The Justice Charter has been updated. It contains 18 key steps to NYS criminal justice reform, along with rationales for each and savings estimates for some.
The Justice Charter can be found at the CURE-NY website, www.users.bestweb.net.
A limited number of hard copies of the Justice Charter can be obtained from CURE-NY.
A very limited number of CDs, containing a Power-Point presentation of the Justice Charter, can be obtained from CURE-NY by those able to make such a slideshow presentation to a least ten people.
The Justice Charter also contains: Chilling Facts Regarding Our Present System, A very troubling litany of problems in the U.S. and New York State criminal justice systems, and
Faith Communities Call for Justice, A measured indictment of NYS justice, grounded in the tenets of many faiths.
Please consider making good use of the Justice Charter, Rudy Cypser, cureny@bestweb.net
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Saturday, July 01, 2006
July 2006 Edition
Dear Readers,
IF YOU HAVE A LOVED ONE WHO’S BEEN DENIED PAROLE, or is eligible for parole, or you care about the issue for some other reason, you’re invited to a meeting that is only a few months away. Family Empowerment Day 2 on Oct 21, which is described in Article 5 of this issue, is all about coming together to plan what we can do to end parole denials to community-ready individuals.
It’s exciting to learn about the growing interest in the event. The Coalition of Families and Community has heard from many people, and we know each one of them is also spreading the word. HOW MANY OF YOU ARE EXPECTING TO ATTEND? If you are, please let us know. If you’ve been inviting your friends and family to attend, please let us know how many have accepted the invitation, with their names and contact info if possible. The Coalition needs this information to be able to create an event that is pleasant as well as effective. Send the information to any of the following: prisonaction@hotmail.com; PAN, H-M IMC, PO Box 35, Troy NY 12181; in the Capital District: 518-253 7533; in the Buffalo area: 716-834-8438, in Poughkeepsie area: 845-616-9698.
Together we CAN make a difference!
Articles:
1. Additional Bills pass in State Legislature!
2. Buddhism Text Denied to Prisoner
3. Chairperson of Parole, Robert Dennison, Visits Beacon Prison
4. Convict Nation, by Silja J. A. Talvi
5. Family Empowerment Day 2 Updates
6. From the Inside: Jehan Abdur-Raheem, Chas Ransome
7. From Other Media: ‘Jail Jam’ OK, Pataki Appoints 7 to Parole Board
8. Legal Battle Won by Prison Legal News
9. Locked Down for More than a Lifetime - Seth Hayes
10. Meetings
11. Radio Programs
12. Transportation to Prisons
1. Additional Bills Pass in State Legislature
S7588/A10832, was signed into law by the governor on June 7, 2006! NYS penal law now reorients the focus of incarceration to promote reentry while an individual is being sentenced and is in prison, and the corrections law now clarifies the process for applicants seeking Certificates of Relief from Disabilities, thus enabling job seekers to find employment or gain occupational licenses more quickly. To look up the text of this bill, go to www.communityalternatives.org. Thanks to ICARE for all their work on this bill. For more information about ICARE, you can visit www.nyicare.org.
A11562 passed in the Assembly on June 21. It requires that both the Department of Correctional Services and the Division of Parole notify all persons who reach their maximum sentence of imprisonment about their right to vote in writing. The legislation also requires that in addition to notifying a person released from prison or discharged from parole about their right to vote, each such person be provided with a voter registration form together with information about the importance and mechanics of voting.
Finally, the legislation requires that the State Board of Elections be notified about all persons who are again eligible to vote because they have reached their maximum imprisonment date, been discharged from parole, conditional release, or presumptive release, or completed a period of post-release supervision. The State Board of Elections must then transmit this information to all local boards of elections.
S.5934-A/A.6179-A is now at the governor's office. The Senate and Assembly passed the licensing bill sponsored by Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Assemblymember Michael Benjamin that states that men and women who are trained to practice cosmetology and barbering in prison can no longer be denied a license simply because of their criminal conviction/s. Cosmetology training is offered to women incarcerated at Taconic, Bedford Hills and Albion Correctional Facilities. Barbering training is available to male inmates at Hudson, Green Haven, Auburn and Mid-State Correctional Facilities.
Senator Montgomery calls on criminal justice advocates statewide to join her in urging Governor PATAKI, ph: 518 474-8390, to sign this bill into law. PLEASE CALL THE GOVERNOR TO URGE HIS SUPPORT FOR BILL S.5934- A/A.6179-A!
SHU Bill
A bill to prohibit placing mentally ill inmates in solitary confinement passed the State Legislature. It now goes to Gov. George Pataki.
According to Paul Grondahl, Staff writer, Albany Times Union, in his Wednesday, June 28, 2006 column, [Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R-Seneca Falls, chairman of the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections and sponsor of the bill]. “said the bill's unanimous passage in the Senate came about because it not only would offer more humane treatment for mentally ill prisoners placed in Special Housing Units (SHUs), also known as The Box, but would make prisons safer for correction officers, too. Support from the correction officer union and others representing prison employees was crucial, Nozzolio said.”
In that same article, Paul mentioned PFNY, an organization to which many of our readers belong: “’Two dozen women who are wives, sisters and mothers of prisoners praised passage of the bill at the fourth annual retreat of Prison Families of New York, held last week in Lake George’, the group's director said. ‘Their loved ones with mental illness were being criminalized, and they had no business being in the SHUs,’ Alison Coleman said.”
2. Access to Book on Zen Buddhism Denied
at Gowanda Correctional Facility, Gowanda, New York USA
by Kooi Fong Lim, The Buddhist Channel, June 5, 2006 - Excerpts from original article, posted at www.buddhistchannel.tv
Gowanda, New York (USA) -- A prisoner at the Gowanda Correctional Facility in New York State; William "Red" Graham has been denied access to a basic introductory text on Zen Buddhism entitled "Prison Chaplaincy Guidelines for Zen Buddhism" authored by Venerable Kobutsu Malone.
The facility's "Media Review Committee" will not allow William to receive a copy of the book due to a non-existent regulation which it lists as "Depicts/describes procedures to be implemented solely by Administration"........A comprehensive review of the directive's guidelines reveals nothing that substantiates a justification for the ban, as none of the content in the book contradicts in any way whatsoever what the State lists as "standards for media evaluation.".........To date, only Gowanda Correctional Facility in New York has objected to the book. No other correctional facilities within New York State, The Federal Bureau of Prisons, or prisons and jails in any other state have taken similar action.
