Organizations

Florida: Finally, "Sub Group" of Potential Voters Getting Attention In Florida there are an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 potential new voters - former felony offenders - that could participate in the upcoming presidential race, the Tamp Bay Tribune reported. NBC affiliate WPTV-5 is calling formerly incarcerated individuals the most sought after "sub group" in the upcoming election and reports that both Republicans and Democrats are vying for their support. Despite the positive news, there continues to be a backlog in rights restoration cases, according to the Parole Commission, the investigative arm of the Clemency Board. Since Governor Charlie Crist and the Clemency Board voted to ease the restoration process for nonviolent offenders last year, about 115,000 individuals have regained the right to vote. About 300,000, however, are still waiting in the wings to be notified of their eligibility. Adding to that, about 4,000 ex-offenders come up for review each month after they are released or their probation is terminated, stated Mark Schlakman, senior program director at the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights at Florida State University in a Tallahassee Democrat opinion editorial. "With another stroke of his pen, Gov.Charlie Crist, with support from at least two Cabinet members, also could enable many ex-offenders to regain their civil rights and register to vote. Only then will the rights-restoration process reflect the fundamental fairness that the governor has been talking about." Gov. Crist spoke highly of the restoration process during a two-day Restoration of Rights Summit sponsored by the state Department of Corrections. It was also learned that the Legislature recently cut 20 percent of the Parole Commission's budget, which resulted in the loss of nine employees who work on civil rights applications, the St. Petersburg Times reported. "Even with the changes to the rules in Florida's civil rights laws, the process for ex-offenders to regain voting rights is cumbersome, particularly in the face of budget cuts and shortage of staff at the Florida Parole Commission," writes Martha Hill in a News-Press op-ed. "Gov. Crist walked the first step, but the journey is still long." Muslima Lewis, director of the voting rights project at the American Civil Liberties Union in Florida, agreed in a New York Times article. "There is a large demand for this," she said. "And it is a lot higher this year with the election." Virginia: Governor, Advocates Play 'Beat the Clock' to Register Former Offenders "This is not a radical idea," states a Roanoke Times editorial, of automatic restoration for formerly incarcerated individuals. "In most states, a felon's right to vote is restored automatically upon completion of his or her sentence. Virginia is unusually and unreasonably restrictive." Applauding Gov. Tim Kaine's efforts to restore voting rights in time to participate in the presidential election this fall, the editorial states that Kaine is "bringing greater fairness to an unduly harsh system." There have been claims that Gov. Kaine's effort to register this new pool of voters by August 1 is coupled with Sen. Barack Obama's campaign to also register tens of thousands of new voters this summer in Virginia; Gov. Kaine said partisanship isn't a factor. Civic and social associations including the ACLU and the NAACP are teaming up to aid thousands of citizens with felony offenses to apply for rights restoration by the deadline. "A lot of felons operate under the miscomprehension that loss of their voting rights is permanent, so what we are doing, is saying, 'No, no, no, there is a way,'" Gwinnett Hagens, executive director of Democracy South was quoted as saying in the Washington Post. "It is going to be a challenge for us if we get absolutely swamped, but we will divert staff to do this." - - - - - - Help The Sentencing Project continue to bring you news and updates on disenfranchisement! Make a contribution today. Contact Information -- e-mail: [email protected], web: http://www.sentencingproject.org

In his note below, our director Dennis Sobin expresses gratitude for your support, but also reveals a sad new development. From Dennis Sobin, Director, Prisons Foundation: Thank you so very much for the dozens of phone calls and emails I've received following my arrest at a public hearing in city hall, Washington, DC. They range from a supporter in Hawaii (who is contacting her own congressional representatives as well as Washington city officials to express outrage) to a local NPR radio reporter who is doing a story. The support I've gotten has been good, but it's also produced a bad reaction from government prosecutors. My charge was amended yesterday to include additional counts based on my visits to city hall LAST YEAR to attend and give testimony at other public hearings. My attorney is worried about this stacking. Instead of facing six months in jail, I now face two years. Plus the thinking of the judge may be colored. I am not entitled to a jury trial because these are all misdemeanors. Insisting on my right to a speedy trial, it will