the country!

Sincerely,

Steve

 

 

P.S. If you support this public education work, please consider making a small or large tax-deductible donation online. You may also send a check donation (made out to Flex Your Rights) to P.O. Box 21497, Washington, DC 20009.

Second Chance Conference Website Released

 

 

Justice Center

July 14, 2010

Making Second Chances Work
Conference Website Released

The National Reentry Resource Center, with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, has launched the Making Second Chances Work conference website. Conference participants and others interested in reentry can view the videotaped sessions with experts and download materials used during the conference on some of the most pressing issues facing the field.

Making Second Chances Work: A Conference for Grantees Committed to Successful Reentry was held May 26-27, in Washington, D.C. It brought together 2009 Second Chance Act grantee representatives. Individuals from state and local governments, community and faith-based organizations, and federally recognized Indian tribes participated in two days of meetings with experts in the fields of housing, employment, mental health and substance abuse treatment, community supervision, and other areas important to people transitioning from prison or jail to the community.

Many sessions focused on grantees making the most of the federal investment in their programs by highlighting accountability issues and key practices such as assessing an individual's risk for committing future crimes, designing data-driven programs, and effectively allocating the limited resources available for people returning from prisons and jails. Special attention was dedicated to sharing strategies on meeting the distinct needs of youth returning to schools and families from detention in a secure facility in an effort to interrupt the costly cycle of crime and incarceration.

To visit the website, please click here.

If you have any questions, please contact Shawn Rogers at 646.383.5745 or by e-mail at [email protected].

 

The National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) provides education, training, and technical assistance to states, tribes, territories, local governments, service providers, nonprofit organizations, and corrections institutions working on prisoner reentry. The NRRC is coordinated by the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA). For more information, visit http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org. For more about the CSG Justice Center, see http://www.justicecenter.csg.org.

The NRRC was established by the Second Chance Act (Public Law 110-199), which was signed into law on April 9, 2008. The Act was designed to improve outcomes for people returning to communities from prisons and jails. This first-of-its-kind legislation authorizes federal grants to government agencies and nonprofit organizations to provide employment assistance, substance abuse treatment, housing, family programming, mentoring, victims support, and other services that can help reduce recidivism. For more information about the Act, see http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/about/second-chance-act.

The NRRC's work also is directed by the Justice Center's key project partners: the Urban Institute; Association of State Correctional Administrators; American Probation and Parole Association; and Shay Bilchik, research professor/center director, Georgetown University Public Policy Institute. Additional guidance is provided by advisory committees that include representatives of nearly 100 leading nonprofit organizations and service providers in the reentry field.

 

 

Our postal address is
100 Wall St
20th Floor
New York, New York 10005
United States

Help Vets: Reform Events THIS WEEK

Get Active! 

Marijuana Reform Events this Week.

 

 

Help our Veterans

 

(1) Press Conference and Rally to Support Medical Marijuana Access for PTSD Victims

 

 WHAT:  Sensible Colorado and local veterans have teamed up to submit an official petition to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to add Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, known as PTSD, to the list of conditions eligible for medical marijuana recommendations.  On submission day we will be holding a rally and press conference to support this important cause!

WHEN: Wednesday July 7, 2010 at 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: 4300 Cherry Creek Drive, South, Denver, CO (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment)

HOW YOU CAN HELP:  Attend the Rally!  Tell your friends!  Forward this email! 

 

(2)  Sensible Colorado Fundraiser at Quixote's in Denver

 WHAT:  Music, Legal and Educational Seminars, BBQ and more!  Proceeds to benefit Sensible Colorado and event organized by Denver Relief.  Click for more info HERE

WHEN:  Sunday, July 11 from 2:00pm to Midnight (legal seminars begin at 6:00pm)

WHERE:  Quixote's True Blue, 2151 Lawrence St., Denver 80205

 

(3) Medical Marijuana Update: 

 Please note that the Health Department has developed new "patient application forms" which are available HERE.  We suggest that all new patients and renewals begin using these forms immediately.

 

 

 

Tagline Competition

Alert Header 20100713 Tagline

 

 

Alert Image 20100713 Tagline

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No adult should be punished for choosing something that is safer than alcohol and has widely recognized medical benefits.  But we won’t win the fight for more sane marijuana laws until our elected officials understand how many of you stand beside us in this battle.

Help MPP make marijuana legal for adults by giving us your suggestions for new and innovative slogans and taglines that we may use on our website, merchandise, and printed materials. Submit what you think is the most provocative, motivating, or catchy slogan or tagline for MPP to use in selling its message of reform to the nation.