3. Chairperson of Parole, Robert Dennison, Visits Beacon Prison
On February 27, 2006, at the request of women in prison at Beacon Prison, Robert Dennison, Chairperson of the New York State Division of Parole, visited Beacon to talk about parole. The following is a excerpt from a “fact sheet” of said visit, reported by someone who was there and presumably unable to take notes or have recording equipment, so it cannot be verified. It was first published in May 2006 Deuce Club, the newsletter of The Coalition for Parole Restoration (CPR ). We publish a few paragraphs to attract your interest. To read the entire article please send your request to CPR, PO Box 1379, NY NY 10013-0877, call 888 590 9212, or email: parolecpr@yahoo.com.
Dennison admitted that the commissioners are more likely to let people convicted of nonviolent crimes go, even though they know that their recidivism rate is much higher that people convicted of violent felony offenses.
............Dennison admitted women do better in prison than men, and much better on parole. The likelihood of a woman convicted of a violent crime to return to prison is less than one percent. In fact, statistics are practically non-available concerning this. Dennison also admitted that since 2001, only 28 people convicted of class A-1 felonies have been paroled.
..........Dennison denied that the stats in the New York Law Journal article, “Parole Release Rates Plunge Under Pataki’s Tough Policy” [01/31/06], were correct. When questioned about the “correct” stats, he said he didn’t know.
...........Dennison also stated that he would repeat everything he said in front of the women in Beacon in front of the media.
..........When asked if he believed in rehabilitation, Dennison clearly answered “Yes.”
..........Dennison further stated that parole decisions were not made in advance, contrary to what some people in prison might believe.
If a person was sentenced to 20 years to life, obviously the judge must have been of the opinion that 20 years was appropriate, if indeed the person had done all he/she could do. When posed this question, as to why people in this situation were repeatedly denied parole, Dennison simply answered: “The parole board has the discretion to increase that sentence.”
We can change our attitude, our outlook on life, we can do programs and be in counseling for years, but we cannot change the nature of the crime. How do you expect us to go up against that? The answer by Dennison was, “You can’t.”
4. Convict Nation, By Silja J. A. Talvi, senior editor, In These Times
June 1, 2006 - In These Times (US) [full article available at www.inthesetimes.com]
In May, I traveled to McNeil Island Corrections Center, a medium-custody men's prison in Washington state. I made the journey out there because I had been invited to experience the Native American prisoners' annual Pow Wow, which brings together spiritual elders, prisoners and their families, for a powerfully intense four-hour ceremony.
The biggest challenge, as I quickly discovered, wasn't taking in all of the emotion surrounding the event, but having even the briefest moment of privacy for thinking, taking notes, or talking to prisoners. Increasingly, American prison life doesn't allow for privacy -- not even for outsiders like myself. I could discern no possible security risk from a small-statured woman with a pen and a notepad at an island prison, surrounded by barbed wire and frigid waters. Regardless, for four hours, my every move and word was followed, intercepted and occasionally interjected upon. I could barely endure it for the half a day I was there. Millions of Americans don't have that choice.
Of course, many prisoners are indeed guilty of precisely the crimes they've been charged with -- or some version of the crime for which they've been sentenced. And some are absolutely innocent, doing time on trumped up charges, or because a snitch got out of prison time by "rolling" on some of his friends. But assessing the consequences of our country's soaring imprisonment rates has less to do with the question of guilt versus innocence than it does with the question of who, among us, truly deserves to go to prison and face the restrictive -- and sometimes brutally repressive -- conditions found there.
5. Family Empowerment Day 2 Updates:
The G.E.O. at Mid-Orange is promoting Family Empowerment Day 2 by giving each person on a housing unit a copy of the following information sheet, with a request that each person send a copy to his family and friends. The information sheet reads as follows:,
Dear _____, On October 21, 2006 there will be a Family Empowerment Day 2 event held. I need you (or alternatively, you and our family members) to attend this very important meeting as my representative/s because I don’t have a voice without you speaking for me.
The topic will be PAROLE. The day will consist of speakers, discussion groups, and deciding on a plan of action. Free food and childcare will be provided. Please attend this event for me, it will be held at the following time and address: October 21, 2006, 11 am to 3:30 PM, Middle Collegiate Church, Second Avenue and 7th Street, NYC 10003, 212 477-0666.
Remember you are my connection to the outside so please attend this meeting on October 21, 2006, it’s a Saturday.
[The G.E.O. will also be encouraging reentry organizations to support “this very important event.”]
****************
The Latest Information on FED2:
Date: October 21, 2006
Time: 11 am - 3:30 pm
Topic: Parole Policies in NYS (and what can be done to change them).
Location: Middle Collegiate Church, Second Avenue at 7th Street in Manhattan,.212 477-0666.
Presented by the COALITION OF FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY:
Individuals who have loved ones in NYS prisons
Interfaith Coalition of Advocates for Reentry and Employment (ICARE)
Citizens for Restorative Justice (CRJ)
Coalition of Families of NYS Lifers
Coalition for Parole Restoration (CPR)
Prison Action Network (PAN)
Prisoners Are People Too!
Your organization is invited to join the coalition....
PAROLE IS THE ISSUE....how to End Parole Denials to Community Ready Individuals
Family Empowerment Day 2 will be a day where family and supporters meet, greet and decide what we can do to end parole denials to community-ready individuals.
Tentative program schedule:
11:00 Registration and Refreshments
11:30: Welcoming Remarks and Introduction
11:45 - 12:45 Opening Keynote Speaker/s (15-30 minutes each, depending ...)
12:45 - 1:15 Networking/Tabling break with buffet /refreshments.
1:15 - 2:45 Individual breakout groups led by each available speaker
3:00 Closing remarks and Call to Action
3:15 Time to Network and sign petitions, etc.
3:30 Break down.
History of the event:
The first Family Empowerment Day was held on May 21, 2005. It was the brainchild of the Otisville Correctional Facility’s Lifers Group, who involved their families and supporters in organizing a day of consciousness; a day of strength through diversity; a day of hope. The following was written by the men in the group:
Every year parole denials are served out in large numbers amongst violent felony offenders. To many this is a disheartening experience, psychologically shattering. That experience is shared by prisoners and their loved ones who must, once again, be told: “I don’t know when I’m coming home.” Husbands and wives worry about their continued future as single parents and providers, children weep and ask: “How come Daddy/Mommy is not coming home?”. Elderly parents must be comforted, if for nothing else than their fear of dying alone.
Like ripples in a pond, so many other lives were (and are) affected. For every community-ready person denied parole a heavy toll is exacted on the social, political and moral fiber of society. Families and communities are destabilized, needed funding for healthcare, childcare, housing, education, job training and community institutions is shifted to support already overburdened State Correctional budgets.
Many men and women throughout the State are losing hope. Hope is the one thing which holds many together in the period between parole appearances and parole denials. Family Empowerment Day renewed hope for a lot of the people in attendance last year, who believed those eminently qualified were being denied because they were doing something wrong. This was (and is) not the case, and 5/21 raised consciousness among families and supporters to that fact. That day’s events helped them to understand that they are the pillars of strength for their incarcerated loved ones; they are their foundation and that if they crumble those inside most assuredly will as well.
