Letter to State Legislators

Dear State Legislator,

I am writing to ask of you to consider co-sponsoring and supporting proposals currently making its rounds in our state legislature.

The rate of return for re-offending women and men in our state prisons today stand at its lowest among people 55 years of age and older. And while we cannot turn back the hands of time for the lapse in judgment of our past actions, we are many who have since acquired and adopted trades, skills and abilities to combat the ever-growing problems of criminal activities in our communities. Many of us have strived to bury and help to address crime and delinquency

and strive to do away with thoughts of crime generating attitudes which can express itself in criminal conduct. Once a defective product, we can now hold our heads high and assist in the detection of structural defects in the thinking patterns of many of our youth of today.

Most of us have become a new person, having involved ourselves in volunteer programs sponsored and supported by volunteers who enter our state prisons, donating their free time and energies in support of addressing the acts and symptoms of crime and delinquency. Many of the volunteers believe in the concept of rehabilitation and return to these prisons in support thereof, a concept who today one rarely hears about from correction officials.

The current proposals, The Fair & Timely Parole Act and Elder Parole Act, both speaks to the growing trend of transformation among women and men in our state prison system today. The first proposal seeks to level the field when it comes to appearing before the parole board. Should the record reflect a person shows through their individual levels of achievements how they have sought to address shortcomings which may have been alluded to by the sentencing court as having contributed to delinquent and/or deviant behavior, such individuals should be given some

benefit of the doubt that may arise in one's mind, that this person has taken the initiative to address personal shortcomings which may have contributed towards them committing crime in the first instance. In the second proposed legislation, studies have shown that the older a person gets, there is a greater chance said person would not likely re-offend, after having served at minimum 15 years in prison. non other words, that people appeared to age out of crime. At the age of 55 or older at such time were a person’s prison record to show they have sought to

improve their character and better themselves as a responsible adult, said person should be given an opportunity to appear before a parole board for release consideration.

Both proposals creates a presumption of potential release unless a person’s record can show or articulate a current public safety risk that would warrant a denial for release. The Fair & Timely Parole Act and the Elder Parole Act are currently making its rounds as S.1415/A.4231 and

S.15/A.3475, respectively. You are being asked to seriously consider adopting the above two legislative proposals in support of recognizing the growing need for criminal justice reform in our state.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,

Yohannes Johnson