Announcement

Friends: Marc Mauer, Executive Director of The Sentencing Project, testifies Tuesday, June 26, 2007 on the issue of Mandatory Minumum Sentencing before the House Judiciary Subcommitee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. Mauer's testimony focuses on the experience with the current generation of mandatory sentencing policies in the federal system, the vast majority of which have been applied to drug offenses, and the lessons we should learn from that in order to develop more effective public policy. The main themes he will address include: Mandatory sentencing policies have been largely based on false premises, and are particularly unwise in the federal system; - Mandatory penalties in the federal system have not proven to achieve their objectives; and -A variety of policy initiatives could be enacted that would result in more fair and effective sentencing, and would produce better public safety results. See http://sentencingproject.org/Admin%5CDocuments%5Cpublications%5Csl_testimony_summer07.pdf to view his testimony.

Giveline.com is an online store created for the justice-minded shopper, offering more than a million bestselling products including books, movies, music, electronics, housewares, gifts and more. Every purchase generates a substantial donation to the Prisons Foundation - an amazing average of 16% of store sales, sometimes as high as 33%. Giveline has great products, great service, and great prices - the only difference between Giveline and other major online retailers is that every purchase earns money for our organization. Check it out today at http://www.giveline.com/default.asp?v=V072409564. We are about to go to press with the next monthly issue of Art for Justice, showcasing new art received by the Prison Art Gallery from talented prison inmates across America. If your organization would like to use space in it to make an announcement to reach over 20,000 readers in and out of prison, please contact us at 202-393-1511 or [email protected]. To view the current issue of Art for Justice (note the space used by NORML and The Aleph Institute on the last page), please visit www.PrisonsFoundation.org/ project2_newsletter.html. When in Washington, DC, visit the Prison Art Gallery. Located three blocks from the White House, the Prison Art Gallery is served by two Metro stations (Farragut North on the Red Line, and Farragut West on the Orange and Blue Lines). Note that the entrance is on 16th Street, at the corner of K Street. Open Mon to Fri, 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, and Saturday and Sunday, 12:30 to 5:30 PM (also open evenings by appointment - groups welcome - admission is always free).

For Immediate Release: June 12, 2007 Contact: Douglas Greene, T: 516-242-4666, E: [email protected] Screening and Discussion of “Lockdown, USA,” a New Documentary Film about the Rockefeller Drug Laws on Thursday, June 14 Advocates and Family Members Join Together to Demand Gov. Spitzer and Senate Majority Leader Bruno Keep Their Word and Enact REAL REFORM of New York’s Draconian and Inhumane Drug Laws Before Session Ends Next Thursday New York-- On Thursday, June 14, advocates for Real Reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws and parents of Rockefeller Drug Law prisoners will be discussing Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno’s failure to act on Rockefeller Drug Law reform as the legislative session enters its final week. Following the legislative update and comments from parents of Rockefeller drug law prisoners, there will be a screening of a new documentary about the Rockefeller Drug Laws, called Lockdown, USA. The screening is being sponsored by the Real Reform New York Coalition, Cures not Wars and the Drug Policy Alliance. The evening will conclude with a stand-up comedy performance by Randy Credico, Director of the William Moses Kunstler Fund for Racial Justice, who is featured in the film. Assembly Bill 6663-A, which was passed by the Assembly on April 18, 2007, would expand drug treatment for people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, and continue sentencing reform by allowing certain people serving time for “B” felonies to apply for resentencing—a key piece missing in changes to the law made in 2004 and 2005. The bill would also increase judicial discretion and allow for some people convicted of first- and second-time drug offenses to receive treatment and probation instead of prison. Companion Senate Bill 4352-A is stuck in the Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee, and Senate Majority Leader Bruno and Gov. Spitzer have other legislative priorities before session ends on June 21. “The last small reform to the Rockefeller Drug Laws was clearly not enough. My son Ashley is a prime example of this, because he is serving a 7 to 21 year sentence for a first time, nonviolent offense,” said Cheri O’Donoghue, who will be speaking. “Senate Majority Leader Bruno, Speaker Silver, and Governor Spitzer have all promised real reform. The Assembly has acted—where are the Senate and the Governor? These inhumane, racist laws have been around for over 34 years, and enough is enough.” New York’s Drug Law Reform Act of 2004 (DLRA) lowered some drug sentences but it fell far short of allowing most people serving under the more punitive sentences to apply for shorter terms, and did not increase the power of judges to place addicts into treatment programs. While advocates and family members are encouraged by the modest reforms, they are clear that the recent reforms have no impact on the majority of people behind bars. Most people behind bars on Rockefeller charges are charged with nonviolent lower-level or class-B felonies. Advocates and family members of Rockefeller Drug Law prisoners will be screening Lockdown, USA, a new documentary which follows the unlikely coalition working to change the Rockefeller Drug Laws: outraged mothers and community members, formerly incarcerated people, hip-hop community leaders, and many more. The documentary, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in May 2006 and has screened at film festivals around the world, captures the series of events that forced the political establishment to reconcile with the burgeoning movement to repeal the draconian, racist Rockefeller Drug Laws. Hip-hop megastar and multi-platinum artist Jim Jones released “Lockdown, USA,” a single about the Rockefeller Drug Laws, on May 8, 2007, the 34th anniversary of the Laws. What: Discussion about the Rockefeller Drug Laws and legislative status of reform bills with Real Reform advocates and families of Rockefeller Drug Law prisoners; Screening of Lockdown, USA follows; Stand-up comedy performance by Randy Credico When: Thursday, June 14, at 6:30 p.m. Where: Yippie Museum Café, 9 Bleecker Street. Who: Gabriel Sayegh (Director, State Organizing and Policy Project, Drug Policy Alliance); Wanda Best (wife of Rockefeller Drug Law prisoner Darryl Best, whose story is featured in Lockdown, USA); Ricky and Cheri O'Donoghue (parents of Rockefeller Drug Law prisoner Ashley O'Donoghue); Randy Credico (Director, William Moses Kunstler Fund for Racial Justice).