Family Empowerment Day 2, on October 21, 2006 will be a day where family and supporters meet, greet and learn what steps can be taken together to shed light on what has gone on in the dark for far too long. It is a day that, like the incredibly diverse yet solidly united men in the Otisville Lifers Group who conceived the event, can move us forward as one family which can begin to think and act together rather than continue as a disunified, politically unempowered group scattered across the state, in separate enclaves, divided by race, social class, ethnicity and religion.
We believe in education, faith and transformation. Theses principles guide us to fight for those who won’t fight, those who have given up hope, and those who because of death, can no longer fight. We also fight for the families and supporters who do not understand why community-ready men and women are not being released. Please do not let them down.
*****************
Film Fundraiser raises $170 for Family Empowerment Day 2:
The screening of “Favela Rising” on June 14, followed with a Q & A session led by PAN board member Nathan Hamlin, raised $170 for Family Empowerment Day 2. Thanks to all supporters who came out and were rewarded by an inspiring film and provocative discussion afterward.
*****************
6. From the Inside
Editor’s Note: last month we omitted the names of the prisoners at Gt Meadow who wrote a collective statement of condemnation and outrage at the murder of Sister Karen Klimczak. We apologize to the men whose heartfelt words were published without giving them individual credit:
George Baba Eng, 77A4777;
John Standley, 84B1584;
James Gardiner, 86A0323;
Jimmie Lee Allen, 80A1633;
Shawnon Bolden, 90T4601;
Victor Bolling, 93A4570;
Ashton Nedrick, 87A3212.
[From now on the Building Bridges policy will be to publish the name and DIN of all those in prison whose submissions are printed. If you do not want that information published please make sure we know.]
I read the June 2006 Building Bridges with a sense of pride and accomplishment. I’m both elated and heartened by the momentum building up as a result of persons on both sides of the wall.
Over recent years I noticed a decline in positive legitimate activities by incarcerated individuals as gang fighting and drug use dominated the minds of those behind the walls. Now there seems to be a new awakening, and it’s good to see so many getting back aboard. I’m glad to see Elmira’s PAC organization back in full swing. Their enthusiasm is commendable.
Thanks for publishing the expose of Rush Limbaugh’s hypocrisy (May 2006 issue, from the Internet, by A. Papa) and for honorably mentioning Sister Karen Klimczak. We laugh at phonies like Limbaugh, and we weep at losing a helper and supporter like Sis Karen.
My thanks to the families and friends of prisoners conscious enough to realize that no significant changes will come without their participation. Justice will not come without effort.
--Jehan Abdur-Raheem, 77A1180
*****************************************************
It was a great loss when Grandpa Al Lewis passed on February 3, 2006. However, he only asked that we be the best at whatever it was we did in life. He gave so much to prisoners and their loved ones that it’s only right that we continue on in his absence. The Al Lewis Live Show is hosted by Karen Lewis on WBAI from 12 noon to 2 PM after On The Count. If anyone wishes to give a donation to honor his spirit, his life and his contributions, they may do so by sending them to either: KPFK/California, Attn: Sue Welsh, 3729 Cahuenga Blvd West, No Hollywood, Cal 91604 or WBAI, NYC, PO Box 11445, Church St Station, NY NY 10277-2071.
Grandpa Al always wanted us to remember that no matter how seemingly good it gets: ‘The struggle goes on. The victory is in the struggle, for me. And, I accepted that a long time ago.’ He will always be, for me and many others, a guiding force to honor, recognize and respect as we follow his beacon to greatness. May he rest in peace and his family find peace of mind from knowing that he was great in all he did!
-- Chas Ransome DIN 85A16436
Chas Ransome is a Creative Program Developer and Special Event Coordinator who has been instrumental in getting fellow inmates to write letters to the Assembly and Senate on both the MCI Contract and Parole. Many more than he expected wrote their own letters. Building Bridges congratulates people on both sides of the wall who are becoming involved in the political process! Remember, your vote is only a small part. Becoming informed and letting our representatives know where you stand makes a real difference. Working on campaigns, going door to door and making phone calls can actually get your candidate elected. We may not have money, but we’ve got the numbers!
**********************
I’d like to share these words of wisdom with those men and women that are changing for the better: “The journey in between what we once were and who we are now becoming is where the dance of Life really takes place. Life is a journey, travel light.” -- Mika’il Muwakil DIN 77A2639
7. From Other Media Sources
‘Jail Jam’ OK, Assoc Press: Albany
A federal judge has tossed out a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of NYS prisoners forced to share cells with other inmates, ruling the practice does not violate the U. S. Constitution.
US District Judge Gerard Lynch, in a decision dated May 26, said that simply putting two convicts in a cell designed for one “is a far cry from the ‘wanton and unnecessary infliction of pain’ against which the Eighth amendment protects.”
[Thanks to Mika’il Muwakil for forwarding this article]
Pataki Appoints 7 to Parole Board
The 7 new appointees and their expiration dates:
Jennifer Arena, June 16, 2008;
Alan J.Croce, June 18, 2009;
James Ferguson, July 6, 2011;
Gerald J. Greenan III, June 18, 2012;
Christina Hernandez, June 02, 2011;
G. Kevin Ludlow, June 18, 2011;
Chris Ortloff, June 18, 2012
June 24, 2006 -- ALBANY - Lame-duck Gov. Pataki's patronage machine shifted into high gear yesterday as the names of dozens more politically connected friends and associates - including the wife of CNBC host Lawrence Kudlow - were sent to the GOP-controlled Senate for appointment to high-level jobs and prestigious boards. Democrats challenged some of the moves, which came on the last day of the legislative session, and even some Republicans were aghast, with one saying of the appointments: "With few exceptions, a parade of hacks." Democrats pounced on the qualifications of Jennifer Arena, a longtime Pataki administration spokeswoman, for a two-year term - at $101,600 a year - on the state Board of Parole. Senate Minority Leader David Paterson (D-Manhattan) said Arena failed to meet the state law's requirement that board members have at least five years' experience in such fields as criminology, law, psychology and law enforcement. "There are reasons the law makes this requirement and it is to preserve some integrity to the appointments process," said Paterson. Arena's résumé lists her as a 1990 Michigan State University graduate in journalism who has held two journalism-related jobs, in Florida and Buffalo, and three public-relations jobs working for Pataki and former Republican Attorney General Dennis Vacco. Pataki spokesman Michael Marr contended Arena's experiences as a spokeswoman were sufficient to meet the legal requirement. [Most of this came from a recent New York Post article by Fredrick U. Dicker.]
