Organizations

[Courtesy of The Sentencing Project] National: Advocate's Efforts Featured in National Press The voter education efforts of the Rev. Kenneth Glasgow in Alabama were featured in the New York Times. As founder of The Ordinary People's Society, Rev. Glasgow has spent several years working to restore voting rights for individuals with felony convictions in Alabama, where an estimated 250,000 people are prohibited from voting. If the disenfranchisement laws were reformed, "there would be a lot of difference in our legislators, our elected officials and our presidents that we've had," the Rev. Glasgow stated. "It would definitely change the political spectrum of Alabama." The article further stated that severe restrictions are imposed on formerly incarcerated citizens in the South dating back to antiquated Jim Crow laws. Alabama's Republican attorney general, Troy King, has proposed a constitutional amendment that would ban all citizens with felony offenses from voting. - - - - - - 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

[Courtesy of LEAP] ‘Worthless’ information worth a head snap in DC: NOTE: since I began delivering newspapers at the age of 11, I have been a voracious reader. My head is filled with facts I have never used (like knowing algebra). Then one day…… Having lunch in the Senate restaurant, yet another conversation started with ‘nice hat.’ The gentleman and I began my most interesting conversation in nearly two years in DC. He has worked the corridors of power for 39 years and was a consummate pro (like the guy in Thank You for Smoking great movie, BTW {see dialog at bottom}) He was telling me about law enforcement costs for cities & counties, explaining there were a few places that combined the two governments which made the stats a bit fuzzy. “You mean a city like Indianapolis?” I enquired. You could see his eyebrows go up, upon hearing my question. “Exactly like Indianapolis” he replied and then gave a few more examples. Call me crazy but I believe he began to take me more seriously. (NOTE: this is/was reasonable..there are always a few wingnuts in the building {at the FBI Senate oversight hearing there were two women dressed head to toe in pink, holding pink signs, etc.}) He said we might work together. ‘Give me the best example of how your ideas have reduced the costs to county jails and hospitals, while not increasing criminal justice problems.’ he said. “I’ll get right on it.” I replied. We concluded our chat and went our separate ways. I immediately called my friends at DPA (Drug Policy Alliance) & they are in the process of getting me the example. This guy (& I believe him) regularly meets with actual Senators and Congressmen, not staffers like me. I am excited. Could be a medium step, here. Cross your fingers, hold your thumbs. Fortune favors the bold. Dialog: Preface: I was arguing against federal money used to hire local cops to arrest local criminals. The lobbyist was being paid to get that extra half billion fed money for local sheriffs’ departments. Him: ‘What county are you from in Texas?’ Me: ‘Tarrant County’ So you have dual citizenship. Tarrant County and United States Citizen, right? Right. Local funds support should support law enforcement, to protect you as a resident of Tarrant County, right? Right. And federal funds should support law enforcement to protect you as a US citizen, right? Right. So, you should support federal funds going to your local sheriff’s department, right? Me: “Rrrrrr rrrrr wrong. Fed money should support the FBI which assists local police. Wow. You are good!” Him: He chuckled and we moved on to other topics.

