Incarceration

Dennis Sobin's "Letter from Jail #1" November 2008 Dear Friends, Well, here I am back in jail. Again put here by my adult lawyer son and sister in an effort to silence me. The discord between us began in 2001 when my mother died. She was to leave a substantial part of her large fortune to the Prisons Foundation, a non-profit arts advocacy group which I had recently co-founded. The arraignment was to be handled by my attorney son with my sister's involvement and cooperation. A substantial share was also to go to each of them.In the end they got greedy and wanted it all; so they cut me and Prisons Foundation out. Over the years I have tried to find answers as to how such a thing could happen. My mother and I were close. She, a retired union organizer and former public school principal, was very supportive of the then infant Prisons Foundation. My son and sister reacted to my inquiries about the inheritance by getting repeated stay-away orders against me. This is the third time I've been charged with violating them. Previous stays in jail for such violations ranged from ten days to three months. This time the sentence has been harsher due to the influence and contacts my son and sister have. Due to their money and ambition, they have both risen to positions of power over the years. My sister Judy Sobin is a regional director of the United Way in Salt Lake City. My son Dennis Sobin is a D.C. assistant Attorney General working at City Hall here in Washington. The previous violation that my son had me prosecuted and jailed for was my attempt to resolve our differences by talking to his attorney. My sister put me in the slammer when I sent her an email on her birthday; sincerely wishing her happy returns and expressing hope that we could settle our "misunderstandings." I had forgotten that in Utah a stay-away order last three years, not one year as in Washington D.C. Meanwhile, my son has his stay-away order against me renewed year after year. This year he really lowered the boom when he learned that I was to testify at City Hall on behalf of the Prisons Foundation. He charged me with three violations for going or attempting to go to City Hall to give such testimony. That's why I am in jail now. The judge agreed with my son that the stay-away order called for me to keep away from his "place of work," and that City Hall was just that. My fine lawyer James Butler's impassioned argument that Darrin's "place of work" was in fact an office in City Hall that I had scrupulously avoided, that I came and left without incident, and that I never saw my son or attempted to see him, fell on unresponsive ears. The verdict of guilty on two counts hit me so badly both as a father and as a citizen that I collapsed, falling onto the defense table, and then taken to jail in an ambulance with a stop along the way at an area hospital that tested me and diagnosed me as having an anxiety attack. When I told my doctor and my nurses what had happened, they nearly fainted too. Now I'm sitting on a bunk in my jail cell, wearing my orange jumpsuit and writing several "Sobin's Letter's from the Jail" communiqués. I was sentenced to six months in jail, a half year. Given my son and sister's influence, coupled with their strong motivation to bury me even before my death, I expected it to be more severe. I will use my time to read and write books and work on my music. Of the two books I intend to write, one will be called Mentoring to Artists in Prison. It will be used in workshops to train mentors for imprisoned artists conducted by the Prisons Foundation (a program supported by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanity). If you care to help me I can use some blank paper. Please send me some loose sheets (up to 50) and I'll share any excess with other inmates (my roommate Michael is 18 and likes to write too). Also, I would appreciate a book or two. Any books sent to this institution must be paperback and sent directly by a bookseller (like Amazon.com). My favorite reading is American history, novelized or not, and music; particularly biographies of composers and songwriters, sheet music and song collections. I also ask that you support the Prison Art Gallery located at 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington, D.C. 20006. Telephone: 202-393-1511. It's currently being most ably run by Donovan Berry, Kevin Horrocks, Anita Winston and Jahi Foster-Bey. Except for Anita, the entire staff has all been to prison, and Anita is on her way there (to visit her son). Thank you deeply for your support. Yours for Justice, Dennis Sobin #206757 Central Detention Facility 1901 D Street S.E. Washington, D.C. 20003 *Note the views in this letter are those of the author alone. Please send your comments directly to him.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, September 15, 2008 Contact: LaWanda Johnson, (202) 558-7974x308; cell:(202) 320-1029 Violent Crime Fell in 2007; Areas with lower incarceration rates experienced greater crime reductions WASHINGTON, D.C.--Violent crime in the United States fell by 1.4 percent in 2007, according to an analysis released today by the Justice Policy Institute. The analysis, which is based on findings in the 2007 FBI Uniform Crime Report released today, finds that the drop in crime came at a time when the prison and jail growth rates fell from previous years. The analysis concluded that regions with the lowest incarceration rates also experienced the largest drops in violent crime. The number of violent and property crimes fell in three of the four regions of the country. The northeast region experienced the greatest drop in violent crime, and also has the lowest incarceration rates in the country. The southern region has the highest incarceration rates and witnessed a rise in violent crimes--the only part of the country to not experience a drop in crime. Furthermore, as the growth rates of prisons and jails fell, the violent crime rate fell as well, possibly indicating that lowering the number of people imprisoned can be an effective way to increase public safety. "The data clearly demonstrates that the use of incarceration as a means of increasing public safety is a failed public policy," said Sheila Bedi, executive director of the Justice Policy Institute. "This data underscores that investments in education, employment and housing are what make communities safer." The Uniform Crime Report also reinforces statistics around youth crime and suggests that punitive practices aimed at youth should be abandoned for more effective alternatives. According the UCR, adults are responsible for the majority of violent offenses, representing 84 percent of all violent crime arrests. For a more in-depth analysis of crime trends, and information on effective public safety practices, please visit our website at www.justicepolicy.org.