8. Legal Battle Won by PLN
June 27: Prison Legal news won an important press freedom case by obtaining a federal court ruling that we are entitled to the Federal Bureau of Prisons' information on the amount of money it has spent on all litigation over a multi year period. The BOP had claimed they lacked the information in one location and wanted $7K to look. The court held PLN is entitled to a fee waiver as provided for by the Freedom of Information Act. This practice, of charging public interest groups outrageous "search fees" has been a long standing government policy under the Bush administration which was denounced by the New York Times in an editorial on February 4, 2006. PLN's case is among the first to obtain a win for the press and other public interest organizations.
Many thanks to Ed Elder, PLN's attorney in the case and a member of the National Lawyer's Guild.
[For a complete report on this victory, you can write PLN at 2400 NW 80th St. #148, Seattle WA 98117,
or call them at: 206/ 246-1022].
9. Locked Down for More than a Lifetime
A letter from the Robert Seth Hayes Support Committee -
www.sethhayes.org l info@ssethhayes.org
Robert “Seth” Hayes is a U.S. political prisoner and former member of the Black Panther Party who has been imprisoned in New York state for more than three decades. When Seth was convicted in 1974, his sentence was 25 years to life. The implicit understanding at the time of his sentencing was that Seth would serve 25 years as a minimum, after which time he would be eligible for release based on his record and conduct in prison. In July, 2006, Seth will be going before the parole board for the fourth time. At each of Seth’s previous parole hearings, he was denied release due to the serious nature of the crime he was convicted for and given another two years in jail. The refusal of parole for the serious nature of the crime seems contrary to the spirit of the law, for it is something that a prisoner can never change, and the giving of parole is based upon the prisoner's behavior while behind bars. Seth is not the only one being subjected to these unfair rules. This has become common practice for the New York state parole board, who, by denying parole based on the seriousness of the conviction, are defacto re-sentencing many prisoners to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Seth’s prison record is exemplary, and if a decision about Seth’s parole were to be based on his conduct and personal growth, he would have rejoined his family and his community years ago.
Please write a letter to the parole board to let them know that you think Seth deserves to be released. All letters should be mailed or faxed to Seth’s lawyer, Susan Tipograph, immediately, as Seth's parole hearing is taking place on July 15, 2006. Susan Tipograph, Attorney At Law, 350 Broadway, New York, NY 10013, fax (212) 625-3939. For more information, visit www.sethhayes.org.
Robert Seth Hayes Parole Support Events:
7PM, Sunday, July 2, 271 Grant Street, West Side, Buffalo, NY
7PM, Monday, July 3, 118 East Utica Street,East Side, Buffalo, NY
Arissa - Buffalo Chapter P.O. Box 84 Buffalo, NY 14213 Tel: (716) 796-5460 or email leslie@arissa.org
10. Meetings
A. Prison Families of New York groups:
ALBANY
7-8:30 pm every Monday at The Womens Bldg. 79 Central Ave, Albany . Ring the bell for the library and lounge to get in. Alison at 518 453 6659.
POUGHKEEPSIE
7 - 8:30 pm Monday July 10 and July 24 at the Family Partnership Building 29 North Hamilton Street. Deb at 845-616-9698, dabboz@aol.com.
B. Other Advocacy/Self-Help Groups:
Citizens for Restorative Justice. Thur. July 6th at the Family Partnership building at 29 North Hamilton Street in Poughkeepsie. Deb at 845-619-9698 or dabboz@aol.com.
Coalition of Families of NYS Lifers: Any family member or friend of a prisoner with life at the end of their sentence is invited to contact the Coalition of Families of New York State Lifers, PO Box 1314, Wappinger Falls, New York 12590 or . If you know anyone who is a family member or friend of a prisoner, please encourage them to write.
Surviving The City: A prison release support group in Albany
Every 2nd & 4th Saturday of the month - 11:30 am (next meeting July 8)
176 Sheridan Ave, at the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless Bldg.
Together, we're working to advance ourselves far beyond the walls that incarcerate us!!! All formerly incarcerated individuals are welcome to come and share their hopes,inspirations, and experiences. Call Nathan at 518 368 3480 for more information.
11. Radio Programs
Voices from the Prison Action Network is now heard at 5:30pm on Tuesdays at WRPI Troy, 91.5 FM, and for those outside broadcast range, live at www.wrpi.org. It’s part of the Indymedia Radio Program which starts at 3 and ends at 6. WRPI, Troy has a lot of worthwhile programming, including Democracy Now! at 9am every weekday. Preceding Voices from the Prison Action Network, from 12-2 on Tuesdays is Wild Style Breaks hosted by DJ Sho' Nuf.
The Fancy Broccoli Show airs on somewhat alternate Sundays from 3 - 6pm on Independent Radio WVKR 91.3 FM, Poughkeepsie NY. WVKR streams online - go to www.Live365.com and search for WVKR
On the Count! WBAI 99.5 FM - Pacifica Radio in NYC 10:30 a.m.-12:00 noon Saturdays
12. Transportation to Prisons
A. Please join Prison Action Network when we meet the DOCS free bus at the Albany bus terminal, 12:45 AM on Sunday morning July 9. The bus will be traveling to Gowanda - Collins - Groveland - Livingston. We will meet on Friday afternoon [July 8] to prepare packets, and we need help. Please call 518 253-7533 for location.
B. Prison Action Network offers Rides: Call 518 253-7533 if you need a ride to visit your incarcerated loved one [there is no charge for this service]:
Rides are available from Albany, with the following limitations. Please contact PAN to be connected to your driver.
the prison must be within 150 miles of Albany [300 miles round trip].
driver is willing to wait 2-3 hours for visit to be concluded.
driver is willing to start, from the visitor's residence, as early as 8:00 A.M.
driver is willing to get back home as late as 6:00 P.M.
driver is available on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
car seats 5, though, for a trip of 150 miles, sitting in the middle of the back seat would be a tight squeeze.
C. The NEST prison shuttle schedule: Mt. McGregor, Washington, and Great Meadow Facilities on Sat, July 1 ($30 adults, $20 children), July 22 ($15 adults and $10 children), leaving Oakwood Ave Presbyt. Church parking lot, Troy at 7 AM, and Albany Greyhound Bus station at 7:15. Trip to the Utica Hub (Midstate, Marcy, Mohawk, Oneida) Sat, July 15 leaving at 5 AM ($40 adults, $25 children). Call for reservations and information: Linda O'Malley 518- 273-5199.
Readers are invited to submit notices or articles of interest for publication in this newsletter.
