For the immediate restoration of Voting rights for Ex-Felons upon completion of their sentence

Those who have been working for decades on criminal justice reform and prison reform stand united in opposition to the Trump administration's plan to invest in mass incarceration for all offenders, non-violent and violent offenders, while ignoring the needs of crime victims and communities. Restorative Justice International, a national and global association, supports an investment in victims-driven restorative justice, which will recognize the needs of crime victims while holding offenders accountable. We are committed to moving forward, not backward.

The Francis family received a letter from the Arkansas Parole Board inviting Brian Francis to come speak to this issue on June 9, 2017

Because we have a right to see how the Police are treating the public they serve. If they are doing everything by the book, it shouldn't be a problem!

As a member of the ACLU's People Power in my town I am against cooperating with ICE in our state. I am asking you to please sign my petition urging the Orange County Board of Supervisors to reconsider their position on expanding their detention protocol and completely reevaluate their policy regarding their cooperation with ICE. This is not in the best interests of our state or our communities. Please read the full article here; http://voiceofoc.org/2017/05/oc-supervisors-expand-immigration-detention-in-county-jails/

Justice for Kristina Hickey! Now a 32 year old cold case. We request that the new Cook County State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx, fast-track Kristina Hickey’s cold case to the top of the list. It has been over two years since her convicted killer was exonerated and over 32 years since her murder. We cannot wait any longer for justice to be served for Kristina. KRISTINA’S STORY On the night of October 3, 1984, 15-year-old Kristina Hickey of suburban Park Forest was supposed to walk straight home after singing in a choir concert at Rich East High School. She never made it home that night. Instead, her body was found in the bushes by a department store near the school. She had been brutally beaten, sexually assaulted and stabbed multiple times. Her throat had been slashed, and it was clear from the disturbed dirt around her body that she had fought for her life. Kristina’s death devastated the community. She was funny, smart and loved by both her peers and her teachers. She hung out with the kids in her honors' classes as well as the kids in the smoking lounge and the kids in show choir. In short, Kristina charmed her way across the social "cliques" of high school with her generous nature and quick smile. On January 15, 1987, a young man was convicted of Kristina’s murder (Link: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-02-26/news/8701160000_1_sentencing-jail-cell-cook-county-judge) On February 11, 2015, the man who was convicted of Kristina’s murder, after serving 30 years in prison, was freed with help from the Illinois Innocence Project at the University of Illinois Springfield. His case is now one of many nationwide in which DNA evidence belatedly ruled him out as a suspect and unfortunately he has paid a heavy price. (Link to story: http://illinoistimes.com/mobile/articles/articleView/id:15109). COLD CASE So now Kristina Hickey’s murder is a 32 year old cold case and the killer or killers have a huge head start. We request the new Cook County State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx, to fast track Kristina Hickey’s cold case to the top of the list. It has been over two years since her convicted killer was exonerated and over 32 years since her murder. We cannot wait any longer for justice to be served for Kristina. Petition signers may also contact: Kim Foxx Cook County State's Attorney 69 W. Washington, Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 603-1880 [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/kimfoxx2016/

Edward Ruiz has been held without bail or conviction in the Mohave County detention center in Kingman Arizona since May 4, 2017. Edward is in a great deal of pain and suffering from a spinal cord injury. He has been denied the right to be evaluated and or treated by a licensed physician. On May 7th he lost the use of his right leg. It is cruel and unusual punishment to be treated in such a way. Please sign this petition and stop the inhumane treatment to prisoners in Arizona.

Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, and Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul D. Connick, Jr. have admitted they allowed their prosecutors to issue “fake subpoenas,” i.e., notices labeled “SUBPOENA” to witnesses in criminal cases, telling them they had to appear before the District Attorney for questioning. These “fake subpoenas” were issued without judicial approval and, in Orleans Parish, threatened fines or jail time if the recipient ignored them. Every prosecutor who issued a “fake subpoena” should received discipline of no less than a public reprimand and suspension from the practice of law for no less than One Year and One Day.

Regarding Sherrif Mike Scott and the Lee County Sheriff's Office there has been far to much evidence and repeated allegations of abuse of power, corruption, Special Deputy Badges handed out to Celebrities and wealthy influential donors, misuse of Tax dollars, Freedom of information request denials, Civil Rights violations as Standard Operating Procedures throughout the Sheriff's Office and unwillingness to initiate requirements for Sheriff's Deputies to wear body Cameras for accountability to Lawful Police Procedures

Jack Jones and Marcel Williams were executed on Monday, April 24. Ledell Lee was executed on Thursday, April 20. Arkansas performed its first execution since 2005, and the first double execution in the United States since 2000. The assembly line of death has executed three men, and one more remains at risk of imminent execution. Arkansas has exactly eight doses left of a crucial drug used to perform lethal injections, and it's set to expire at the end of April. So the governor scheduled eight executions packed into a ten day period—with two executions per day—as if the justice system was a conveyor belt. The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane punishment that always violates human rights. What Arkansas is doing now is even more evidence that it needs to be abolished once and for all. Treating prisoner's lives as if they were products with a "use by" date is abhorrent. Rushing through executions on a conveyor belt simply because of an expiration date damages the dignity of all involved and gives a sickening image of Arkansas' justice system. Rapid executions increase the risk of human error, and the drug they are rushing to use already been shown to make prisoners die in agony. Execution warrants have expired for Don Davis, Bruce Ward, and Stacey Johnson, who are no longer at risk of imminent execution. Executions remain scheduled for two prisoners, although a stay is in place for Jason McGehee. Williams is scheduled for execution April 27.

Since 2000 we have been looking for an alternative to prison. Prisons are based on punishment; what is needed today is healing. Pu`uhonua is a Hawaiian alternative for prison. Instead of wasting taxpayers' money down the black hole of building more prisons, invest in Pu`uhonua

Last month, a group including what Slate called “the biggest names in voter suppression” wrote an open letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions that could have disastrous consequences for our voting and civil rights. Responding to a wave of voter suppression laws passed after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has taken an active role in rooting out and opposing laws meant to keep eligible people from voting based on race or other factors. This open letter wanted to change that -- urging Attorney General Sessions to shift the Civil Rights Division’s priorities away from fighting voting discrimination, and to hire people who shared that mission. That’s hiring discrimination plain and simple -- federal law prohibits the government from making hiring decisions based on political affiliation. And politicizing the hiring process like this would be a massive step backwards for the Division, which ought to be free to pursue its mission without political interference. We should be hiring the best people to protect our civil rights and make decisions on merit -- not political affiliation. This letter echoes a shameful chapter in the Department of Justice’s history, which some signatories to the letter, like Hans von Spakovsky, were a part of. In the mid-2000s, the Bush Administration deliberately favored conservatives over other candidates when staffing the Civil Rights Division, leading to a rightward shift overall in the Division’s crucial work. If Sessions follows through on these right wing ideologues’ requests, he’ll undermine the Division’s ability to carry out its important mission and the nation’s confidence in the even-handed application of the laws. We can’t allow that to happen.