[Courtesy of Prisons Foundation] The year's most exciting stage presentation is now being rehearsed and finalized. Please mark your calendar for an evening of great theater featuring the work of prisoner and ex-prisoner playwrights: Sat. Aug 30, 8 pm, Millennium Stage of the Kennedy Center. Free admission. Presented as part of the Kennedy Center's Page to Stage Festival. See below for a listing of the five plays that will be performed. Also, pick up the next (August) edition of Washingtonian Magazine for more preview information. From Prison to the Stage: Six Felons, Five Plays Road 2 Redempshun by Shelton Land Laws Of The STREET by Lamont Carey This is Serious by Ramone Ringo Fernandez Stitch in Time by Lee Amiralt and Dennis Sobin The Monkey Trap by 1 Wise African aka Joseph Briggs Producer: Lloyd S. Rubin Directors: Jahi Foster-Bey and Anita Winston Music Director: Kevin Horrocks Stage Manager: Christopher Bryant

In a recent syndicated column ("More Prisons, Less Crime), commentator George Will argues that the world record incarceration rate in the United States has produced safer streets and has been beneficial in particular to African Americans, who are disproportionately victims of crime. Will's selective use of data and limited vision provide an inaccurate portrayal of current criminal justice policy and its effects.

In a briefing paper, The Sentencing Project refutes Will's argument on prison racial disparities, federal crack cocaine sentencing and the impact of incarceration on crime.

Do Prisons Equal Less Crime? provides an assessment of some of the key arguments raised in the Will column. We hope you find this analysis useful in your work.

