Julie StewartMarch 12, 2009
Dear FAMM supporter --
Maybe it's just me - a sentencing junkie - who sees the perfect storm for sentencing reform building out there. But I don't think so. I think anybody who looks can see it coming.
The economic crisis was already draining state budgets. Now we've learned that for the first time ever, prison and probation costs are rising faster than any other state expenses, including Medicaid, education, and transportation!
These findings were released in a report published last week by the Pew Center for the States, which also found that an astounding number of people in this country - 1 out of 31 - are in jail or prison, or on parole or probation!
One out of 31 people... If this depressing trend continues, one child out of every grade-school classroom can expect to be under correctional supervision in the future.
This bleak situation makes the message that FAMM has been sending for years easier to hear. Our practical, front-end, and permanent solution of reforming sentencing laws can help states climb out of their budget holes without jeopardizing public safety.
And we see many states already moving in that direction.
Just weeks after FAMM launched its new campaign in Nevada, policymakers there are poised to introduce a bill to limit the reach of the state's mandatory minimum penalties. New York's draconian Rockefeller drug laws are finally on the brink of falling after 35 years. And, according to the Pew report, even conservative states like Texas and Kansas have already implemented non-prison alternatives to help people get back on their feet and save taxpayers money.
Sometimes it takes a crisis to bring the change that is a long time coming. The Pew report makes clear we have reached a crisis point. The skyrocketing economic cost of one-size-fits-all sentencing can no longer be ignored. We need to repeal wasteful mandatory minimums NOW!
So, please, help us make the most of this crisis by passing the reforms we've always needed. Your support makes all the difference. We must move now before the perfect storm passes.
My best,
Julie
President
P.S. - We need your help today. Please click here to make a secure online donation, or send a check or money order to FAMM, 1612 K St. NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC, 20006.