Society-First, Road to Restoration Coalition

ARE YOU TIRED OF SEEING STORIES LIKE THESE? WE DO ONE MORE PERSON SCHEDULED TO DIE IN PRiSON. WOULD YOU HELP? WE ARE, BUT WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT AS WELL! After more than 57 years, Frank was given his freedom. The truth is he should have been home a long time ago. May we not forget that our prisons are filled with people who are aging and are no threat to public safety.

We at Society First seek to bring an end to mass incarceration here in Florida. We believe that we as a society can do better than leading the WORLD per capita in Life Without Parole sentencing. The fact that Florida has more LWOP sentences than 30 other states COMBINED is a disgrace in a country that is supposed to be "the Land of the Free."

 

We understand that a society is best gaged at how it impacts its worst and that where redemption is not offered... it will be the road less traveled.

 

Article 1, Section 17 of the Florida Constitution entitled "Excessive Punishment" distinctly states that "... indefinite imprisonment is forbidden," and this law has been ignored and erroneously denied for over 135 years now since 1885 when the righteous writers of the Constitution tried to curtail the evil of some Confederates attempts to reestablish slavery back into the social fabric of society through the criminal justice system... not as slaves, but as criminals... And where it use to be about crop holders, it is now about shareholders.

 

We have a coalition with a team of passionate attorneys who will challenge the courts on the illegality of these Life sentences. As we march down this Road to Restoration, we will grow stronger... life... and wiser.

 

The time has come where time "Life" will no more mean Death!

 

As this means visiting every prison (around 48) we will need all of the help we can get to cover the huge overhead cost; i.e. gas is $5 a gallon, the ink and paperwork for the 13-17 thousand contracts and motions, and many other necessities.

 

Some of you have given up and accepted what the courts have handed down to your loved ones... Many have spent tens of thousands of dollars on attorneys who promised the world to only walk away with Life.

 

Join us at each rally that we hold outside of every prison to talk about this injustice, and to allow those who look out at us from behind those fences to begin to hope again... to begin to dream again... to begin to live again.

 

They NEED your voice to become their voice... your feet to become their feet; no longer will they have to die behind those walls.

 

We need both your attendance at the rallies and your financial support to see this through. Please body or website at Society-First.com or check out our Society-First Facebook page to find out more about us.

 

Many of these humans were under 20 years old when they made that mistake. Studies have shown that court cases, like Roper and Graham, have agreed that significantly young males do not fully develop from child to adult until 25 years of age.

 

They lack maturity and have an underdeveloped sense of responsibility. They are more prone to recklessness, impulsivity, and risk-taking, and they have limited control over their environments and cannot often extricate themselves from crime-producing settings.

 

So thousands of people in Florida have already spent decades in prison from a young age and will die in prison instead of having a chance for parole. You have heard the negative effect that imprisonment can have on families and communities in the form of systemic poverty and racism.

 

Most of these people have grown and changed in these years. They are remorseful to their victims and want nothing more than to find redemption and forgiveness. After 20-30 years, we believe that these people are accountable for their mistakes and no longer threaten society.

 

Tough-on-crime policies stemming from the 1990s contributed significantly to the mass incarceration that we see today across the US, yet crime rates have failed to decline. A Life Without Parole Sentence equates to death by incarceration and by no means is restorative or transformative.

 

The 2.7 billion dollars spent by the state of Florida to house inmates, many over 50 years of age, can be better spent on preventative and restorative programs that will decrease recidivism rates.

 

Illustration of helping hands

Give $ 25 and be a founding donor,

and your donation is the start of Society-First's journey to success. Your early support inspires others to donate.

 

Joan Lewis, SF Director of Communication

Society-First Organizer

Tampa, FL

Contact

Email: [E-Mail ausgeblendet]

Words of support

Please donate to share words of encouragement.