news
February 01, 2019
State Advocacy News: Strategies to end life imprisonment, expand the vote, and strengthen reentry policies
Since Florida's success with the passage of Amendment 4, lawmakers and advocates in California, Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Jersey and Kentucky have advanced proposals to restore voting rights.
publications
January 28, 2019
Letter to House Judiciary Committee Members on Voting Rights for People after Incarceration
The Sentencing Project urges House Judiciary Committee Members to prioritize passage of the Democracy Restoration Act.
Denver Schimming
As a previously incarcerated person who had his voting rights restored in 1996, Denver Schimming knew the power and importance of voting. His years in prison taught him that the criminal justice system could change only if impacted people spoke out. After his incarceration, voting was one of his highest priorities.
news
January 22, 2019
Disenfranchisement News: After win in Florida, Iowa and Kentucky consider reform
After the passage of Amendment 4 in Florida, Kentucky and Iowa are now considering voting rights restoration.
publications
January 16, 2019
Top Trends in State Criminal Justice Reform, 2018
In 2018, formerly incarcerated activists, lawmakers, and advocates worked to challenge mass incarceration. This briefing paper highlights key changes in criminal justice policy achieved.
Marlo Hargrove and David Waller
Marlo Hargrove and David Waller both successfully regained their voting rights after receiving felony convictions and serving their sentences.
news
December 18, 2018
Criminal justice reform doesn't end system's racial bias
Efforts still leave black men more likely to be arrested, sentenced and imprisoned for the same behavior
publications
December 04, 2018
The Meaning of Life: The Case for Abolishing Life Sentences
The dramatic growth of life imprisonment requires advocates and lawmakers to address the problem of excessive sentencing to end mass incarceration.
July 26, 2017
Dr. Stanley Andrisse
From prison cells to PhD, Dr. Stanley Andrisse shares his transformation to inspire those impacted by the criminal justice system.
publications
October 17, 2018
Expanding the Vote: Two Decades of Felony Disenfranchisement Reforms
Since 1997, 23 states have amended felony disenfranchisement policies in an effort to reduce their restrictiveness and expand voter eligibility.
news
October 17, 2018
Disenfranchisement News: Felony Disenfranchisement and the Midterm Elections
More than 6 million people are ineligible to vote in the midterm elections in November 2018 because of a felony conviction.
Kimberly Haven
Kimberly Haven’s journey as an advocate began when she sought to regain her own voting rights after release from a Maryland prison in 2001. She soon became passionate about the unfairness of disenfranchising citizens after they have completed their sentence and returned to the community.
news
September 29, 2018
State Advocacy News: Criminal Justice Reform on the Ballot
Proposed ballot measures this November include an expansion of voting rights for persons with felony convictions, sentencing reform, and addressing police use of force standards.
news
September 26, 2018
Race & Justice News: DC Girls of Color Increasingly Arrested
Although arrests of boys in Washington, DC have declined in the last decade, arrests of girls have increased.
Andres Idarraga
After his release in June of 2004, Andres Idarraga became a full-time student at Brown University studying comparative literature and economics while maintaining full-time employment. Idarraga saw his right to vote as a significant and crucial aspect to rebuilding his life and to contributing to his community.
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