Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform – New Hampshire

Over 1/3 of parole violators are re-admitted into prison on a yearly basis. That is over 230,000 men and women going back into the prison system, with minority men being affected the most.  The Pew Charity Report states, “Half of the U.S. jail population is the consequence of failure under community supervision.”

Thursday, February 6, 2014 is an important date to remember. It will mark The Center for Church and Prison, Inc.’s first annual public forum on the topic: Parole, Probation and Mandatory Minimums: The Need for Sentencing Reform in America.

In the state of Massachusetts, parole eligibility has declined dramatically.  The “three strikes you’re out” sentencing laws has been enacted, and harsher sentencing policies are causing an influx in the already stressed prison population which is causing major problems such as overcrowding.

In addition to this disparaging news, studies show that more than 3000 children have been sentenced to die in prison in the United States, including kids as young as 13 and 14 years old.  More than 70% of the youngest children are African American or Latino.

There are many small victories being won to end the epidemic of mass incarceration amongst minorities.  United States Attorney General Eric Holder has made it clear that the war on drugs and mandatory minimum sentences are “counterproductive to public safety and criminal justice reform.”

Please join The Center for Church and Prison Inc. at their first annual public forum to try to enact lasting change.

Source: http://www.yourblackworld.net/2014/01/black-news/too-many-inmates-public-forum-to-be-held-on-the-urgency-of-sentencing-reform/