Pennsylvania

Contact:
John Norton, 202-999-4268
jnorton@famm.org

Desmond McKinson, 215-251-9791
DesmondMcKinson@pasenate.com

Senator Street & FAMM to host The Road to Redemption Live at Eastern State Penitentiary 

PHILADELPHIA – On Tuesday, April 19th FAMM will join Senator Sharif Street in hosting The Road to Redemption: Live at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, from 2-4 pm. The event will also be livestreamed on Senator Street’s Facebook page.

“We waste hundreds of millions of dollars locking people away with extreme prison sentences that do nothing to improve public safety,” said Maria Goellner, FAMM’s Pennsylvania State Policy Director. “While the methods at Eastern State Penitentiary were primitive, the belief that people can change, and have much to offer society even after a prison sentence, should inspire us today to do better. Releasing people who deserve a second chance plays a critical role in violence intervention. We shouldn’t waste a single dollar on policies that don’t work, especially when that could otherwise be spent on prevention and trauma recovery.”

The celebration of Second Chance Month includes Senator Sharif Street, Representative Donna Bullock, members of the Philadelphia delegation to the General Assembly, Board of Pardons Secretary Celeste Trusty, Maria Goellner, and prominent formerly incarcerated individuals including David Luis “Suave” Gonzalez, Robert Saleem Holbrook, Louis Reed, and Bobby Harris, all of whom are doing community-building in Philadelphia and across the state.

“Pennsylvania has a $2.6 billion yearly corrections budget and more than 5,000 people sentenced to life without parole,” said Senator Street. “Our Commonwealth puts away more people for longer amounts of time than most places in the world, and gives few opportunities for second chances beyond commutation, which is still like winning the lottery. We need to pass second chance legislation like SB 835 so more people can return home to their families.”

The event will start with a press conference outdoors and conclude with a panel inside that can be viewed virtually.

•    2:00-2:30 pm – Press event outdoors at the Eastern State Penitentiary (live only, indoors if rain)
•    2:30-3:00 pm – Break and move indoors (speakers and panelists available to media)
•    3:00-4:00 pm – Indoor Road to Redemption panel (live and by virtual livestream/recording)

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FAMM is a national nonpartisan advocacy organization that promotes fair and effective criminal justice policies that safely reduce incarceration, save taxpayer dollars, and keep families together. Founded in 1991, FAMM has secured bold sentencing and prison reform across the country while elevating the voices of directly impacted individuals and families.

Senator Sharif Street, elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in 2016, represents the Third Senatorial District of Philadelphia, which encompasses a population of over 240,000 people in North Philadelphia, Nicetown, Roxborough, Lower Germantown, Logan, Olney, Fern Rock, Crescentville, East Oak Lane, East Wyoming, East Hunting Park and Melrose Park Garden. A leader on criminal justice reform in the Senate, he sits on PA’s Commission on Sentencing and has championed a variety of criminal justice reform policies. 

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