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The Committee on Criminal Justice
Chairperson - Robin Garrett (she, her)
The Committee on Criminal Justice seeks to:
(1) eliminate harsh and unfair sentencing practices that are responsible for mass incarceration and racial disparities in the prison system, (2) support and seek to increase trust and public safety by advancing effective law enforcement practices, (3) fight for the restoration of the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people and the removal of barriers to employment, (4) elevate the voices of crime victims in order to identify and advance systemic breakdowns existing in the criminal justice system that perpetuate crime, (5) end the war on drugs for its disproportionate collateral consequences harm in communities of color, (6) the institution and availability of alternatives to incarceration, including education, employment, and mental health services, (7) eliminate zero tolerance policies implemented in our schools which are keeping children out of the classroom and putting them on a path from the schoolhouse to the jailhouse, (8) investigate programs implemented in local law enforcement agencies which derail them from their main purpose of safety and order, and (9) seek budget modifications in states where incarceration receives more funding than education.
Justice and Policing Reform
The NAACP is calling for Deliberate and Intentional Criminal Justice Reform that ensures the protection of Black lives. If there was ever a time for us to unite against a common threat to the existence of Black people, it is now. We've waited for far too long for meaningful federal legislation from Congress. Our fight for justice remains unyielding. Many more Black lives have been lost at the hands of police officers.
Atrocities committed against the people of this country by the authorities cannot and should not go unanswered. We demand Congress take swift action by passing legislation on police reform to end the horrors of police brutality and reform a criminal justice system that fails to properly hold law enforcement officials accountable.
Committee members are focused on and engaged in....
Inmate visitation
Visiting with elderly inmates at SCI Chester (the state prison in Chester, PA)
Hungry and Malnourished: Food Service in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
An independent evaluation of prison food by the Pennsylvania Prison Society has found that meals in state prisons do not meet the nutritional needs of incarcerated people, leading to widespread hunger behind bars.
Prison Board
10/25 - Prison population is up 17% from this time last year. There are openings for correctional officers. High-level offenders are sent to SCI & wear different bright uniforms than the rest of the population. The sheriff's office is transporting sentenced prisoners to SCI twice a month now.
Mass Incarceration
Lobbying the state legislature for passage of laws to reduce and ultimately eliminate Pennsylvania's drastically excessive rate of mass incarceration.
Mass incarceration is the civil rights challenge of our time. The human and financial costs are staggering. Our broken prison system affects us all. There is so much we can and must do. By taking action with us, you can play an important role in helping people who are suffering needlessly and advancing prison reform.
Focus is on ending death by incarceration (DBI), also known as mandatory life without parole sentences, in Pennsylvania. While our lobbying focuses specifically on DBI, we support other groups and allied coalitions focused on related issues, such as changing the commutation process, improving re-entry resources, and banning solitary confinement.
Email Lizz at (lizz@straight-ahead.org) with any questions!
Voting Rights
Working with other local organizations to ensure that eligible voters incarcerated at Chester County Prison can exercise their right to vote; all those incarcerated at the prison who are qualified to vote* can register and vote.
This is a free program that provides those with prior justice system involvement with a direct pathway to entering the manufacturing industry.
Students enrolled in the program take three primary courses – manufacturing, thinking for a change and business readiness – and are trained in the areas of job readiness, social skills, positive self-change and problem-solving. Upon completion of the program, students have the option to participate in a job fair, where they meet and interview with potential employers who are searching for the exact skills and training these students have acquired.
Domestic Terrorism and Gun Violence CANNOT continue.
Those espousing white supremacist ideologies attack the very foundations of our nation.
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We CANNOT allow our lawmakers to do nothing while our communities, communities they are sworn to serve, represent, and protect are being slaughtered.
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STAND UP ~ SHOW UP ~ SPEAK UP
United to Serve the Community
LASP is guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, issued by the United Nations. LASP’s work in ensuring its clients housing rights are protected, that they have means to provide basic human needs for their families, that they have access to health care, protection from violence, and family stability, all may properly be classified as protecting, defending and advocating for, fundamental human rights.
We need to create as many mechanisms as possible to give people second chances, reunite families, and reduce mass incarceration.
includes passing “second look” laws, expanding compassionate release, and using clemency more often.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
Pennsylvania has the highest incarceration rate in the Northeastern U.S. and the second-highest number of people serving life without parole sentences in the country.
Click on the image above to learn more.
In a world where justice and redemption are often elusive, “District of Second Chances” offers a poignant look at the journey toward hope and reform. Join us for truly immersive picture of struggle, resilience, and the human capacity for transformation.
ATTENTION!
The PA Board of Pardons announced that it would consider many convictions on an expedited basis. The new guidelines apply when the last contact with the criminal justice system was 5, 10 and 15 years ago. In general terms, crimes that involved violence, sex, or abuse of children do not qualify; but a great many others do.
Contact your PA representative and ask them to support HB999 to end the death penalty in PA: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/.../home/findyourlegislator/
Our Mission is to Empower and Reach out to Communities and the Youth about the impact of gun violence.
Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures.
GunSenseUs is an all volunteer, non partisan, non-profit organization working to reduce gun injury and death in the U.S.
The 3 member Board of Commissioners constitutes the chief governing body of the county. Together with its executive staff, manages a large and diverse organization whose mission is to provide quality government services in an efficient, cost effective manner.
Chester County's Law Enforcement Profession
All law enforcement candidates must have training and be certified under Pennsylvania’s Act 120.
Task Force on Race & Justice
The mission of the Task Force on Race & Justice is to improve the relationship between communities of color and law enforcement.
The duties and services of the Sheriff's office are essential & vary in nature.
Strategically located throughout PA, officers work
to build relationships with minority organizations and local community leaders.
BRIDGING GAPS & BUILDING BRIDGES
JUSTICE REFORM
The Prison Branch Support Committee
The Prison Branch Support Committee shall support the work of the Prison Branch in accordance with Article VHI, Section 6 fi- ll) by (1) working closely and directly with the members of their respective Prison Branch and the Regional Prison Coordinator, (2) maintain contacts with, and report regularly to the Regional Coordinators;
(3) build, cultivate and maintain positive relationships between prison officials, Prison Branch members and members within the local Branch; and (4) solicit community organizations and business to establish a volunteer bank (teachers, writers, poets, businessmen, ministers, lawyers, policemen, judges, government officials, politicians and media personnel) to assist the Prison Branch in carrying out its programs.
Renowned experts in a variety of fields focus on our deep-rooted impulse to punish people in ways that are far beyond what could be considered proportionate. Together, they illustrate how necessary it is to rein in the punitive excess of the criminal legal system, which is inexorably entwined with the legacy of slavery.
The path forward towards justice requires that we fight for what we believe. This is what we believe.
EJI is committed to changing the narrative about race in America and works with communities marginalized by poverty & discouraged by unequal treatment.
FAMM seeks to create a more fair & effective justice system that respects our American values of individual accountability & dignity while keeping communities safe.
The battle to end solitary confinement in Pennsylvania must be fought in Harrisburg. Too many people are serving long prison terms that don’t make us safer.
Extreme sentences devastate families and communities across the country, but they hit communities of color the hardest. The current US Supreme Court isn't likely to end solitary confinement.