[Courtesy of LEAP] AMBUSHED! The following dialog occurred between the Russell Senate Building and the Union train station. The names have NOT been changed to protect the guilty. Unknown white male about 40: “Nice Boots.” Howard: “Thank you. All the way from Texas” Unknown: I have a pair of Stewart’s and I am real happy with them. Howard: These are Tony Llama & still going strong after 10 years Unknown: You from Texas? Howard: Yes sir, Fort Worth, where the West begins. Unknown: What brings you here? Howard: I am here to change the world. You? Unknown: What part of the world you want to change? (notice he did not answer my question) Howard: end the drug war & drug prohibition..nothing serious, nothing too big. Unknown: How is it going? Howard: Blah, blah, blah…..For instance I attended Senator Biden’s hearing last week to end the 100:1 ratio of crack to powder. It was nice but he loves the drug war. He is just doesn’t get it. Unknown: How would you do it? Howard: As a starting point for discussion, I would give the 10 illegal drugs the same rules & restrictions as whiskey and cigarettes. Kevin: Hmmm. I probably should tell you my name is Kevin & I work for Senator Biden out the office of the judiciary committee. (Note: Biden is the chairman of the crime subcommittee) Howard: (sucking in deep breath, trying to remember if I directly insulted the gentleman from Delaware), Howard Wooldridge from LEAP. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Nice to meet you. Kevin: I have enjoyed our chat. Your viewpoint is interesting. Howard: good. Next recess I’ll give you a call and set up a short meeting. Kevin: okay Anatomy of a Congressional hearing or how I work one minute a day and get paid: On Wednesday Senator Biden’s Senate subcommittee on crime held a hearing on giving local police a half billion dollars to arrest drug dealers. I took the usual 7:17 train into DC. I walked to the Dirksen building where the hearing would be held and drank my giant coffee while I read the Washington Times (I read the Post on the train). From 10 to 11:30 I did work I had brought with me + answer a few new emails using my Blackberry. After lunch I got in the line outside of Room 226, promptly at noon. Taking a chair out of a pile in the phone booth, I sat down and worked another 2 hours using my laptop computer. (I expected a packed room. Indeed, a dozen chiefs of police were eventually left standing up or in the hallway.) When the doors opened just before two, I was the first one in and grabbed the best seat to be seen by the Senators. 4 Senators testified + one guy from the White House, followed by 3 police officers. Every one tooted their horn & how great their agency is, even as they said the sky was falling for the lack of fed money. Senator Chambliss of Georgia said the cut from 12 to 4 million fed dollars would allow gangs to nearly take over the state. Harkins of Iowa said about the same thing, as did Feinstein of California and Feingold of Wisconsin. ‘The sky is falling. The sky is falling’ echoed in the room for two hours. NOTE: I desperately wanted to say that if the situation is so dire, couldn’t the state of Georgia with a 15 billion dollar budget find the missing 8 million, rather than face a state controlled by gangs? When Senator Biden banged the gavel to end the session, I moved quickly to where he was shaking the hand of the police commissioner of Philadelphia. Waiting politely, we made eye contact, we shook hands and I said, ‘Senator Biden. As a police detective I agree with you that a good 60% of crime is caused by the drug war. You expressed a great desire to reduce crime. Have you ever considered the easiest way to dramatically cut crime would be to end the drug war, this new prohibition?’ “What do you mean?” He asked. I replied, ‘The same as our grandparents did in 1933. End prohibition and make the drugs legal, regulated and taxed. Having a 14 y/o die selling drugs because the policy gives him that job option has to be immoral, don’t you think?’ He blinked. ‘Yes, it is. I gave a speech on that a while back. Give me your card and I will have my office send it to you.’ I handed him my card, saying “thank you.” Leaving the hearing room, I went straight to his office where I spoke to the receptionist. She said she would double make sure I received the speech. As the train dropped me back off at 7:03 PM, my ‘one minute of real work’ day came to a close. Small steps...