[Courtesy of the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies] The EU Civil Society Contact Group, representing eight large European networks of NGOs, criticises plans by the Council to prepare and agree a revised EU treaty through a closed Inter-Governmental Conference (IGC) with a restricted mandate. No retreat from the achievements of the convention. Throughout the convention on the Future of Europe and the Intergovernmental Conference, members of the Civil Society Contact Group campaigned for a text that reflects concerns of citizens. Following the current negotiations and debates we are deeply worried that important achievements of the convention and the draft constitution will be lost. A more coherent European project to respond to common challenges both within and outside of Europe is urgently needed. We urge the Council to take action to maintain the following points as part of a new EU treaty. We are convinced that they are crucial for the future of the EU: It is indispensable to include the Charter of Fundamental Rights in a new treaty. Only by doing so will the interests and concerns of many citizens be taken serious. Key components of part III of the draft Constitution including the reconfirmed policies on environment (III-233), the new energy chapter (III-256), the horizontal social clauses (article III 116,117,118,122) as well as the strengthening of Europe’s development policy (III 316,317,318,319) and its ability to play a responsible role in world (III-292) need to be retained in a new treaty. The principle of participatory democracy (I-47) underlies all our activities. It is important that this becomes a treaty provision. It would support the endeavours of a variety of actors who aim to strengthen democracy in the EU. The extension of qualified majority voting is essential for an EU of 27 to function. Civil society challenges Council to open up inter-governmental approach: Traditionally IGCs have been closed processes offering no possibilities for civil society to engage. A coherent and effective strategy of involving civil society is urgently needed to engage European citizens in the process and inform its outcomes. Such a strategy should include: *Regular meetings between civil society and the presidency of the Union, *A website where civil society positions on the treaty revision could be posted and accessed by all member states, *Discussions in the IGC should be public, and transmitted via the European broadcast system (Ebs) and a dedicated website. Citizens want and expect Europe to provide moral and accountable leadership. The treaty revision will be an important step in re-connecting Europeans to the EU if it takes their concerns seriously. The EU Civil Society Contact Group brings together the Platform of European Social NGOs (Social Platform), the European NGO confederation for relief and development (Concord), the Human Rights and Democracy Network, the Green 10 (environmental organisations), the European Women’s Lobby, the European Forum for the Arts and Heritage (EFAH), the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and the European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning (EUCIS-LLL). Encompassing hundreds of European NGOs and thousands of national affiliates, they work together to develop the dialogue between civil society organisations and the EU institutions as an essential part of strengthening participatory democracy. www.act4europe.org *Contact person: Regula Heggli, Coordinator Civil Society Contact Group, T: +32 2 511 17 11, F: +32 2 511 19 09, [email protected], www.act4europe.org Find the call also on _

[Courtesy of the Prison Art Gallery] We are pleased to announce that the Prison Art Gallery, in conjunction with its parent organization the Prisons Foundation, will be presenting a two-hour show at the Kennedy Center this Labor Day weekend, September 2007. The show is entitled "How Music Helped Me Escape from Prison" and will consist of singers and musicians who put their interest in music to productive ends while behind bars. If you are an ex-prisoner musician or singer, or know of an ex-prisoner musician/singer, there is still time to be included in the show. Each performer will have a designated amount of time to perform songs of her or his choice with brief remarks about how these songs helped her/him rise above the prison experience. For further information, please call 202-393-1511.