-The Sentencing Project

[Courtesy of Prison Art Gallery] Our wholesale fundraising catalog has arrived! Use it to advance your social issues and make a 300% plus profit for your organization or business. Choose from prison art prints, postcards, justice jewelry, prison music CDs, books, and more. All items are fully refundable, so there's no risk whatsoever! Thanks to the generosity of our grantmakers, printers and manufacturers, we are able to offer our most popular prison art-related gift items at wholesale prices (up to 75% off) for fundraising resale by non-profit organizations and socially-minded entrepreneurs. Please call 202-393-1511 or email [email protected] for further information. Pick and choose what you want for your fundraising and revenue enhancing needs. To access our new full-color catalog, please visit http://prisonsfoundation.org/afj/mayafj.pdf. Wholesale prices below (of items in our catalog): 1. Prison Art Prints matted at $8 each (retail $20 each) 2. Prison Art Prints framed at $16 each (retail $40 each) 3. Prison Art Postcards at 50 cents each (retail $1.50 each) 4. Sterling Silver Justice Jewelry at $ 10 each (retail $30 each) 5. Prison Music CDs at $4 each (retail $13 each) 6. Handcuff Key Ring Greeting Cards at $1.25 each (retail $4 each) 7. Prison Poetry Books at $4 each (retail $12 each) 8. Jailer Whistle Key Ring at $1 each (retail $3 each) 9. Mug-Shots-of-the-Famous Playing Cards at $2 each (retail $5 each) Become one our authorized outlets and get all the great items in our catalog and more at discounts of up to 75% off. That means a profit for you of 300%. Plus you'll generate the excitement of having reasonably priced prison art gifts at your location. Whether you're planning a one time fundraiser or an ongoing enterprise, you need look no further for fun and high profitability than these unique gift items. We even include free signs and free consultation to unlock very high the earning potential. Ideal for churches, schools, and nonprofit organizations and businesses of all types. For further information, please call 202-393-1511 or email Dennis@ PrisonsFoundation.org.

[Courtesy of LEAP] My better half said: Yet another conversation in the hallway starting with my hat, ended in the elevator, crowded with mostly female staffers. Blah, blah, blah (spoken quietly), then raising my voice so all would hear, …."When it comes to drugs, as my wife and better half said; the state, thru its police department, can not stop personal stupidity." There was a murmur, light chuckle, and all smiles as the door opened. Karen is indeed the author of the phrase, BTW (Ubrigens) Ask the Governor what she thinks: In meeting with a hard-core drug warrior office from Michigan this week, I employed my new line, ‘can your state afford the free federal money to arrest dealers, when, back home, the state might have to spend 60 million to build a new 500 bed prison to keep them @ 30,000 per year times xx years?’ It was a ‘Kodak’ moment to get the aide to admit that the office had not considered the ‘downstream,’ state costs of the ‘free’ fed money. As I suggested he have the Congressman call Governor Granholm (D-MI) and ask if she had money in her budget to house the extra dealers, he did not dismiss my idea. His facial expressions and other non-verbal language told me that I had punched the idea into his brain. A little Crown that night to celebrate and another small step on this long journey. PS: I was on the Hill a lot these past two weeks & thus the Stories are late. Congress was in recess and that is the best time to receive extra time with staffers. Apologies.