Missisippi: Secretary of State Moves to Disenfranchise More Voters A voter restriction legislation package that has already passed the state Senate and is soon to arrive at the House adds even more prohibitions to the state's felony voting laws, according to the Meridian Star. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann released a statement boasting that the state isn't the first to debate removing all felons from the voter rolls. He said "of the 50,000 criminals which are incarcerated or fall under the supervision of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, only 12,000 are prohibited from voting." Defending his proposal, he stated: "It is time for the felony voting requirement to be brought into the 21st century." State Sen. Joey Fillingane said banning all citizens with felony offenses "will make the law easier to understand." He added that individuals could regain the right to vote two years after a sentence is served - but there would still be exceptions for certain offenses. "Right now, a lot of people sitting in jail think they have lost the right to vote, but really they haven't," Fillingane was quoted as saying in the Hattiesburg American. "This would make it where everyone would understand. It would be an incentive to finish the sentence, wait for a period of time and get the right to vote back." Kentucky: Governor Removes Some Disenfranchisement Barriers Newly installed Governor Steve Beshear has removed some disenfranchisement barriers, making it somewhat easier for those who have served their sentences to vote, the Kentucky Herald Leader reported. Formerly incarcerated individuals will no longer have to pay a $2 fee, write an essay or get recommendations to regain the right to vote. Citizens, however, still have to get their civil rights restored by the governor. Kentucky and Virginia are the only two states where all formerly incarcerated individuals are banned from voting unless the governor restores their civil rights. A constitutional amendment would be needed to change that. "This is not about being tough on crime. This is about treating people fairly and about welcoming back people trying to put their lives together again and become good citizens," said Beshear. The move restores the former policy that existed under Beshear's predecessor, Ernie Fletcher. "This disenfranchisement makes no sense," Beshear said. "It makes no sense because it dilutes the energy of democracy, which functions only if all classes and categories of people have a voice, not just the privileged, powerful people." Currently, Kentucky denies the right to about 129,000 citizens, including one in four African Americans, the governor's press release stated. For additional coverage, see Pol Watchers and the Kentucky Post. International: U.N. Body Recommends U.S. Restore Voting Rights The United Nations' Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination today called on the U.S. to automatically restore voting rights to people with felony convictions upon completion of their criminal sentence, and raised concern that such policies have a disparate racial and ethnic impact and may be in violation of international law. "The Committee remains concerned about the disparate impact that existing felon disenfranchisement laws have on a large number of persons belonging to racial, ethnic and national minorities, in particular African-American persons, who are disproportionately represented at every stage of the criminal justice system," concluded the Committee in their recommendations to the U.S. Government. To view a copy of the Committee's recommendations, please visit: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/docs/co/CERD-C-USA-CO-6.pdf. National: Rate of Disenfranchisement Higher for African-American Women The Sentencing Project has just released an analysis of the rate of disenfranchisement of women in the United States. Key findings of the report include: At yearend 2004, there were an estimated 792,200 women ineligible to vote as a result of felony disenfranchisement laws - a 17 percent increase since 2000. Further, the analysis finds that "given the disproportionate rate at which African-American women are under supervision in the criminal justice system, their rate of disenfranchisement is considerably higher than for non-African-American women." National: ACLU Aims to Help with 'Toolkit' The ACLU has released "Right to Vote: A Campaign to End Felony Disfranchisement," a felon enfranchisement tool kit to aid organizations in voter education efforts. Sample bills, public education resources and opinion editorials are featured in the 72-page resource manual. The document also features recent successful campaigns resulting in legislation and policy reform, how-to tips, and what to lobby for depending on each state's current laws. National: U.S. Needs to Restore "Democratic Expression" On OpEdNews.com, Chris Lugo, Progressive Candidate for US Senate wrote his views in support of reforming felony disenfranchisement laws nationally. Pointing to last year's JFA report, "Unlocking America," and the recent Pew report which found that 1 in 100 American are incarcerated, Lugo points out that America's priorities are misguided and reform must be implemented. He writes: "Limiting the right to vote only further punishes men and women who are working hard to become members of society in good standing, it affects the outcome of national and local elections and is an undue burden on the poor and minorities. It also has a deeper cost that cannot be measured. Restoring the right to vote doesn't just affect our basic democratic expression, it also has profound effects on that individual's sense of self and their sense of identity. It impacts on the sense of fairness and justice of the entire society." - - - - - - 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

[Courtesy of Prison Art Gallery] View the March Edition of Art for Justice, the Prison Art Magazine of the Prison Art Gallery at http://prisonsfoundation.org/marafj.pdf The new edition of Art for Justice features striking samples of Pano art from our extensive collection of this unique art form. Pano art is made by prisoners using handkerchiefs and bedsheets and is a prison tradition. Own a unique Pano today at a very special price. Also featured in the March issue of Art for Justice is extraordinary prison artist Anthony Curtis Dye. Anthony is incarcerated at Dooly State Prison in Georgia where, due to lack of art supplies, he is forced to become extremely creative in the fine art he produces. For example, he draws and paints on paper bags and cardboard scraps with paints created from materials such as wax, instant coffee, white out, mustard, creamer and spinach. "Wish I had a brush," he says. No matter, the results are unique and of museum quality. View and purchase one of his works now at a fraction of their worth. You will also find in the March issue of Art for Justice a selection of specially priced and beautifully matted prison art prints. There are 51 to choose from, ranging from landscapes to portraits to prison themes. At only $15 each (the custom matting alone is worth that), they are a steal. Purchase anything from the March issue of Art for Justice and they will be shipped to you anywhere. Or get them at our Prison Art Gallery, 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington, DC. Open everyday, M-F 9-5, Sat & Sun 1-5. For further information, please email [email protected] or call 202-393-1511.