We invite you to write or call Building Bridges, a project of the Prison Action Network:
PAN, c/o H-M IMC
PO Box 35
Troy, NY 12181
518 253 7533
prisonaction@hotmail.com
www.prisonaction.blogspot.com
Request for help:
Prison Action Network receives many requests from prisoners for legal assistance. We have no legal staff. Currently we have in hand a letter asking for help with a class action suit in regard to asbestos, unsanitary mess-hall/kitchen and second-hand smoke. If you can advise, please contact PAN and we’ll forward your response.
Thanks to the AJ Muste Memorial Institute for their generous support.
IF YOU HAVE A LOVED ONE WHO’S BEEN DENIED PAROLE, or is eligible for parole, or you care about the issue for some other reason, you’re invited to a meeting that is only a few months away. Family Empowerment Day 2 on Oct 21, which is described in Article 5 of this issue, is all about coming together to plan what we can do to end parole denials to community-ready individuals.
It’s exciting to learn about the growing interest in the event. The Coalition of Families and Community has heard from many people, and we know each one of them is also spreading the word. HOW MANY OF YOU ARE EXPECTING TO ATTEND? If you are, please let us know. If you’ve been inviting your friends and family to attend, please let us know how many have accepted the invitation, with their names and contact info if possible. The Coalition needs this information to be able to create an event that is pleasant as well as effective. Send the information to any of the following: prisonaction@hotmail.com; PAN, H-M IMC, PO Box 35, Troy NY 12181; in the Capital District: 518-253 7533; in the Buffalo area: 716-834-8438, in Poughkeepsie area: 845-616-9698.
Together we CAN make a difference!
Articles:
1. Additional Bills pass in State Legislature!
2. Buddhism Text Denied to Prisoner
3. Chairperson of Parole, Robert Dennison, Visits Beacon Prison
4. Convict Nation, by Silja J. A. Talvi
5. Family Empowerment Day 2 Updates
6. From the Inside: Jehan Abdur-Raheem, Chas Ransome
7. From Other Media: ‘Jail Jam’ OK, Pataki Appoints 7 to Parole Board
8. Legal Battle Won by Prison Legal News
9. Locked Down for More than a Lifetime - Seth Hayes
10. Meetings
11. Radio Programs
12. Transportation to Prisons
1. Additional Bills Pass in State Legislature
S7588/A10832, was signed into law by the governor on June 7, 2006! NYS penal law now reorients the focus of incarceration to promote reentry while an individual is being sentenced and is in prison, and the corrections law now clarifies the process for applicants seeking Certificates of Relief from Disabilities, thus enabling job seekers to find employment or gain occupational licenses more quickly. To look up the text of this bill, go to www.communityalternatives.org. Thanks to ICARE for all their work on this bill. For more information about ICARE, you can visit www.nyicare.org.
A11562 passed in the Assembly on June 21. It requires that both the Department of Correctional Services and the Division of Parole notify all persons who reach their maximum sentence of imprisonment about their right to vote in writing. The legislation also requires that in addition to notifying a person released from prison or discharged from parole about their right to vote, each such person be provided with a voter registration form together with information about the importance and mechanics of voting.
Finally, the legislation requires that the State Board of Elections be notified about all persons who are again eligible to vote because they have reached their maximum imprisonment date, been discharged from parole, conditional release, or presumptive release, or completed a period of post-release supervision. The State Board of Elections must then transmit this information to all local boards of elections.
S.5934-A/A.6179-A is now at the governor's office. The Senate and Assembly passed the licensing bill sponsored by Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Assemblymember Michael Benjamin that states that men and women who are trained to practice cosmetology and barbering in prison can no longer be denied a license simply because of their criminal conviction/s. Cosmetology training is offered to women incarcerated at Taconic, Bedford Hills and Albion Correctional Facilities. Barbering training is available to male inmates at Hudson, Green Haven, Auburn and Mid-State Correctional Facilities.
Senator Montgomery calls on criminal justice advocates statewide to join her in urging Governor PATAKI, ph: 518 474-8390, to sign this bill into law. PLEASE CALL THE GOVERNOR TO URGE HIS SUPPORT FOR BILL S.5934- A/A.6179-A!
SHU Bill
A bill to prohibit placing mentally ill inmates in solitary confinement passed the State Legislature. It now goes to Gov. George Pataki.
According to Paul Grondahl, Staff writer, Albany Times Union, in his Wednesday, June 28, 2006 column, [Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R-Seneca Falls, chairman of the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections and sponsor of the bill]. “said the bill's unanimous passage in the Senate came about because it not only would offer more humane treatment for mentally ill prisoners placed in Special Housing Units (SHUs), also known as The Box, but would make prisons safer for correction officers, too. Support from the correction officer union and others representing prison employees was crucial, Nozzolio said.”
In that same article, Paul mentioned PFNY, an organization to which many of our readers belong: “’Two dozen women who are wives, sisters and mothers of prisoners praised passage of the bill at the fourth annual retreat of Prison Families of New York, held last week in Lake George’, the group's director said. ‘Their loved ones with mental illness were being criminalized, and they had no business being in the SHUs,’ Alison Coleman said.”
2. Access to Book on Zen Buddhism Denied
at Gowanda Correctional Facility, Gowanda, New York USA
by Kooi Fong Lim, The Buddhist Channel, June 5, 2006 - Excerpts from original article, posted at www.buddhistchannel.tv
Gowanda, New York (USA) -- A prisoner at the Gowanda Correctional Facility in New York State; William "Red" Graham has been denied access to a basic introductory text on Zen Buddhism entitled "Prison Chaplaincy Guidelines for Zen Buddhism" authored by Venerable Kobutsu Malone.
The facility's "Media Review Committee" will not allow William to receive a copy of the book due to a non-existent regulation which it lists as "Depicts/describes procedures to be implemented solely by Administration"........A comprehensive review of the directive's guidelines reveals nothing that substantiates a justification for the ban, as none of the content in the book contradicts in any way whatsoever what the State lists as "standards for media evaluation.".........To date, only Gowanda Correctional Facility in New York has objected to the book. No other correctional facilities within New York State, The Federal Bureau of Prisons, or prisons and jails in any other state have taken similar action.
3. Chairperson of Parole, Robert Dennison, Visits Beacon Prison
On February 27, 2006, at the request of women in prison at Beacon Prison, Robert Dennison, Chairperson of the New York State Division of Parole, visited Beacon to talk about parole. The following is a excerpt from a “fact sheet” of said visit, reported by someone who was there and presumably unable to take notes or have recording equipment, so it cannot be verified. It was first published in May 2006 Deuce Club, the newsletter of The Coalition for Parole Restoration (CPR ). We publish a few paragraphs to attract your interest. To read the entire article please send your request to CPR, PO Box 1379, NY NY 10013-0877, call 888 590 9212, or email: parolecpr@yahoo.com.