Join us at the 2007 International Drug Policy Reform Conference at the Astor Crowne Plaza in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference begins the evening of Wednesday, December 5, and runs through Saturday, December 8. Register early to get a special rate! The International Drug Policy Reform Conference, hosted by DPA, is the most important gathering of people who believe the war on drugs is doing more harm than good. It's the only meeting that attempts to connect the dots among the wide range of drug policy issues we face today: everything from syringe access and medical marijuana to state-based reform movements and the impact of drug use on our culture and communities. In our effort to make this event truly movement-oriented, this year we invited five other co-host organizations to join us: the ACLU, the Harm Reduction Coalition, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Marijuana Policy Project and Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Together, we will present the most engaging content that reflects our conference theme: Working Toward a New Bottom Line. A new bottom line for drug policy would mean basing success on metrics such as prevention of overdose deaths and increased access to treatment rather than the current measure - numbers of people arrested and incarcerated for drug use. The idea of working toward a new bottom line is particularly relevant in New Orleans, the site of the 2007 conference. Hurricane Katrina laid bare an array of problems, many of which are exacerbated by failed drug war policies. Furthermore, the state of Louisiana comes close to leading the nation in incarcerating people for drug law violations. Although the South remains a region where drug policy reform has yet to take a strong hold, by choosing to have our meeting in New Orleans, we hope to build momentum in an area with the potential to make incredible progress. Members and early-bird registrants enjoy a significant discount off our regular registration rate. For more information, including details about conference programming, travel and lodging, please check out http://kessjones.com/conf07/. We hope to see you in New Orleans!

[Courtesy of the Prison Art Gallery] We are pleased to announce that the first edition of the Prison Art Gallery art catalog is here! It has been published as a special full-color insert in Street Sense, the nationally recognized periodical published in Washington, DC for socially conscious people. Get your copy of Street Sense from the more than 50 Street Sense vendors in Washington wearing the bright-colored Street Sense vests. To view the prison art section online, please visit www.PrisonsFoundation.org/ project2_newsletter.html. All of the art pieces on display can be seen and purchased at the Prison Art Gallery. You can also have the art shipped to you by ordering online at www.PrisonsFoundation.org/ project2_newsletter.html or by phone at 202-393-1511 using PayPal or a major credit card. Thank you for your interest in these superb, reasonably-priced works. We look forward to assisting you in acquiring your favorite pieces for home or office at prices that fit your budget.

[Courtesy of The Sentencing Project] Friends: The Sentencing Project is pleased to announce the publication of a series of briefing sheets on Women in the Criminal Justice System. The series documents the gender implications of changes that have occurred over the last 20 years within the criminal justice system, including expansive law enforcement, stiffer drug sentencing laws and re-entry barriers. Women in the Criminal Justice System notes that since 1985 the number of women in prison has increased at almost double the rate of incarcerated men - 404 percent vs. 209 percent. Reasons for the increasing rate for women are directly related to the 'war on drugs,' economic disadvantage, and the criminal justice system's failure to carefully consider women's involvement in crimes. The analysis also reports that 30 percent of all females incarcerated are black and 16 percent are Hispanic. Further, the briefing sheets delve into family, socioeconomic and physical and mental health issues that women - and their families - face as a result of being incarcerated. Women in the Criminal Justice System contains five sections: Overview; Involvement in Crime; Mothers in Prison; Inadequacies in Prison Services; and Barriers to Re-entering the Community. The full 10-page series is found here: http://sentencingproject.org/Admin/Documents/news/womenincj_total.pdf.

