THERE IS A MASS INCARCERATION PROBLEM GOING ON AROUND THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW. & WE IN THE URBAN COMMUNITY ARE BEING AFFECTED BY IT THE MOST. WE HAVE THE MOST VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIMES AS WELL AS THE MOST PEOPLE INCARCERATED. SOMETHING IS OBVIOUSLY WRONG HERE & IT IS TEARING OUR COMMUNITIES APART. BUT THIS BILL BEFORE YOU IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE ALL HAVE LOVED ONES WHO HAVE FALLEN VICTIMS TO SOME SORT OF STREET VIOLENCE. BUT WE ALSO HAVE ONES WHO WE LOVE THAT ARE "CAUGHT IN THE SYSTEM" AN UNBALANCED SYSTEM, SYSTEMATIC OPPRESSION IS REAL! PEOPLE HAVE TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THERE ACTIONS. BUT AT SOME POINT WE HAVE TO GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO CHANGE. A LOT OF THESE SENTENCES ARE EXCESSIVE & UNREALISTIC. ALMOST EVERY ONE IN OUR COMMUNITY HAS A BROTHER, FATHER, COUSIN, HUSBAND OR SOME KIND OF LOVED ONE THAT THEY WANT RELEASED FROM PRISON UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE AT A PLACE WERE 1 IN EVERY 3 BLACK/HISPANIC MALES HAVE BEEN INCARCERATED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, SMH. SINCE WE ARE THE ONES EFFECTED MOST BY THIS WE SHOULD BE THE VOICE OF REASON IN THIS SITUATION. BEING ANGRY,BITTER & UNFORGIVING. IS GETTING US NOWHERE, WE TRIED THAT. THAT IS PAIN & HATRED BEING PASSED AROUND. BREEDING MORE PAIN & HATRED. & IT IS TEARING OUR COMMUNITIES APART. WHEN YOU REMOVE THE MALE FIGURE OUT THE COMMUNITY THEN IT HAS A DEVASTATING EFFECT. WHICH IS WHY WE SUFFER A LOT OF THE THINGS WE DO NOW. WE CAN MAKE A CHANGE RIGHT NOW BUT WE HAVE TO SPEAK UP CLOSE MOUTHS DON'T GET FED.

 

THE SIGNIFICANCES OF THIS BILL (AN ACT TO REDUCE MASS INCARNATION HOUSE…3358 — HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 154 BY JAY D. LIVINGSTONE OF BOSTON) IS ONE OF GRATE IMPORTANCE ON SO MANY LEVELS.

 

THE ECONOMIC STAND POINT: IT IS COSTING THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS TAX PAYING CITIZENS ROUGHLY $60,000-$75,000 TO HOUSE EACH INMATE THEN THAT NUMBER JUMPS TO ABOUT $130,000 IF SAID INMATE REQUIRES MEDICAL CARE WHICH  A LOT OF "LONG TERM" INMATES DO. THIS $$$ COULD BE USED IN SO MANY BETTER WAYS. INSTEAD OF CONDEMNING THE PASS WE COULD BE INVESTING IT IN OUR FUTURE.

THE RACE/CLASS ISSUE: MORE THAN 85% OF THE INMATES SERVING LIFE TERMS IN MASSACHUSETTS ARE BLACK/HISPANIC.

A BLACK/HISPANIC PERSON IS 3× MORE LIKELY TO GET LIFE FOR THE SAME CRIME THAN ANY OTHER RACE. 97% OF THE LOST OF LIFE CASES THAT WERE INDICTED IN THE URBAN COMMUNITIES WERE INDICTED AS 1ST DEGREE MURDER CHARGES. MEANING SOME PEOPLE WERE OVER CHARGED FOR THEIR CRIMES. WHICH LEADS TO A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER PROBLEMS DOWN THE LINE.

THE HUMANITY ISSUE: MASSACHUSETTS HAS THE SECOND HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF IT'S PRISON POPULATION SERVING LIFE IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY. RIGHT IS RIGHT & WRONG IS WRONG. THEN YOU HAVE TO TAKE IN TO ACCOUNT THE MAJORITY OF CASES HAVE CODEFENDANTS. WHERE THERE WAS ONE WHO WAS THE ACTUAL PERSON THAT COMMITTED THE OFFENSE. AND ONE OR MORE PERSONS WERE A PART OF IT BY JUST ACCOMPANYING THE PERPETRATOR. OR BEING INVOLVED IN SOME WAY BUT NOT PHYSICALLY  DOING ANYTHING TO SAID VICTIM. IS IT REALLY RIGHT FOR THEM TO STAY IN PRISON UNTIL THEY DIE?

PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES NOBODY IS PERFECT. UNFORTUNATELY THESE MISTAKES CAUSED US GREAT LOSES. BUT HOW MANY OF US ARE REALLY THE SAME PERSON WE WERE 25 YEARS AGO? YOU HAVE TO GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO RIGHT THEIR WRONGS. I'M SURE THERE ARE THINGS DONE IN YOUR PAST THAT YOU WOULD LIKE FORGIVENESS FOR. THIS BILL IS NOT TRYING TO JUST SAY FREE ALL THE MURDERERS TODAY. BUT IT IS ASKING FOR THE ONES WHO EARNED IT THE RIGHT, TO GO IN FRONT OF THE PAROLE BOARD TO GIVE A TRUE ACCOUNT OF WHAT REALLY HAPPENED. TO OFFER SOME CLOSURE TO THE VICTIMS FAMILY.

TO GIVE THEIR TRUE APOLOGY TO THE VICTIM'S FAMILY. & ASK FOR A CHANCE AT THEIR FREEDOM. JUST LIKE THOSE CONVICTED OF SECOND DEGREE MURDER ARE GIVEN THIS SAME OPPORTUNITY AFTER 15 YEARS. THIS IS A CHANCE TO BE TREATED AS A HUMAN AGAIN.

THE WORST OF THE PEOPLE OBVIOUSLY WOULD NOT BE REENTERED INTO SOCIETY. FOR ONE THE PAROLE BOARD IS NOT GOING TO LET THAT HAPPEN. THIS IS A PROCESS THAT THE VICTIMS FAMILY'S RECOMMENDATION HOLDS A LOT OF WEIGHT IN. SECONDLY THOSE OF WHO ARE CONVICTED OF HEINOUS CRIMES SUCH AS MURDER/RAPE WILL HAVE TO SERVE 25 YEARS BEFORE THEY ARE ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE. WHICH DOESN'T MEAN THEY WILL GET IT. BUT IN THE EVENT THAT THEY DO THEY WILL ONLY BE PAROLING TO THERE NEXT SENTENCE. SO IF SAID PERSON WERE SENTENCE TO LIFE + 20 YEARS. SAID PERSON WOULD HAVE TO DO AT A MINIMUM OF 45 YEARS JUST TO MAKE IT TO A TREATMENT CENTER WHICH WOULD MAKE IT VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO MAKE IT BACK INTO SOCIETY. SO THE HEINOUS CASES THAT HAVE BEEN PORTRAYED IN THE MEDIA ARE NOT A FACTOR.

THIS IS MORE SO TO AFFECT THE ONES WHO MADE A MISTAKE & ARE TRYING TO PROVE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN REHABILITATED. WHAT THEY WONT TELL YOU IN THE MEDIA IS THAT THOSE RELEASED ON PAROLE FOR MURDER IN MASSACHUSETTS HAVE THE LOWEST RECIDIVISM RATE THEN ANY OTHER CRIME.

 

THIS IS A CHANCE TO RIGHT A WRONG. & GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO TRY & RIGHT THEIR WRONGS. THIS IS PEACE & FORGIVENESS BREEDING FORGIVENESS & HEALING. SOME ONE SPENDING THE REST OF THEIR LIFE IN PRISON UNTIL THEY DIE. TRUTHFULLY IS NOT HELPING ANYBODY. THE VICTIMS FAMILY NEVER GETS THE CLOSURE THAT THEY NEED TO HEAL PROPERLY. THEY GET THE COURTS VERSION WHICH IS JUST A THEORY AT BEST. LEAVING THE VICTIMS FAMILY WITH SO MANNY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVE THE ANSWERS FOR THOSE QUESTIONS ARE THE ONES THAT WERE THERE. THEY ARE THE ONES THAT CAN UNLOCK THAT MENTAL PRISON. & INITIATE THE TRUE HEALING PROCESS.

IMAGINE HOW DIFFERENT OUR COMMUNITY WOULD BE WITH OUR FATHER'S THERE TO RAISE THEIR CHILDREN. FOR REAL MEN WHO ARE STAND UP INDIVIDUALS BELOVED IN THERE NEIGHBORHOODS. THAT HAVE BEEN THROUGH IT. & ARE THERE TO STOP THE NEXT HOMICIDE. BEFORE IT HAPPENS NOT ONLY TO SAVE THE VICTIM. BUT TO SAVE THE ONE BEHIND THE GUN AS WELL. THESE ARE THE TYPE OF PEOPLE WHO WILL BE MOST INCLINED TO RECEIVE A POSITIVE PAROLE & GRANTED THEIR REINTEGRATION BACK IN TO SOCIETY.

PEACE YALL!

 

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS BILL !