take place quickly: Tuesday, June 24, before Judge Jose Lopez in Courtroom 117, DC Superior Court, 500 Indiana Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001. Please feel free to attend to lend your support. In the meantime, here are the names and contact information of city hall officials who can transfer my son Darrin away from city hall so that I can visit these officials before my trial without fear of further arrest. Adrian Fenty, Mayor 202-724-8876 [email protected] (Mayor) 202-724-5556 [email protected] (Mayor's advisor) Vincent Gray, City Council Chairperson 202-724-8032 [email protected] (chief of staff) Jack Evans, City Councilmember (new phone #) 202-724-8058 [email protected] Phil Mendelson, Chair of Judciary Committee 202-724-8064 [email protected] ************************************************************* Below is the original email that the Prisons Foundation sent with details of the arrest of our director Dennis Sobin at a public hearing at city hall in Washington, DC Dennis Sobin, Director of the Prisons Foundation, went to City Hall to testify at a budget hearing on the priorities of the Attorney General's Office. This is routine for our director as these hearings represent important opportunities to advocate for alternatives to incarceration and the need for prosecutors to focus on serious crimes rather than non-violent offenses. One of those prosecutors happens to be Dennis Sobin's son, Darrin Sobin. He and his father have not seen eye to eye for some time. Last year the younger Sobin, Darrin, flexed his muscle as a government attorney by getting a stay away order to keep his father a set number of feet from him. Now he has gone the next step by having his father arrested for stepping foot in City Hall because Darrin has moved into an office in that building. When Dennis arrived for the hearing, his son knew of his presence because Dennis was on the witness list to testify. Dennis never got to testify because his son had him whisked out of the building in handcuffs and put in jail before a judge could release Dennis. By then the hearing was over. The building security officers who arrested Dennis have acknowledged that they were pressured to take this action by Darrin. They even went so far to try to appease Darrin, short of arresting his father, by offering to accompany Dennis to the City Council Chambers where the hearing was taking place and stay with him throughout his testimony. But Darrin rejected this. Darrin has let it be known that if his father returns to city hall for any reason, the same fate awaits him. It is therefore URGENT that the following officials at city hall be called TODAY to let our outrage be known. Says Dennis, "I don't want my son fired. That would be too extreme and a particular hardship for his children, my grandsons Alexander and Tristan." We are requesting that Darrin Sobin be relocated to the Attorney General's headqurters a few blocks away. That way our director Dennis can conduct Prisons Foundation business at city hall. Here are the names and phone numbers of officials at city hall who can make this happen. Please call them TODAY to get their assurance that this will indeed occur without delay. Even if you are not a resident of Washington you can demand action as a visitor who is shocked that such a thing could happen in the nation's capital. Adrian Fenty, Mayor, 202-724-8876 (This is Adrian's private number so please be brief when talking to him and please do not retain this number for any other purpose. He has been a supporter of the Prisons Foundation ever since his childhood friend Donald Thomas ended up in prison and needed our help.) Vincent Gray, City Council Chairperson, 202-724-8032 (Next to the mayor, Vincent is the most powerful person in city hall and has a reputation as a no-nonsense official. Dennis worked for his campaign and helped get him elected in 2006.) Jack Evans, City Councilmember, 202-724-8058 (As chair pro temp, Jack is number three in power at city hall. He also happens to be the councilmember representing Dennis in Ward 2. Still, Dennis cannot visit him at city hall as long as Darrin Sobin is there.) Phil Mendelson, Chair of Judciary Committee, 202-724-8064 (Phil is an at-large councilmember who chaired the hearing at which Dennis was set to testify and is reportedly upset at what happened there. He can bring about Darrin Sobin's transfer in the interest of justice and democracy.) On a personal note, Dennis is in good spirits and continues to meet his responsibilities daily as our director. He will be on hand at our fundraising prison art auction and reception being held at the Prisons Art Gallery this Friday, June 20 at 6 to 8 pm, and will also serve the next day, Saturday, June 21, 10 am to 4 pm, as one of the presenters at our Prison Artist Mentoring Workshop taking place at the Prison Art Gallery, 1600 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006. Thank you for calling the above city hall officials and demanding that action be taken TODAY. Please call us at 202-393-1511 or email [email protected] if you need further information. Thank you for your help and support in this crisis.