News & Opinion This Week 1. New Report on HIV/AIDS in Africa First to Link Discriminatory Beliefs Against Women With Vulnerability To AIDS 2. As Meth Trade Goes Global, South Africa Becomes A Hub 3. Excerpt from Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken 4. [US] Drug Agency Reaffirms Ban on Gay Men Giving Blood [Red Cross and two other blood groups criticized the ban as “medically and scientifically unwarranted.”] 5. Gay Activists Beaten Up At Moscow Demo 6. Public Injection Site Likely Reduces Drug Use: Study 7. What Is Bush's Dumbest Utterance? B Upcoming Conferences and Events C Quotes D How To Help E About HRP F Subscription Information ----- I. New Report on HIV/AIDS in Africa First to Link Discriminatory Beliefs Against Women With Vulnerability To AIDS May 25, 2007 A landmark study released today by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) connects widespread discriminatory views against women in Botswana and Swaziland to sexual risk-taking and, in turn, to extremely high HIV prevalence. Seventy-five percent of HIV-positive 15-25 year-olds in sub-Saharan Africa are female. Download in PDF format PHR's study, Epidemic of Inequality: Women's Rights and HIV/AIDS in Botswana & Swaziland: An Evidence-based Report on Gender Inequity, Stigma and Discrimination reports the results of a population-based study conducted in 2004 and 2005 with 1,268 respondents in Botswana and 788 participants in Swaziland, designed to assess factors contributing to HIV infection. In addition, 24 people living with HIV/AIDS in Botswana and 58 people living with HIV/AIDS in Swaziland were interviewed, along with key informants in both countries. The full report can be accessed here. Four key factors were found to contribute to women's vulnerability to HIV: women's lack of control over sexual decision-making, including the decision to use a condom, and multiple sexual partners by both women and men; the prevalence of HIV-related stigma and discrimination (which hinders testing and disclosure of status); gender-discriminatory beliefs, which were associated with sexual risk-taking; and a failure of traditional and government leadership to promote the equality, autonomy, and economic independence of women. "If we are to reduce the continuing, extraordinary HIV prevalence in Botswana and Swaziland, particularly among women, the countries' leaders need to enforce women's legal rights, and offer them sufficient food and economic opportunities to gain agency in their own lives. Men and women must be educated and supported to acknowledge women's equal status with men and abandon these prejudices and risky sexual practices. The impact of women's lack of power cannot be underestimated," said PHR's Senior Research Associate Karen Leiter, JD, MPH, lead investigator of the study. While anecdotal evidence has strongly suggested a link between gender inequity and HIV infection, PHR has conducted the first rigorous, large-scale field survey of gender discriminatory beliefs and analyzed their association with sexual behavior. The report suggests that women's rights must be made the top priority by the countries' leaders if HIV prevalence is to be reduced. In Botswana, for example, 95% of women and 90% of men surveyed held at least one gender discriminatory belief. Botswana community survey participants who held three or more such beliefs had 2.7 the odds of those who held fewer beliefs to report having had unprotected sex in the prior year with a non-primary partner. Discriminatory beliefs accept and reflect upon women's inferior legal cultural and socioeconomic status. For example, 19% of all community survey respondents in Botswana agreed with the statement that it is more important that a woman respect her spouse or partner than it is for a man to respect his spouse or partner. Interviews indicated that many HIV-positive women are forced to engage in risky sex with men in exchange for food for themselves and their children. As one interviewee put it, "Woman are having sex because they are hungry. If you give them food, they would not need to have sex to eat." According to PHR research, the very fear of being subject to HIV-related stigma (as opposed to the actual experience of it)—being abandoned by friends or shunned at work, for instance—was pervasive. For instance, in Botswana, 30% of women and men believed that testing positive and disclosure would lead to the break up of their marriage or relationship. Interviews conducted by PHR and its partners indicate that women in Botswana and Swaziland frequently do not have the option to make decisions about having sex due to their lesser legal status. "Here in Swaziland, the husband is the one that bosses you around so there is nothing you can do without him. My rights lie with my husband. He decides whether we use condoms. I don't have a choice about prevention."—an HIV-positive interviewee In interviews, people living with AIDS highlighted women's dependency on male partners as the most significant contribution to women's greater vulnerability to HIV when compared to men. Testimony also revealed that women's lesser status in Botswana fosters ongoing harm to women even after they become infected, and increases the precariousness of their ability to meet basic needs for food, shelter and transport. Participants in Swaziland repeatedly pointed to a lack of political leadership—from government officials and traditional leaders—in protecting and empowering vulnerable women and girls. "HIV/AIDS interventions focused solely on individual behavior will not address the factors creating vulnerability to HIV for women and men in Botswana and Swaziland, nor protect the rights and assure the wellbeing of those living with AIDS. National leaders, with the assistance of foreign donors and others, are obligated under international law to change the inequitable social, legal, and economic conditions of women's lives which facilitate HIV transmission and impede testing, care and treatment," said Leiter.