[Courtesy of Prison Art Gallery] It's time that word got out in the nation's capital (and across America) about your organization or business, and we're prepared to do it with our planned Prison Artmobile. This unique prison-art filled vehicle is bound to capture the media and public's attention. With spring upon us and the opportunity to showcase the more than one thousand pieces of beautiful art in our Prison Art Gallery throughout Washington (thanks to a legal challenge the ACLU won for us that allows us to use any public space), we're looking for a donated vehicle that we can convert into the Prison Artmobile. Ideally, we'd like a van, but will consider a station wagon or pickup. Any year after 1998 will do. If you have one to donate, there's a big tax advantage since we're a 501(c)(3) organization and we're not going to resell the vehicle. So it will be counted at full book value. We'll put your Name/Logo/Message on the Prison Artmobile at our own expense. Thousands of people will see the Prison Artmobile (starting in Washington and eventually traveling cross country). In addition to featuring your Name/Logo/Message, the rest of the Prison Artmobile will be attractively decorated by a skilled formerly incarcerated artist. It will also feature the famous Pablo Picasso quote: "Even in a prison, or in a concentration camp, I would persevere in my own world of art, even if I had to paint my pictures with my wet tongue on the dusty floor of my cell." Please contact us today about your vehicle. In the event that you do not have a used vehicle to donate, please consider donating funds to help us outfit the Prison Artmobile. The same offer to include your Name/Logo/Message applies. For further information, please call 202-393-1511 or email [email protected]. But please hurry. Spring is about to be sprung.

LEAP on the Hill -- Stories from the week of February 22, 2008 Almost déjà vu: In September 1978 I put on my police uniform for the first time. The last thing I did was put the six 357 caliber bullets in my revolver. I still vividly* remember putting each one carefully in the cylinder. The responsibility that comes with such power was extraordinary. I am grateful that I never fired a shot in anger. This week I ‘loaded’ my briefcase for my days on the Hill. I made sure I had all the documents, brochures, business cards, MOC lists, etc. I had to be ready for any eventuality** to move our issue forward. The stakes***are as important as going on police patrol. Drug prohibition results in the needless death of tens of thousands each year. ­Hollywood, here I come!: On Monday I was invited to participate in a one hour TV show which dealt with the topic of Justice in America as it relates to our massive numbers of citizens in prison. I was joined by a rep of the Brookings Institute and victim’s rights advocate.**** I helped turn the discussion to the reason so many are behind bars; namely our drug prohibition. If you have 47 minutes: go to: http://www.presstv.com. Click on ‘Programs’ located on the left side of the homepage near the top. Click on "American Dream." Click on 21 February: Human Rights in the US. Or click on: http://www.presstv.com/prg_detail.aspx?SectionID=3510502 Always ready & thinking ahead: Once I leave the train, I switch mental gears, much as I did whenever I put on my police uniform. My tie has to be straight and tight to the neck. In DC ‘everyone’ dresses well because they must be ready if someone shoves a camera in their face. When I am walking in the hall, my briefcase is always in my left hand. Why? Because my right hand must be free to touch the brim of my hat, when I pass a woman I recognize or even a stranger. (call me sexist but women love that). I eat my pizza in the cafeteria with my left hand in case I need to shake a hand. A clear & present danger (also opportunity) is talking to someone & you don’t know how important they are. I have learned to control my impulse to speak too much and too candidly.*****All this is part of my learning curve.

Tennessee: ACLU Challenges State's Disenfranchising "Poll Tax" Law Challenging the state's law that disenfranchises formerly incarcerated individuals who have outstanding legal financial obligations, restitution or child support fees, the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Tennessee filed a federal lawsuit this week. The ACLU charges the 2006 law is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause and is synonymous with a poll tax. "Reports show that, nationally, over 50 percent of criminal defendants are indigent at the time of sentencing. Therefore, requiring a person with a criminal conviction to pay a fee before restoring their right to vote is nothing more than a modern day poll tax," stated Nancy Abudu, staff counsel with the ACLU Voting Rights Project in a press release. "This law locks citizens out of the democratic process when it comes to issues of great concern to them. The result is that the political power of poor people is further diminished and the collateral consequences of poverty multiply." The suit was filed on behalf of Terence Johnson, Jim Harris and Alexander Friedman, three citizens who have completed their sentence including parole, and probation. Though Johnson and Harris have custody of their children, they owe child support, according to the ACLU. Friedman was denied restoration of his voting rights in 2006 because the state claimed he owed more than $1,000 in restitution. "My dream is to have the opportunity to become a fully productive citizen again, regardless of my economic status. And I have the right to participate in the electoral process to bring about change to the issues that concern me most in my community," Johnson was quoted as saying in a press release. "I've served my time, I am a taxpaying citizen and I have custody of my daughter. It is wrong for the state to punish me and other people while we get our lives back on track." For additional coverage, see the Nashville Post. - - - - - - 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