Thread by @KevinARing

Today we wanted to reframe our core work to better advance the values we care about, including fairness, rehabilitation, and community safety.

Some thoughts...

link.medium.com/sTwhuw2Uq9

The feds and state govts are very good at locking people up. We have plenty of laws, especially mandatory sentencing laws and enhancements, to ensure that people spends lots of time in prison, especially when they have the temerity to exercise their right to trial.

What has been made painfully clear during the COVID-19 pandemic is that states don't have enough mechanisms to revisit lengthy sentences when appropriate, either because of an emergency, because the law has changed, or the person or their circumstances have changed.

Our central argument is that we need to create as many mechanisms as possible so that as many system actors as possible - judges, prosecutors, corrections officials, et al - can review extreme sentences. The goal is not to let everyone out, but to stop throwing everyone away.

Our Second Chances Agenda benefits from the hard work and support of allies across the political spectrum in promoting second chances. No one has done more to undermine the legitimacy of excessive sentences than our friends at the @SentencingProj (@abfettig, @love__justice)

Our friends at @JusticePolicy (@marc4justice) have done amazing work on lengthy sentences and second look laws, and @tyrone4justice is an inspiring example of why we need more laws like that.

Our own @MaryfromFAMM is the compassionate release all-star champion and I know of more than 1,000 people who are home from federal prison because of her creativity and tenacity and @mmgillwriter's effective advocacy. The states need to look to the new federal law and copy it.

Compassionate release has long been supported by our friends at @ACUFforJustice (@PatNolan4Justic and @DSafavianEsq), @FreedomWorks and @RightOnCrime. If you care at all about curbing wasteful spending, you will hate the millions we waste detaining sick and elderly people.

Our friends at @ACLU recently launched the Redemption Project to promote expanded clemency. We agree. @FAMMFoundation and @NACDL have & will continue to promote clemency as a key tool for granting second chances.

@davidminpdx, among others, has taught us about the use of clemency in our nation's past. This authority was exercised much more frequently and without great controversy.

Making all reforms retroactive is another way to give people second chances and we don't do it enough. The success of the crack retro provision in the #FirstStepAct reminds us how long overdue it was; 8 years after Fair Sentencing Act.

It's completely unjust to make people serve longer sentences simply because they made their mistake before the legislature corrected their mistake of a law. Retroactivity has to become the norm.

Passing a second chances agenda will not be easy, but we think this is an agenda that matches the moment. The moment when calls for racial equity have produced the biggest protests in recent history. The moment when 1,000 people died behind bars because of a deadly disease.

We hope people across the country will join us in pushing second chances for all. Start today by signing and sharing this petition - and then stay tuned to take action in your state. secure.everyaction.com/XcIk7L7uq0yKGf…