Dennison admitted that the commissioners are more likely to let people convicted of nonviolent crimes go, even though they know that their recidivism rate is much higher that people convicted of violent felony offenses.
............Dennison admitted women do better in prison than men, and much better on parole. The likelihood of a woman convicted of a violent crime to return to prison is less than one percent. In fact, statistics are practically non-available concerning this. Dennison also admitted that since 2001, only 28 people convicted of class A-1 felonies have been paroled.
..........Dennison denied that the stats in the New York Law Journal article, “Parole Release Rates Plunge Under Pataki’s Tough Policy” [01/31/06], were correct. When questioned about the “correct” stats, he said he didn’t know.
...........Dennison also stated that he would repeat everything he said in front of the women in Beacon in front of the media.
..........When asked if he believed in rehabilitation, Dennison clearly answered “Yes.”
..........Dennison further stated that parole decisions were not made in advance, contrary to what some people in prison might believe.
If a person was sentenced to 20 years to life, obviously the judge must have been of the opinion that 20 years was appropriate, if indeed the person had done all he/she could do. When posed this question, as to why people in this situation were repeatedly denied parole, Dennison simply answered: “The parole board has the discretion to increase that sentence.”
We can change our attitude, our outlook on life, we can do programs and be in counseling for years, but we cannot change the nature of the crime. How do you expect us to go up against that? The answer by Dennison was, “You can’t.”
4. Convict Nation, By Silja J. A. Talvi, senior editor, In These Times
June 1, 2006 - In These Times (US) [full article available at www.inthesetimes.com]
In May, I traveled to McNeil Island Corrections Center, a medium-custody men's prison in Washington state. I made the journey out there because I had been invited to experience the Native American prisoners' annual Pow Wow, which brings together spiritual elders, prisoners and their families, for a powerfully intense four-hour ceremony.
The biggest challenge, as I quickly discovered, wasn't taking in all of the emotion surrounding the event, but having even the briefest moment of privacy for thinking, taking notes, or talking to prisoners. Increasingly, American prison life doesn't allow for privacy -- not even for outsiders like myself. I could discern no possible security risk from a small-statured woman with a pen and a notepad at an island prison, surrounded by barbed wire and frigid waters. Regardless, for four hours, my every move and word was followed, intercepted and occasionally interjected upon. I could barely endure it for the half a day I was there. Millions of Americans don't have that choice.
Of course, many prisoners are indeed guilty of precisely the crimes they've been charged with -- or some version of the crime for which they've been sentenced. And some are absolutely innocent, doing time on trumped up charges, or because a snitch got out of prison time by "rolling" on some of his friends. But assessing the consequences of our country's soaring imprisonment rates has less to do with the question of guilt versus innocence than it does with the question of who, among us, truly deserves to go to prison and face the restrictive -- and sometimes brutally repressive -- conditions found there.
5. Family Empowerment Day 2 Updates:
The G.E.O. at Mid-Orange is promoting Family Empowerment Day 2 by giving each person on a housing unit a copy of the following information sheet, with a request that each person send a copy to his family and friends. The information sheet reads as follows:,
Dear _____, On October 21, 2006 there will be a Family Empowerment Day 2 event held. I need you (or alternatively, you and our family members) to attend this very important meeting as my representative/s because I don’t have a voice without you speaking for me.
The topic will be PAROLE. The day will consist of speakers, discussion groups, and deciding on a plan of action. Free food and childcare will be provided. Please attend this event for me, it will be held at the following time and address: October 21, 2006, 11 am to 3:30 PM, Middle Collegiate Church, Second Avenue and 7th Street, NYC 10003, 212 477-0666.
Remember you are my connection to the outside so please attend this meeting on October 21, 2006, it’s a Saturday.
[The G.E.O. will also be encouraging reentry organizations to support “this very important event.”]
****************
The Latest Information on FED2:
Date: October 21, 2006
Time: 11 am - 3:30 pm
Topic: Parole Policies in NYS (and what can be done to change them).
Location: Middle Collegiate Church, Second Avenue at 7th Street in Manhattan,.212 477-0666.
Presented by the COALITION OF FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY:
Individuals who have loved ones in NYS prisons
Interfaith Coalition of Advocates for Reentry and Employment (ICARE)
Citizens for Restorative Justice (CRJ)
Coalition of Families of NYS Lifers
Coalition for Parole Restoration (CPR)
Prison Action Network (PAN)
Prisoners Are People Too!
Your organization is invited to join the coalition....
PAROLE IS THE ISSUE....how to End Parole Denials to Community Ready Individuals
Family Empowerment Day 2 will be a day where family and supporters meet, greet and decide what we can do to end parole denials to community-ready individuals.
Tentative program schedule:
11:00 Registration and Refreshments
11:30: Welcoming Remarks and Introduction
11:45 - 12:45 Opening Keynote Speaker/s (15-30 minutes each, depending ...)
12:45 - 1:15 Networking/Tabling break with buffet /refreshments.
1:15 - 2:45 Individual breakout groups led by each available speaker
3:00 Closing remarks and Call to Action
3:15 Time to Network and sign petitions, etc.
3:30 Break down.
History of the event:
The first Family Empowerment Day was held on May 21, 2005. It was the brainchild of the Otisville Correctional Facility’s Lifers Group, who involved their families and supporters in organizing a day of consciousness; a day of strength through diversity; a day of hope. The following was written by the men in the group:
Every year parole denials are served out in large numbers amongst violent felony offenders. To many this is a disheartening experience, psychologically shattering. That experience is shared by prisoners and their loved ones who must, once again, be told: “I don’t know when I’m coming home.” Husbands and wives worry about their continued future as single parents and providers, children weep and ask: “How come Daddy/Mommy is not coming home?”. Elderly parents must be comforted, if for nothing else than their fear of dying alone.
Like ripples in a pond, so many other lives were (and are) affected. For every community-ready person denied parole a heavy toll is exacted on the social, political and moral fiber of society. Families and communities are destabilized, needed funding for healthcare, childcare, housing, education, job training and community institutions is shifted to support already overburdened State Correctional budgets.
Many men and women throughout the State are losing hope. Hope is the one thing which holds many together in the period between parole appearances and parole denials. Family Empowerment Day renewed hope for a lot of the people in attendance last year, who believed those eminently qualified were being denied because they were doing something wrong. This was (and is) not the case, and 5/21 raised consciousness among families and supporters to that fact. That day’s events helped them to understand that they are the pillars of strength for their incarcerated loved ones; they are their foundation and that if they crumble those inside most assuredly will as well.
