Contact:
Rabiah Burks, 202-822-6700
rburks@famm.org
FAMM Partnering With Florida Cares on Criminal Justice Reform
The organizations will work together to help families in Florida become advocates for sentencing and prison reform.
WASHINGTON – FAMM announced today a partnership with Florida Cares to engage more families with incarcerated loved ones in Florida to become advocates for sentencing and prison reform.
“The recent ballot victories in Florida show that the public is hungry for criminal justice reform. It is time for the state’s elected leaders to listen to the people most affected by Florida’s counterproductive sentencing and prison policies and to pass reform,” said FAMM president, Kevin Ring. “Florida Cares has been successful in raising the voices of affected families, and we are excited to join forces with them to advocate criminal justice reform and improved prison conditions.”
FAMM has been focused primarily on sentencing reform in Florida since the group’s state policy director, Greg Newburn, began working there in 2011. Since then, FAMM has led successful efforts to reduce drug trafficking penalties, eliminate excessive mandatory minimum sentences for aggravated assault cases, and amend the savings clause of the Florida Constitution to allow the legislature to make sentencing law reforms retroactive. Florida Cares, founded in 2017, has been the leader in organizing affected families to preserve in-person visitation, offer volunteer-based programs at no additional cost to the state of Florida, and improve prison conditions.
“We are excited to partner with FAMM because we have so much work to do,” said Denise Rock, executive director of Florida Cares. “Florida lags behind all of our neighbors when it comes to passing smart criminal justice reform. With FAMM’s support, we intend to expand our army of informed and committed advocates who know firsthand what reforms our state needs.”
In the coming months, FAMM will work with Florida Cares to mobilize affected families and individuals, using proven best practices in grassroots organizing, targeted volunteer recruitment and mobilization, and the latest online engagement strategies. “If every Florida family that’s been harmed by our justice system spoke up for commonsense reform, politicians would have no choice but to listen,” Ring said.
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ABOUT FAMM
FAMM is a nonpartisan, national advocacy organization that promotes fair and effective criminal justice reforms to make our communities safe. Founded in 1991, FAMM promotes change by raising the voices of families and individuals who are directly affected by counterproductive sentencing and prison policies.
ABOUT FLORIDA CARES
Florida Cares is a Florida nonprofit that is committed to improving the lives of the incarcerated through advocacy, visitation, and programs.
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