Current Events
Community Call To Action!
June 5th Community Forum on Albany County Correctional Facility
Location:
Albany Public Library,
161 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Email Blast
Subject line:
RSVP Today: Jan. 23 - Get on the bus for Parole Justice!
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Dear friends,
On Tuesday, January 23, the People's Campaign for Parole Justice, a statewide grassroots coalition, will hold our Parole Justice for Safe Communities advocacy day, at the New York State Capitol in Albany. RSVP today using this link.
We need YOU to help make it as powerful as possible. So RSVP today at https://bit.ly/SafeCommunities2024.
On this advocacy day, we’ll uplift our vision for safety and justice rooted in reuniting families and meeting peoples’ needs–not endless punishment. We'll be boarding buses from across the state and gathering in Albany for marches, rallies, and a press conference, as we call on the New York State Legislature to pass the Elder Parole (S.2423/A.2035) and Fair & Timely Parole (S.307/A.162) bills. We’ll also rally in memory of the late Joseph Jazz Hayden, a formerly incarcerated elder and leader who said and lived by, "Our vision is, 'no to prisons, yes to caring community.' That's the vision."
Food and transportation will be provided.
Proclamation to Albany State Legislature
Resolution calling Gov. Cuomo to review 1800 Applications for Clemency
Letter of support from Mayor Kathy Sheehan
Letter to Governor Cuomo 5/6/21
Dear Governor Cuomo,
Freedom Unshackled is a coalition of individuals and supporting organizations who came together in 2020 to address systemic issues in the criminal justice system. We urge you to right past wrongs by advancing your platform as a Criminal Justice Reform advocate. We are imploring you to commit to schedule Executive Clemency for Time Commutations to four times a year, granting it to 50 men and 50 women each time, for a total of 400 clemencies per year beginning in 2021. We believe that if you increase clemencies, it will also extend the goals of reducing the elderly prison and those seeking fair and timely parole. We are asking you to begin expediting the current clemency applications on your desk which, to our knowledge, is over 4000. We are aware that you completely control clemencies with no constriction in law to limit to keep you from broadening the scope and numbers of the population who have already submitted applications.
We would like to speak with someone directly from your office regarding this matter in the hope that we can move forward on this initiative. We are confident that following through with this will progress your record of criminal justice accomplishments. We are thanking you in advance for your commitment to this matter. We look forward to speaking with a representative from your office soon.
Support New York State Clemency Initiative: PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION
The late Honorable John Lewis said: "When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something."
Freedom Unshackled would like your support in addressing systemic issues within the criminal justice system in the United States of America. We are interested in working with community-based organizations from all fifty states, local and state legislators, and state governors around the nation to become enact more progressive policies and procedures that benefit incarcerated men and women. Our current focus is on encouraging governors to expand their Executive Clemency powers to increase the number of clemencies granted per year, addressing sexual assault of incarcerated men and women, and increasing gate fees.
Connections
The Justice Peace Talk Show
The mission of The Justice Beat Talk Show is to inform, equip, and empower families, touched by incarceration, with guidance on how to advocate boldly and confidently on behalf of their loved one that is incarcerated.
What makes the Justice Beat Talk Show unique is our focus on YOU and YOUR ability to ensure your loved one’s health and well-being are properly addressed during their incarceration.
The Justice Beat Talk Show DOES NOT provide legal advice or legal services.
Show topics focus on conditions of confinement matters such as:
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access to medical care and treatment;
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requesting medical records;
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accommodations for individuals with disabilities;
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sexual assaults;
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pregnant women and incarceration; and
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internal grievance processes and more...
Get your questions ready. Grab a snack and drink and
let's talk smart about our Vision for Justice in 2020.
To stay update to date on the launch of the Justice Beat Talk Show,
please check back to get the latest updates.
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