Change is Needed to Mandatory Sentencing Guidelines For Women with minor children

Much to the disbelief of all who know me and my story, I am a Mother of two teenage sons, I am not a drug abuser, I am a hard working taxpayer and most recently against all that I am,  I have begrudginly accepted that now I am a low level non violent felon. I am a statistic of the dramatically flawed judicial system.

I can no longer vote,  I will have difficulty finding employment and must leave my children for months to serve my sentence in a federal prison for a charge that should only carry probation or home containment. My country and the judicial system has failed me and countless other women just like me are sitting in prison because of these harsh inflexible mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines.

I am shocked and stunned that the country I love so much has such a flawed judicial system that someone with no previous record whatsoever without the ability to afford to hire a highly compensated attorney, minimum fee is $75,000 for Federal Criminal cases.  A person in this situation like myself, will ultimately go to prison with no regard for  background, my stellar past, my contribution to society or my very important role in raising two young men. I am just a statistic, another woman thrown into the prison system unjustly, a notch in the US prosecutors belt of successful convictions and justice at all costs mentality. As a non violent low level felon, I ask our government and judicial system, Is "Gotham" safe tonight because I am incarcerated?

 My story could happen to any women in our country and sadly the current mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines allows no variance or downward departure, prosecutors use these statutes to convict and the judges are restricted to go below the mandatory minimum guidleines. The number of women going to prison with these type of sentences has doubled in the last ten years because of these inflexible guidelines. I am going to prison unjustly and at the taxpayers expense. Prison is for violent and repeat offenders,  low level drug offenders and low level non violent felons do not belong in prison!

First time female non violent felons are being sent to prison at an alarming rate, of these felons the number of women with minor children has increased dramatically.  This senseless incarceration is so widespread it is no longer a minor issue. A 1st time female non violent felon incarcerated with minor children, may be your wife, fiancee, sister , mother or grandmother.

Please take a stand and sign this petition today,  the children of these women including my own children, need to be the priority, alternative sentencing needs to be offered for the sake of the minor children, what benefit does justice serve to take a mother from her children and put her in prison when alternate programs, such as probation or home containment  are available and can be offered to keep the family unit together.

Whatever happened to it takes a village to raise a child?

Please Support H. R 2934, The Common Sense in Sentencing Act of 2009. This bill will allow judges to go below the mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines, when appropriate. With this bill Alternative sentencing guidelines will be offered without question when a woman is a first time offender of a low level felony and is the primary caregiver of minor children.

It is proven that the experiment of Mandatory Minimum Sentences is a failure. Incarcerating low level non violent female felons causes more harm to their children and has an adverse effect on the children's mental, emotional and coping mechanisms. In addition, statistics show that children of women that are incarcerated have a higher chance of being incarcerated as juveniles and adults.

Legislation needs to be enacted now to put an end to the senseless imprisonment of mother's who are first time offenders, charged with low level non violent felonies. Keeping mother's with their children in alternate programs is extremely important and eliminates the harm that is caused to the children of mother's who have committed low level non violent felonies, spending years in prison for low level felonies benefits no one, especially the children.

Please take action on this very important issue and Support H. R. 2934 The Common Sense In Sentencing Act of 2009 and The National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009. View Senator Jim Webb's Introduction to this important Bill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WRc8LPMe4I

Please send this petition to your friends and colleagues today, Congress will be focusing on these sentencing guidelines and prison reform this fall and we need our voices for this action to be heard!

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