Washington, D.C.: Communities are bearing the cost of a massive explosion in the jail population which has nearly doubled in less than two decades, according to a new report released today by the Justice Policy Institute (JPI). The research found that jails are now warehousing more people--who have not been found guilty of any crime--for longer periods of time than ever before. The research shows that in part due to the rising costs of bail, people arrested today are much more likely to serve jail time before trial than they would have been twenty years ago, even though crime rates are nearly at the lowest levels in thirty years. "Crime rates are down, but you're more likely to serve time in jail today than you would have been twenty years ago," said the report's co-author Amanda Petteruti. "Jail bonds have skyrocketed, so that means if you're poor, you do time. People are being punished before they're found guilty-justice is undermined." The report, Jailing Communities: The Impact of Jail Expansion and Effective Public Safety Strategies, found jail population growth (22 percent), is having serious consequences for communities that are now paying tens of billions yearly to sustain jails. Jails are filled with people with drug addictions, the homeless and people charged with immigration offenses. The report concludes that jails have become the "new asylums," with six out of 10 people in jail living with a mental illness. The impact of increased jail imprisonment is not borne equally by all members of a community. New data reveal that Latinos are most likely to have to pay bail, have the highest bail amounts, are least likely to be able to pay and, by far, the least likely to be released prior to trial. African Americans are nearly five times as likely to be incarcerated in jails as whites and almost three times as likely as Latinos. Further exacerbating jail crowding problems is the increase in the number of people being held in jails for immigration violations-up 500 percent in the last decade. In 2004, local governments spent a staggering $97 billion on criminal justice, including police, the courts and jails. Over $19 billion of county money went to financing jails alone. By way of comparison, during the same time period, local governments spent just $8.7 billion on libraries and only $28 billion on higher education. "These counties just cannot afford to invest the bulk of their local public safety budget in jails, and we are beginning to see why--the more a community relies on jails, the less it has to invest in education, employment and proven public safety strategies," says Nastassia Walsh, co-author of the report. Research shows that places that increased their jail populations did not necessarily see a drop in violent crimes. Falling jail incarceration rates are associated with declining violent crime rates in some of the country's largest counties and cities, like New York City. "The investment in building more jail beds is not making communities safer," says Derrick Johnson, NAACP National Board member. "Instead these investments serve only to unfairly target communities of color and waste taxpayer dollars." The report recommends that communities take action to reduce their jail populations and increase public safety by: * Improving release procedures for pretrial and sentenced populations. Implementing pretrial release programs that release people from jail before trial can help alleviate jail populations. Reforming bail guidelines would allow a greater number of people to post bail, leaving space open in jails for people who may pose a greater threat to public safety. * Developing and implementing alternatives to incarceration. Alternatives such as community-based corrections would permit people to be removed from the jail, allowing them to continue to work, stay with their families, and be part of the community, while under supervision. * Re-examining policies that lock up individuals for nonviolent crimes. Reducing the number of people in jail for nonviolent offenses leaves resources and space available for people who may need to be detained for a public safety reason. * Diverting people with mental health and drug treatment needs to the public health system and community-based treatment. People who suffer from mental health or substance abuse problems are better served by receiving treatment in their community. Treatment is more cost-effective than incarceration and promotes a positive public safety agenda. * Diverting spending on jail construction to agencies that work on community supervision and make community supervision effective. Reallocating funding to probation services will allow people to be placed in appropriate treatment or other social services and is a less costly investment in public safety. * Providing more funding for front-end services such as education, employment, and housing. Research has shown that education, employment, drug treatment, health care, and the availability of affordable housing coincide with lower crime rates. For more information on Jailing Communities, contact LaWanda Johnson at 202-558-7974, ext. 308. ### The Justice Policy Institute is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank dedicated to ending society's reliance on incarceration and promoting effective and just solutions to social problems. For more information, visit www.justicepolicy.org.

[Courtesy of Prison Art Gallery] You are cordially invited to attend a free reception at the Prison Art Gallery, 1600 K St NW, Washington, DC (three blocks from the White House) on Sunday, March 30, 2pm, for a talk by Paul Wright, Editor of Prison Legal News, and Alex Friedmann, Associate Editor. Both are accomplished legal writers, researchers and justice advocates who are recognized experts in the fields of prisoner rights, sentencing reform, and related justice topics. There will be a question and answer period following their presentation. This is a rare opportunity to get your legal questions answered by knowledgeable professionals who closely follow the latest trends and court decisions...a must if you care about anyone in prison. Paul spent more than a decade in prison where he began publishing Prison Legal News. A monthly news journal, it is now the pre-eminent source of information about criminal justice and prison developments. It is circulated and used by men and women in virtually every jail and prison in America. Get the latest issue FREE at the reception. Paul will also be bringing and signing copies of his new book, Prison Profiteers, a critical look at over-incarceration in America and who profits from it. Don't miss this rare opportunity to gain important knowledge and understanding from two professionals in the know. Free refreshments will be served. Also at the reception, the Prison Art Gallery will unveil its new media blitz marketing campaign featuring DC Mayor Adrian Fenty. You'll be astounded at what the mayor (his childhood friend was in prison with our director) is willing to do (in addition to the grant money the city has provided us). 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.