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End "Life Sentences Without Parole For First-Time Offenders" of a Fatal Crime
  1. Signatures
    299 out of 3,000
    Petitioning
    1. The President of the United States (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
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      • The President of the United States
      • The U.S. Senate
  2. Created By
    Leonna Brandao
    Brockton, MA
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

Prisoners in America have all too often been stereotyped by members of society and the American Government. They are given  inappropriate and unrealistic sentences of life without The Possibility of Parole  regardless of their backgrounds, life experiences and/or the number of incarcerations. 

They are thrown into prison, forced to double-cell with some of the most violent and left with no hope whatsoever. Many of these individuals are murdered by other prisoners or staff. Many are traumatized in other ways and all are left WITH NO HOPE, NO FUTURE and NO REASON TO LIVE.

This petition has been established in order to Stop the Madness of  Stereotypical Incarcerations and America's Poor Reputation of being the Only Country in the World with the HIGHEST RATES of incarceration and human rights violations.

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End "Life Sentences Without Parole For First-Time Offenders" of a Fatal Crime

Greetings Senator Jim Webb

We understand and are aware that the United States has the largest rates of incarcerations and the highest rate of human rights violations in the world and that a Bill was recently passed to have the entire Criminal Justice System evaluated. It is also apparent that the prisons nationwide, are filled with Individuals who are incarcerated due to wrongful convictions, Substance Abuse related crimes, Mental Illnesses and first-time offenses of non-violent crimes.

Our request is that you add another consideration to your goals to lesson the incarcerated population and that is to review and consider the first-time offenders of a fatal crime. Many individuals serving a life without the possibility of parole for a first-time fatal offense, are individuals who had emotional breakdowns, which should, but are not always categorized as mental illness. Many of these same individuals, were victims themselves as children or adolescents of severe abuses.

Life without the possibility of parole is no different than a Death Sentence. Most individuals of first-time fatal offenses were not violent, prior to their first time offense and have not been violent throughout their time in prison. Many were previously college students and many are educated and productive human beings who would never offend again with the proper Long-term rehabilitative treatments outside a prison setting.

The Government and many others in America, have stereotyped prisoners of fatal crimes. They have given first-time offenders of a fatal crime the same sentences given to serial killers and habitual offenders of serious crimes. It is not a fair process. Nor is it something that has been justified. Therefore, we ask that First-Time Offenders of a Fatal Crime, be given a fair opportunity to be re-evaluated and reconsidered for sentence reductions allowing them to someday also be free.

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