Yesterday we sent an email letting people know that our Director, Dennis Sobin, had been arrested at a public hearing at city hall in Washington, DC and we asked for your help to prevent a repetition of this grave injustice. Here are some of the many responses we received in the past 24 hours. Note: Below appear a small sampling of the email responses we received, without any changes except to conceal the names of the senders. Their names and contact information will be provided only to members of the press who wish to contact them for interviews and obtain their permission to publish their names. (Already, Washington City Paper has interviewed our director.) We also received a large number of positive phone calls. At the bottom of this page appears the original email we sent with details of the arrest, along with the telephone numbers of Washington city officials who can correct this injustice. As per request, we hereby provide the email addresses for those officials: Adrian Fenty, Mayor [email protected] (Mayor) 202-724-8876 [email protected] (Mayor's advisor) Vincent Gray, City Council Chairperson [email protected] (chief of staff) 202-724-8032 Jack Evans, City Councilmember [email protected] 202-724-8023 Phil Mendelson, Chair of Judciary Committee [email protected] 202-724-8064 ***************************************************************** Below are some of the emails we just received: ***************************************************************** I called everyone on the list. Spoke to Heidi at Mr. Mendelson's office (they said they were "aware but not getting involved") and I reminded her that a larger issue is up in the air here, and that is the right of citizens to have a free and open forum in public buildings (especially when invited!). I told her as a resident of the District I was "shocked" that legal guidelines could be manipulated at CITY HALL of all places to silence an invited guest. Everyone else I left messages for.... if we can get a couple dozen people making these calls it might be enough to generate some buzz, which sometimes translates into support. I'll wait and see if Fenty or anyone else calls me back - but at least the message is getting out! ****************************************************************** hi dennis i got the email this morning about your arrest... holy smoke! i'm so sorry to hear about the bad blood between you and your son, whatever it is (i don't need to know), but i want you to know that i made three phone calls this morning, and also to let you know that i was told that others were calling as well. you're doing great work and for the best reasons, and no doubt there will be many other roadblocks and attempts at deterrents along the way, but that's the way it is with god's work. a pastor of mine once likened the phenomena to those beautiful stones and sea glass that find at the beach... they got that way by being tumbled around in the sand and waves. *********************************************** Hello: I called the 202-724-8023 number listed below and got transferred 4 times before finally talking to someone named HEIDI who listened to what I had to say about calling in support of having Darrin transferred so that Dennis can testify at City Hall , to which she simply replied OK and hung up. I do not know what type of response we are expecting to get, but please be sure to let people know that they can be transferred many times and DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED!!! No one will take your name, number or ask any questions. They listen to why you are calling and then transfer you to someone else, to whom you again have to explain why you are calling. BE PATIENT and PERSISTENT! *************************************************** This is an abuse of office by Darrin Sobin. His direct superior, the attorney general, should be pressured to prevent Darrin from taking any such further action. Exactly how the AG does that is not up to Dennis or the PFO staff to determine. If it means Darrin loses his job, so be it. Let the chips fall where they may. He can find employment elsewhere, where he cannot exercise authority that he cannot handle responsibly. Darrin Sobin is a disgrace to the AG, the citizens he supposedly represents, to his father, and his family. Call it like it is. ***************************************************** Wow! I am so shocked to hear this. The prosecutor (his son) has some serious issues. I feel so bad for Dennis and I will make the calls. Any arrest is devastating, but to have your own son do something like this is almost beyond belief. I hope everything works out. Please keep us updated. ****************************************************** We are arranging to have a staff member reach out to each of the officials named in your communication. If there is anything else that we can do to support you, please do not hesitate to let us know. *********************************************************** I'm with you, Dennis (and your Prison Foundation.) We spoke a few times and had planned to meet, but the powers that be prevented this. I spent a total of 30 years in prison, completing a 20-year sentence just recently in Federal Prison, where I was tortured before being released 6/14/2006. Nine guards were removed from duty for what they did to me, however the Buearu of Prisons quietly placed them back on the job six months later, though the investigation is STILL ONGOING. Stay strong, my brother!!!! We are calling the Mayor's office now!!!!!!!!!!!! ********************************************** I am very shocked that such a thing could happen to such a nice person. I'm sorry that my telephoning ability doesn't allow me to make calls. If you decide to send some sort of an e-mail or letter let me know.