Prizes

1st place: Vaporbrothers skateboard deck
2nd place: small jar from 420 Science
3rd place: large (10-inch) pouch bag from Dime Bags
(Each of these prizes was donated to us by these companies, in support of our work.)

Contest Rules

* Tagline/slogan submissions should be original creations of no more than 15 words long (generally, the shorter the better)
* Submissions should not include any vulgar or sexual words, or any (other) slang words for marijuana
* Send your submission via email, along with your name, mailing address, and month/year of birth to: [email protected]. (Must be 21 or older to participate.)
* Participation in this contest requires no purchase or donation.
* All submissions must be received by Tuesday, July 20 at 6 pm PST.  The winners will be announced on Tuesday, July 27.
* Click here to see the contest’s official rules on our website.

 

To contact MPP, please click here or reply to this e-mail. Our mailing address is Marijuana Policy Project, 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20002. Any donations you make to MPP may be used for political purposes, such as supporting or opposing candidates for federal office.

 

 

 

 

SAVE THE DATE! VCL Forum on Marijuana Legalization, Aug. 6, San Francisco

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Marijuana Legalization: Legal and Practical Issues in California

Dear friends,

 

Please join us on Friday, August 6th, 2010, at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco (345 Stockton Street) for a forum addressing the legal and practical implications of the California initiatve to tax and regulate marijuana, which will be on the ballot this fall.  The forum will be held from 4-6pm followed by a special reception from 6-7pm.

 

 

Marijuana Legalization in California

Initiative Certified for November Ballot

An initiative to tax and regulate marijuana has been approved for the November ballot in California.  This is a historical vote in what could be the first state to end the prohibition on marijuana in almost a century.

 

However, many people are wondering what the federal government will do if the ballot measure passes.  Marijuana is still strictly prohibited under federal law but states have been implementing medical marijuana laws recently without much federal interference.  The Attorney General's office issued a memo stating it would not interfere in states that enact medical marijuana laws.  The federal government has been silent about what actions it would take if California approves the initiative fully legalizing marijuana.  The initiative's passage could certainly give rise to a major showdown between the federal government and the voters of California.

 

 

Marijuana and Federalism: California a Test Case

VCL to Host Forum and Reception During

American Bar Association Annual Meeting

The VCL has been working through the American Bar Association to bring the issue of marijuana and federalism to the attention of its membership.  At the Annual Meeting in August, the ABA's Standing Committee on Substance Abuse will host a presidential showcase: "Marijuana Regulation and Federalism: A Clash of State and Federal Policy."  The forum will be an hour and a half on Saturday, August 7th, at 10:30am, and will feature Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.  You must be signed up for the ABA Annual Meeting in order to attend.

 

The VCL will host its own legal issues forum on the previous day, Friday, August 6th from 4-6pm at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, 345 Stockton Street.  The forum will be open to the public and will focus on the federal and state legal implications of the California marijuana initiative if it passes.  The forum will be followed by a reception from 6-7pm to give you a chance to meet our guest speakers and to  network with attorneys and others attending.

 

 

We need your help!

Spread the Word and Donate

The VCL wishes to engage bar associations and other organizations to support the legal forum in San Francisco in August and to help spread the word.  Please contact us if you are in California or another state and want to work with your local or state bar association, or other professional organization, to help us advertise this event, or to work to stimulate drug policy discussions in the future.

 

We welcome your financial support to continue our mission.  Please join us by contributing at the $50, $75 or $100 membership levels, or set up convenient monthly payments.  You can also join our call for change by signing on to our Open Letter. 

 

We look forward to seeing you at the San Francisco forum in August and to working with you in the future!

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Roger Goodman

Executive Director

Contribute

 

Quick Links

Our Website

Donate Now

Open Letter

Email Us

 

 

Please visit our website at www.VCL.org.

The Voluntary Committee of Lawyers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

 

Today is National Call-In Day: Support the Webb Criminal Justice Commission

Dear friends,

TODAY - Wednesday, June 23 - is National Call-In Day:  If you are concerned about America's incarceration problem, please take a few minutes to call key senators who are in a position to do something about it.  Tell Senate leadership to support the Webb Criminal Justice Commission! 

In 2009, Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) introduced the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, S. 714. To date, 39 senators have co-sponsored this legislation, which will create a bipartisan commission to complete a comprehensive review of the national criminal justice system, identify effective criminal justice policies and make recommendations for much-needed reform.  The Senate Judiciary Committee has reviewed and passed the bill and it is now awaiting passage through the United States Senate.  