Family Empowerment Day 2, on October 21, 2006 will be a day where family and supporters meet, greet and learn what steps can be taken together to shed light on what has gone on in the dark for far too long. It is a day that, like the incredibly diverse yet solidly united men in the Otisville Lifers Group who conceived the event, can move us forward as one family which can begin to think and act together rather than continue as a disunified, politically unempowered group scattered across the state, in separate enclaves, divided by race, social class, ethnicity and religion.
We believe in education, faith and transformation. Theses principles guide us to fight for those who won’t fight, those who have given up hope, and those who because of death, can no longer fight. We also fight for the families and supporters who do not understand why community-ready men and women are not being released. Please do not let them down.
*****************
Film Fundraiser raises $170 for Family Empowerment Day 2:
The screening of “Favela Rising” on June 14, followed with a Q & A session led by PAN board member Nathan Hamlin, raised $170 for Family Empowerment Day 2. Thanks to all supporters who came out and were rewarded by an inspiring film and provocative discussion afterward.
*****************
6. From the Inside
Editor’s Note: last month we omitted the names of the prisoners at Gt Meadow who wrote a collective statement of condemnation and outrage at the murder of Sister Karen Klimczak. We apologize to the men whose heartfelt words were published without giving them individual credit:
George Baba Eng, 77A4777;
John Standley, 84B1584;
James Gardiner, 86A0323;
Jimmie Lee Allen, 80A1633;
Shawnon Bolden, 90T4601;
Victor Bolling, 93A4570;
Ashton Nedrick, 87A3212.
[From now on the Building Bridges policy will be to publish the name and DIN of all those in prison whose submissions are printed. If you do not want that information published please make sure we know.]
I read the June 2006 Building Bridges with a sense of pride and accomplishment. I’m both elated and heartened by the momentum building up as a result of persons on both sides of the wall.
Over recent years I noticed a decline in positive legitimate activities by incarcerated individuals as gang fighting and drug use dominated the minds of those behind the walls. Now there seems to be a new awakening, and it’s good to see so many getting back aboard. I’m glad to see Elmira’s PAC organization back in full swing. Their enthusiasm is commendable.
Thanks for publishing the expose of Rush Limbaugh’s hypocrisy (May 2006 issue, from the Internet, by A. Papa) and for honorably mentioning Sister Karen Klimczak. We laugh at phonies like Limbaugh, and we weep at losing a helper and supporter like Sis Karen.
My thanks to the families and friends of prisoners conscious enough to realize that no significant changes will come without their participation. Justice will not come without effort.
--Jehan Abdur-Raheem, 77A1180
*****************************************************
It was a great loss when Grandpa Al Lewis passed on February 3, 2006. However, he only asked that we be the best at whatever it was we did in life. He gave so much to prisoners and their loved ones that it’s only right that we continue on in his absence. The Al Lewis Live Show is hosted by Karen Lewis on WBAI from 12 noon to 2 PM after On The Count. If anyone wishes to give a donation to honor his spirit, his life and his contributions, they may do so by sending them to either: KPFK/California, Attn: Sue Welsh, 3729 Cahuenga Blvd West, No Hollywood, Cal 91604 or WBAI, NYC, PO Box 11445, Church St Station, NY NY 10277-2071.
Grandpa Al always wanted us to remember that no matter how seemingly good it gets: ‘The struggle goes on. The victory is in the struggle, for me. And, I accepted that a long time ago.’ He will always be, for me and many others, a guiding force to honor, recognize and respect as we follow his beacon to greatness. May he rest in peace and his family find peace of mind from knowing that he was great in all he did!
-- Chas Ransome DIN 85A16436
Chas Ransome is a Creative Program Developer and Special Event Coordinator who has been instrumental in getting fellow inmates to write letters to the Assembly and Senate on both the MCI Contract and Parole. Many more than he expected wrote their own letters. Building Bridges congratulates people on both sides of the wall who are becoming involved in the political process! Remember, your vote is only a small part. Becoming informed and letting our representatives know where you stand makes a real difference. Working on campaigns, going door to door and making phone calls can actually get your candidate elected. We may not have money, but we’ve got the numbers!
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I’d like to share these words of wisdom with those men and women that are changing for the better: “The journey in between what we once were and who we are now becoming is where the dance of Life really takes place. Life is a journey, travel light.” -- Mika’il Muwakil DIN 77A2639
7. From Other Media Sources
‘Jail Jam’ OK, Assoc Press: Albany
A federal judge has tossed out a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of NYS prisoners forced to share cells with other inmates, ruling the practice does not violate the U. S. Constitution.
US District Judge Gerard Lynch, in a decision dated May 26, said that simply putting two convicts in a cell designed for one “is a far cry from the ‘wanton and unnecessary infliction of pain’ against which the Eighth amendment protects.”
[Thanks to Mika’il Muwakil for forwarding this article]
Pataki Appoints 7 to Parole Board
The 7 new appointees and their expiration dates:
Jennifer Arena, June 16, 2008;
Alan J.Croce, June 18, 2009;
James Ferguson, July 6, 2011;
Gerald J. Greenan III, June 18, 2012;
Christina Hernandez, June 02, 2011;
G. Kevin Ludlow, June 18, 2011;
Chris Ortloff, June 18, 2012
June 24, 2006 -- ALBANY - Lame-duck Gov. Pataki's patronage machine shifted into high gear yesterday as the names of dozens more politically connected friends and associates - including the wife of CNBC host Lawrence Kudlow - were sent to the GOP-controlled Senate for appointment to high-level jobs and prestigious boards. Democrats challenged some of the moves, which came on the last day of the legislative session, and even some Republicans were aghast, with one saying of the appointments: "With few exceptions, a parade of hacks." Democrats pounced on the qualifications of Jennifer Arena, a longtime Pataki administration spokeswoman, for a two-year term - at $101,600 a year - on the state Board of Parole. Senate Minority Leader David Paterson (D-Manhattan) said Arena failed to meet the state law's requirement that board members have at least five years' experience in such fields as criminology, law, psychology and law enforcement. "There are reasons the law makes this requirement and it is to preserve some integrity to the appointments process," said Paterson. Arena's résumé lists her as a 1990 Michigan State University graduate in journalism who has held two journalism-related jobs, in Florida and Buffalo, and three public-relations jobs working for Pataki and former Republican Attorney General Dennis Vacco. Pataki spokesman Michael Marr contended Arena's experiences as a spokeswoman were sufficient to meet the legal requirement. [Most of this came from a recent New York Post article by Fredrick U. Dicker.]
8. Legal Battle Won by PLN
June 27: Prison Legal news won an important press freedom case by obtaining a federal court ruling that we are entitled to the Federal Bureau of Prisons' information on the amount of money it has spent on all litigation over a multi year period. The BOP had claimed they lacked the information in one location and wanted $7K to look. The court held PLN is entitled to a fee waiver as provided for by the Freedom of Information Act. This practice, of charging public interest groups outrageous "search fees" has been a long standing government policy under the Bush administration which was denounced by the New York Times in an editorial on February 4, 2006. PLN's case is among the first to obtain a win for the press and other public interest organizations.
