Sentencing Policy

JS Blog Post April 21, 2020

The First COVID-19 Death of a Father in Federal Prison Highlights the Ongoing Struggle for Incarcerated Parents and Their Families

Riley Hewko, Esq.

Image: NBC News Headline.

On April 5th, 2020, NBC news reported on the first death of an individual housed in federal prison— Patrick Jones, a father serving time for a non-violent drug charge. The article reports that Patrick had not seen his youngest son, now 16, since the boy was a toddler. This is common as Bureau of Justice Statistics research shows that over half of parents in prison never get visits from their children while incarcerated. This is often due to common barriers that create family separation including distance and cost. Most parents are placed in federal prisons across numerous state lines and costs associated with in-person, phone, and video visitation make it nearly impossible to stay in touch. Read more »

JS Blog Post February 6, 2020

Parental Sentencing Alternatives - Washington State Factsheet

The Washington State Department of Corrections has released an updated Parenting Alternative Factsheet - Improving Public Safety by Positively Changing Lives.

Allowing individuals to avoid incarceration to parent their children

The Parenting Sentencing Alternative, Substitute Senate Bill (SSB) 6639 was enacted in June 2010. This law allows some incarcerated individuals who are parents of minor children the opportunity to avoid prison or transfer from incarceration in order to parent their children. The law has two components:
Family and Offender Sentencing Alternative (FOSA) – Judicial Sentencing Option: Provides judges the option to waive a sentence within the standard sentence range and impose 12 months of community custody along with conditions for treatment and programming for eligible individuals facing a prison sentence.
 

JS Blog Post October 30, 2019

New California Bill to Create Pretrial Parental Diversion Courts

R.B.H.

 

In recognizing the impact of parental incarceration on children in the United States, legislators are listening to those directly impacted by incarceration in order to find solutions to prevent the separation of children from their parents. SB 394, the Primary Caregiver Pretrial Diversion Act, is a new bill signed into law on October 8, 2019 by Governor Gavin Newson and sponsored by Senator Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley. The new law will give counties the option to establish a pretrial diversion program for parents and caregivers charged with a misdemeanor or a nonserious, nonviolent felony who:  Read more »

JS Blog Post September 14, 2019

A "Vision for Justice 2020 and Beyond: A New Paradigm for Public Safety" Released

R.B.H.

“It is time for bold ideas. It is time to achieve the change we desperately need: a fundamental transformation and reorientation of the criminal-legal system” –The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

This September, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Civil Rights Corps. Put out a new platform paper “Vision for Justice 2020 and Beyond: A New Paradigm for Public Safety.” The platform calls upon us to address the root causes leading to our high rates of incarceration and the denial of equal rights to millions. By recognizing that the history of our criminal justice system is rooted in racial and economic oppression from slavery, the black codes, convict leasing, Jim Crow laws to the war on drugs, the platform lays out a vision for public safety that is grounded in human rights and upholds the humanity and dignity of all people. The platform is divided into three parts with 14 “planks” calling for change: Read more »

JS Blog Post April 26, 2019

CNN Reports on Parenting From Prison: "Raising kids in the system"

R.B.H.

 

 

A recent CNN video "Raising Kids in the System" (27:18 min) reports on the experience of mothers raising kids while navigating the criminal justice system. The short video follows three mothers, one in St. Paul Minnesota involved in the jail doula project at Ramsey County Correctional Facility, a mother involved with "Hour Children" in Queens New York that runs a prison nursery to transitional community housing program, and the third in the Bronx in a diversion program with "JusticeHome” of the Women's Prison Association, a trauma informed alternative to incarceration program.  Read more »

JS Blog Post February 9, 2019

Voices of Children of the Incarcerated: Legislative Testimony SB 5291

D.G. and Patricia Allard

Hello my name is D.G. I am 10 yars old, I am a child experiencing a father in prison. My dad won't be able to expeience me growing up. There are times when I get really sad and want to call him but I can't. I've only got to see him 2 time in the last 4 years. thats because he's so far away. There are times when Ihave special events (for example: my first kick boxing match) when I won and I was sooo happy and at the same time I felt a little sad. I spent most my life without my dad. But also I spent most of my life with a sstep dad. Special holidays are hard for me (for example: Christmas, fathers day, my birth-day) because he's not there. When my Dad calls me at my aunt's house I get super excited. [And I want to say for the other kids out there your not alone iether its your dad mom or other family members or other people that you care about theres other people going thrue this. Even tho my dad cant come home early I woul dhope that other kids parents could come home faster there would be lots of benifit for each child. Please support this bill. Thank you Read more »

JS Blog Post February 4, 2019

Washington state calls to Expand Alternatives to Incarceration Again in 2019

R.B.H.

 

Photo: T.Q. testifying in front of Senate Committee on video conferenced in from prison.

“Success is not possible without opportunity.” 

-T.Q. Incarcerated Mother, Washington Corrections Center for Women Read more »

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