LEAP believes this bill will help us acheive our goal of legalization and regulation, as Senator Webb has said that discussing the legalization of drugs should be on the table for the commission.  Drug prohibition directly impacts the problem of prison overcrowding by incarcerating nonviolent offenders, and America is the number one incarcerator in the world.  As a supporter of LEAP, please urge Senate leadership to pass this important legislation!

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please call the following Senators TODAY, June 23, to ask them to prioritize and support Senate passage of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, S. 714:

--Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), 202-224-3542

--Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 202-224-3135

--Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL), 202-224-9447

TALKING POINTS:

"I am calling to ask Senator _________ to prioritize and support immediate Senate passage of S. 714, the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, because the proposed commission would conduct a comprehensive national review of the efficacy of criminal justice policies in the United States and offer recommendations for reform that would improve public safety, governement accountability, cost effectiveness, and overall fairness in the implementation of the criminal justice system."


Thank you for your support of this important effort!



Your donation puts LEAP speakers in front of audiences. To support LEAP's work by making a contribution, please click here.





           

121 Mystic Ave. Suites 8&9
Medford, MA 01255
(781) 393-6985 [email protected]


We need help growing our all-encompassing movement of citizens who want to end the failed "war on drugs," so please invite your family and friends to learn about LEAP.

 

IDPI: ACTION ALERT: Today is National Call-In Day

Dear Friends of the Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative:

We are excited to pass along this action alert from a coalition of organizations we are a part of pushing for national criminal justice reform.  We are working on lots of important projects and will update you soon about our progress.  In the meantime, please take action today and tell Senate Leadership to pass the National Criminal Justice Commission Act!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TODAY is National Call-In Day:  Tell Senate Leadership to pass the National Criminal Justice Commission Act!

BACKGROUND INFO:

In 2009, Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) and 15 bipartisan cosponsors introduced the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, S. 714, legislation that would create a bipartisan Commission to review and identify effective criminal justice policies and make recommendations for reform.  The Senate Judiciary Committee has reviewed and favorably passed the bill and it is now awaiting passage out of the United States Senate.  Please help us urge Senate Leadership to prioritize and pass this important legislation as soon as possible!

ACTION NEEDED:

Please call the following Senators today to ask them to prioritize and support Senate passage of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, S. 714, as soon as possible:

--Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), 202-224-3542

--Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 202-224-3135

--Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL), 202-224-9447

MESSAGE:

I am calling to ask the Senator to prioritize and support immediate Senate passage of S. 714, the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, because:

--Having a transparent and bipartisan Commission review and identify effective criminal justice policies would increase public safety.

--The increase in incarceration over the past twenty years has stretched the system beyond its limits.  These high costs to taxpayers are unsustainable, especially during these times of economic downturn.

--The proposed commission would conduct a comprehensive national review - not audits of individual state systems - and would issue recommendations - not mandates - for consideration.


Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.  Thank you for making these important calls!

Take Action TODAY: National Call-in Day

Announcement

Sentencing Project
 

Today is Call-in Day

Tell Senate Leadership to Support the National Criminal Justice Commission Act


Today is the National Call-in Day to Support Senate Passage of S. 714,
The National Criminal Justice Commission Act

BACKGROUND INFO:
In 2009, Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) and 15 bipartisan co-sponsors introduced the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, S. 714, legislation that would create a bipartisan Commission to review and identify effective criminal justice policies and make recommendations for reform.  The Senate Judiciary Committee has reviewed and favorably passed the bill and it is now awaiting passage out of the Senate.  We need your help urging Senate Leadership to prioritize and pass this important legislation.

ACTION NEEDED:
Right now, please call the following Senators to ask them to prioritize and support Senate passage of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act as soon as possible:
•    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), 202-224-5556
•    Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 202-224-3135
•    Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL), 202-224-9447

MESSAGE TO SENATORS:

Please support S. 714, the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, because:
•     Having a transparent and bipartisan Commission review and identify effective criminal justice policies would increase public safety.
•    The increase in incarceration over the past twenty years has stretched the system beyond its limits.  The high cost to taxpayers is unsustainable, especially during these times of economic downturn.
•    The proposed commission would conduct a comprehensive national review and would issue recommendations for reform. 

After you've completed your calls, drop us an email to tell us how it went.

 

The Sentencing Project is located at 1705 DeSales Street, NW 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20036.  Send an email to The Sentencing Project.

The Sentencing Project is a national, non-profit organization engaged in research and advocacy for criminal justice reform.

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