Many thanks to Ed Elder, PLN's attorney in the case and a member of the National Lawyer's Guild.
[For a complete report on this victory, you can write PLN at 2400 NW 80th St. #148, Seattle WA 98117,
or call them at: 206/ 246-1022].
9. Locked Down for More than a Lifetime
A letter from the Robert Seth Hayes Support Committee -
www.sethhayes.org l info@ssethhayes.org
Robert “Seth” Hayes is a U.S. political prisoner and former member of the Black Panther Party who has been imprisoned in New York state for more than three decades. When Seth was convicted in 1974, his sentence was 25 years to life. The implicit understanding at the time of his sentencing was that Seth would serve 25 years as a minimum, after which time he would be eligible for release based on his record and conduct in prison. In July, 2006, Seth will be going before the parole board for the fourth time. At each of Seth’s previous parole hearings, he was denied release due to the serious nature of the crime he was convicted for and given another two years in jail. The refusal of parole for the serious nature of the crime seems contrary to the spirit of the law, for it is something that a prisoner can never change, and the giving of parole is based upon the prisoner's behavior while behind bars. Seth is not the only one being subjected to these unfair rules. This has become common practice for the New York state parole board, who, by denying parole based on the seriousness of the conviction, are defacto re-sentencing many prisoners to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Seth’s prison record is exemplary, and if a decision about Seth’s parole were to be based on his conduct and personal growth, he would have rejoined his family and his community years ago.
Please write a letter to the parole board to let them know that you think Seth deserves to be released. All letters should be mailed or faxed to Seth’s lawyer, Susan Tipograph, immediately, as Seth's parole hearing is taking place on July 15, 2006. Susan Tipograph, Attorney At Law, 350 Broadway, New York, NY 10013, fax (212) 625-3939. For more information, visit www.sethhayes.org.
Robert Seth Hayes Parole Support Events:
7PM, Sunday, July 2, 271 Grant Street, West Side, Buffalo, NY
7PM, Monday, July 3, 118 East Utica Street,East Side, Buffalo, NY
Arissa - Buffalo Chapter P.O. Box 84 Buffalo, NY 14213 Tel: (716) 796-5460 or email leslie@arissa.org
10. Meetings
A. Prison Families of New York groups:
ALBANY
7-8:30 pm every Monday at The Womens Bldg. 79 Central Ave, Albany . Ring the bell for the library and lounge to get in. Alison at 518 453 6659.
POUGHKEEPSIE
7 - 8:30 pm Monday July 10 and July 24 at the Family Partnership Building 29 North Hamilton Street. Deb at 845-616-9698, dabboz@aol.com.
B. Other Advocacy/Self-Help Groups:
Citizens for Restorative Justice. Thur. July 6th at the Family Partnership building at 29 North Hamilton Street in Poughkeepsie. Deb at 845-619-9698 or dabboz@aol.com.
Coalition of Families of NYS Lifers: Any family member or friend of a prisoner with life at the end of their sentence is invited to contact the Coalition of Families of New York State Lifers, PO Box 1314, Wappinger Falls, New York 12590 or . If you know anyone who is a family member or friend of a prisoner, please encourage them to write.
Surviving The City: A prison release support group in Albany
Every 2nd & 4th Saturday of the month - 11:30 am (next meeting July 8)
176 Sheridan Ave, at the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless Bldg.
Together, we're working to advance ourselves far beyond the walls that incarcerate us!!! All formerly incarcerated individuals are welcome to come and share their hopes,inspirations, and experiences. Call Nathan at 518 368 3480 for more information.
11. Radio Programs
Voices from the Prison Action Network is now heard at 5:30pm on Tuesdays at WRPI Troy, 91.5 FM, and for those outside broadcast range, live at www.wrpi.org. It’s part of the Indymedia Radio Program which starts at 3 and ends at 6. WRPI, Troy has a lot of worthwhile programming, including Democracy Now! at 9am every weekday. Preceding Voices from the Prison Action Network, from 12-2 on Tuesdays is Wild Style Breaks hosted by DJ Sho' Nuf.
The Fancy Broccoli Show airs on somewhat alternate Sundays from 3 - 6pm on Independent Radio WVKR 91.3 FM, Poughkeepsie NY. WVKR streams online - go to www.Live365.com and search for WVKR
On the Count! WBAI 99.5 FM - Pacifica Radio in NYC 10:30 a.m.-12:00 noon Saturdays
12. Transportation to Prisons
A. Please join Prison Action Network when we meet the DOCS free bus at the Albany bus terminal, 12:45 AM on Sunday morning July 9. The bus will be traveling to Gowanda - Collins - Groveland - Livingston. We will meet on Friday afternoon [July 8] to prepare packets, and we need help. Please call 518 253-7533 for location.
B. Prison Action Network offers Rides: Call 518 253-7533 if you need a ride to visit your incarcerated loved one [there is no charge for this service]:
Rides are available from Albany, with the following limitations. Please contact PAN to be connected to your driver.
the prison must be within 150 miles of Albany [300 miles round trip].
driver is willing to wait 2-3 hours for visit to be concluded.
driver is willing to start, from the visitor's residence, as early as 8:00 A.M.
driver is willing to get back home as late as 6:00 P.M.
driver is available on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
car seats 5, though, for a trip of 150 miles, sitting in the middle of the back seat would be a tight squeeze.
C. The NEST prison shuttle schedule: Mt. McGregor, Washington, and Great Meadow Facilities on Sat, July 1 ($30 adults, $20 children), July 22 ($15 adults and $10 children), leaving Oakwood Ave Presbyt. Church parking lot, Troy at 7 AM, and Albany Greyhound Bus station at 7:15. Trip to the Utica Hub (Midstate, Marcy, Mohawk, Oneida) Sat, July 15 leaving at 5 AM ($40 adults, $25 children). Call for reservations and information: Linda O'Malley 518- 273-5199.
Readers are invited to submit notices or articles of interest for publication in this newsletter.
We invite you to write or call Building Bridges, a project of the Prison Action Network:
PAN, c/o H-M IMC
PO Box 35
Troy, NY 12181
518 253 7533
prisonaction@hotmail.com
www.prisonaction.blogspot.com
Request for help:
Prison Action Network receives many requests from prisoners for legal assistance. We have no legal staff. Currently we have in hand a letter asking for help with a class action suit in regard to asbestos, unsanitary mess-hall/kitchen and second-hand smoke. If you can advise, please contact PAN and we’ll forward your response.
Thanks to the AJ Muste Memorial Institute for their generous support.
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