In 1995 Gov.George Allen ushered in a brutal, racist, and destructive policy in Virginia --- he abolished parole. If you live in Virginia you can do more then tell Allen to go @#@!# himself, you can change help change the law. This Wednesday SB796 goes before the General Assembly sub-committee on crime and with your help we can push it through. With over 2.5 million people incarcerated, roughly the entire nation of of Jamaica behind bars, the poltical need for a solution for this nation inside a nation is emerging as a dark horse in upcoming 2012 election.
(Images and a link to a pending bill, SB796, in Virginia. Welcome back Allen)
Join with parents, friends, former prisoners, and concerned citizens who are fighting to take Virginia a step back from what is one of our most pressing civil rights issues in the country – our criminal justice system. We can address No Parole in Virginia by pass SB796, a bill written by an amazing group of women, who meet each month in a church basement in inner-city Richmond.
Stand with the children of the incarcerated in Virginia who have shown incredible resilience in the face of great challenges, going to school, cooking their own meals, planning for the future, maintaining relationships with their incarcerated parent, and hoping for a brighter day in the face of this brutal action by Alan to garner political favoritism.
It is a fact that there is no parole in Virginia, and the only people who benefit are those who have their paws in a billion-dollar cookie jar. Larger than Education and Transportation, the Corrections budget is a handout to a state-run industry in Virginia that needs a dose of common sense.
This summer, with a group of prisoner family members, I toured the state of Virginia to hear stories from local folks about how No Parole impacts their lives. What we heard was devastating. In rural southwest Virginia we met with the parents of underground miners who began self-medicating for injuries, who got caught in dragnet police actions and were sentenced to 10, 15, and 20yrs, without any hope of parole. We sat with a grandmother in Hampton, who is 86 years old and taking care of her two grandchildren, while her daughter serves a long sentence for a non-violent crime.
With the introduction of SB796, which calls for those inside our prisons to be able to earn earlier release through the completion of educational and drug treatment programs, we have an opportunity to bring common sense back to Virginia. Your support will give thousand of families in Virginia a chance to be reunited and help create safer communities for us to live in.
SB796 is not a meal ticket or a free ride. It requires those inside to earn their way back their families, employment, church, and their communities.
If you live in Virginia you can take action:
Hello, I want to speak (or leave a message) to/for Sen.______
My name is _ , I’m calling from ___, VA, and I wanted to share my support for SB796. I want the state to be financially responsible in how we handle corrections and our judicial system. SB796 will support common sense criminal justice policy, while making sure that those who are returning to our communities from prison have a better chance of being successful and contributing as taxpayers. Please vote in favor of SB796.
Here are the folks we want to reach out to. Pick a few to call or call all of them.
Sen. Emmett Hanger @ 804/698-7524
Sen. Jill Vogel @ 804/698-7527
Sen. Ryan McDougle @ 804/698-7504
Sen. William M. Stanley, Jr. @ 804/698-7519;
Sen. Frank Wagner @ 804/698-7507
Sen. Toddy Puller @ 804/698-7536
Sen. George Barker @ 804/698-7539
Sen. Jeff McWaters @ 757/965-3700
Sen. John Miller @ 757-595-1100
Sen. Richard Stuart @ 804/698-7528
Sen. Patsy Ticer @ 804/698-7530
Sen. Ralph S. Northam @ 804/698-7506
Sen. Mark Herring @ 804/698-7533
Hey George, go !@#!@#@! yourself. Learn more.