Our Director, Dennis Sobin, has been arrested at a hearing at city hall in Washington, DC. He was released after being in custody for a few hours, but your help is urgently needed to prevent a repetition of this grave injustice. The facts are not in dispute. It didn't happen in some third world country but right in the heart of the capital of the democratic world, Washington, DC. Dennis Sobin, Director of the Prisons Foundation, went to City Hall to testify at a budget hearing on the priorities of the Attorney General's Office. This is routine for our director as these hearings represent important opportunities to advocate for alternatives to incarceration and the need for prosecutors to focus on serious crimes rather than non-violent offenses. One of those prosecutors happens to be Dennis Sobin's son, Darrin Sobin. He and his father have not seen eye to eye for some time. Last year the younger Sobin, Darrin, flexed his muscle as a government attorney by getting a stay away order to keep his father a set number of feet from him. Now he has gone the next step by having his father arrested for stepping foot in City Hall because Darrin has moved into an office in that building. When Dennis arrived for the hearing, his son knew of his presence because Dennis was on the witness list to testify. Dennis never got to testify because his son had him wisked out of the building in handcuffs and put in jail before a judge could release Dennis. By then the hearing was over. The building security officers who arrested Dennis have acknowledged that they were pressured to take this action by Darrin. They even went so far to try to appease Darrin, short of arresting his father, by offering to accompany Dennis to the City Council Chambers where the hearing was taking place and stay with him throughout his testimony. But Darrin rejected this. Darrin has let it be known that if his father returns to city hall for any reason, the same fate awaits him. It is therefore URGENT that the following officials at city hall be called TODAY to let our outrage be known. Says Dennis, "I don't want my son fired. That would be too extreme and a particular hardship for his children, my grandsons Alexander and Tristan." We are requesting that Darrin Sobin be relocated to the Attorney General's headqurters a few blocks away. That way our director Dennis can conduct Prisons Foundation business at city hall. Here are the names and phone numbers of officials at city hall who can make this happen. Please call them TODAY to get their assurance that this will indeed occur without delay. Even if you are not a resident of Washington you can demand action as a visitor who is shocked that such a thing could happen in the nation's capital. Adrian Fenty, Mayor, 202-724-8876 (This is Adrian's private number so please be brief when talking to him and please do not retain this number for any other purpose. He has been a supporter of the Prisons Foundation ever since his childhood friend Donald Thomas ended up in prison and needed our help.) Vincent Gray, City Council Chairperson, 202-724-8032 (Next to the mayor, Vincent is the most powerful person in city hall and has a reputation as a no-nonsense official. Dennis worked for his campaign and helped get him elected in 2006.) Jack Evans, City Councilmember, 202-724-8023 (As chair pro temp, Jack is number three in power at city hall. He also happens to be the councilmember representing Dennis in Ward 2. Still, Dennis cannot visit him at city hall as long as Darrin Sobin is there.) Phil Mendelson, Chair of Judciary Committee, 202-724-8064 (Phil is an at-large councilmember who chaired the hearing at which Dennis was set to testify and is reportedly upset at what happened there. He can bring about Darrin Sobin's transfer in the interest of justice and democracy.) On a personal note, Dennis is in good spirits and continues to meet his responsibilities daily as our director. He will be on hand at our fundraising prison art auction and reception being held at the Prisons Art Gallery this Friday, June 20 at 6 to 8 pm, and will also serve the next day, Saturday, June 21, 10 am to 4 pm, as one of the presenters at our Prison Artist Mentoring Workshop taking place at the Prison Art Gallery, 1600 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006. Thank you for calling the above city hall officials and demanding that action be taken TODAY. Please call us at 202-393-1511 or email [email protected] if you need further information. Thank you for your help and support in this crisis.

And Senator Hagel+ makes 16,427: Networking produces relationships. This concept brought me to the CATO Institute on Thursday, as Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel (R) spoke to a packed house. The program started at noon & as it has been blistering hot in DC, I rode my motorcycle to the Metro station. Although, I had on good blue jeans, good buckle, good hat & and my new, black LEAP t-shirt, this is a faux pas (coat and tie is THE uniform of DC) but the shirt attracts many & I end up talking about prohibition = success in networking. CATO always serves a sandwich lunch after each presentation & Senator Hagel sold books in the same lobby. As he was walking out the door, he shook hands with those in his path. As he shook my hand, he leaned back and read out loud, “Cops say legalize drugs. Ask me why?” He tilted his head to indicate he wanted an answer. “Cut crime. No drug dealers.” I responded. He grinned and left the building. It was a crown & chocolate night.

Dear friends, Today, the case in appeal against the conviction of the Cannabis Social Club Trekt Uw Plant and 5 of its members because of possessing 1 cannabis plant per person has taken a strange direction today. The Prosecutors Office has requested the Court of Appeal to acquit us because of the fact that too much time has passed since the date of the facts (12 december 2006). According to the prosecutor we can only be accused of growing cannabis for personal use, which is not considered a crime but an offense, which can only be punished by so-called police convictions (fines or community work) and because this offense has been committed more than 1,5 years ago he requests to acquit us. This seems to be a childish trick in order not to have to deal with the principle matter: the Prosecutors Office itself had requested in January 2008 to postpone the case until June, possibly in order to be able to request acquittance and in this way dismiss the case. But in fact it means that the possession of 1 plant by adult citizens is tolerated also by the highest echelons of the legal system. On June 26th we will have the final sentence, but due to the fact that the court of appeal has not even heard our defense lawyer (who made his extensive preparation - referring to the legality principle included in the European Convention on Human Rights - for nothing) it is quite sure that we will be acquitted. The next step is to find out what this means concretely for our club. But today is a happy day :-) best wishes Joep / Philippe / Kris www.trektuwplant.be -- EUROPEAN COALITION FOR JUST AND EFFECTIVE DRUG POLICIES Lange Lozanastraat 14 - 2018 Antwerpen - Belgium Tel. + 32 (0)3 293 0886 - Mob. + 32 (0)495 122644 E-mail: [email protected]

Rhode Island: The Payoffs of Voting, Education Andres Idarraga has been accepted to Yale Law School - ten years after the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institution accepted him into its system for a cocaine conviction. Idarraga, who graduated this year from Brown University, has since become a prominent advocate for restoring the right to vote to thousands of persons disenfranchised in Rhode Island because of a felony conviction. As a result of his and others' efforts, Rhode Island law was reformed in 2006 and now allows individuals with felony convictions to vote immediately after being released from prison. Now, Idarraga will further hone his legal talents at Yale. "I ... realized that the odds against an ex-offender can be very high, particularly if he or she is reaching for the stars," said Yale graduate and Corrections Director A.T. Wall, who personally drove Idarraga to New Haven for an interview with the law school's dean. "There was no doubt in my mind that Andres had the ability, the intellect and the drive to succeed in law school." Mississippi: Giving Reenfranchisement a "More Serious Look" Mississippi should reconsider its current disenfranchisement policies and reenfranchisement procedures, according to an opinion editorial written by the publisher of the Greenwood Commonwealth. Though Tim Kalich states that overall voter participation of all state residents should be the main concern, he writes that for the 150,000 formerly incarcerated individuals who want to vote, the process should be made less time- consuming and cumbersome. "While most of these former felons don't care, a segment does feel that it is being punished in perpetuity by being barred from the voting booth," he stated. National: "Unfairly Punished Twice" Numerous elections in the nation could have had different outcomes if citizens with felony convictions had the opportunity to vote, according to an opinion editorial written by Sonata Lee. Published in the Huffington Post, Lee's op-ed questions the policy of disenfranchisement and the dramatic variation of disenfranchisement laws across the nation. She further states that formerly incarcerated individuals are "punished twice." "America is a country that prides itself on being a democracy yet we allow millions of our citizens -- those who could benefit the most from being active in our political process -- to be disenfranchised," she stated. "Overly punitive legislation and a devastating war on drugs have resulted in the disenfranchisement of 5.3 million people who are unable to vote in this country because of a felony conviction." - - - - - - Help The Sentencing Project continue to bring you news and updates on disenfranchisement! Make a contribution today. Contact Information -- e-mail: [email protected], web: http://www.sentencingproject.org