Dear friend,

Last month, we launched an emergency effort to find free attorneys for people seeking compassionate release from federal prison. I am pleased to report that so far we have placed with attorneys 500 people in federal prison — and some have been granted immediate release!

Along with our amazing partners at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Washington Lawyers' Committee, and with the help of talented federal defenders around the country, we are hopeful that judges will grant release to the people most vulnerable to COVID-19, who no longer pose a threat to public safety. FAMM is also pushing the U.S. Justice Department to move more people to home confinement.

In the states, FAMM is urging greater transparency and testing. Our mantra now is "keep them safe or send them home." In states where governors are refusing to use their authority to grant early release, we want families to have more information about what prisons are doing to keep their loved ones safe. States need to do more testing of staff and prisoners alike to find out how widely the disease is spreading.

Finally, because the lockdown of prisons across the country is preventing families from visiting loved ones, we continue to urge the federal and state governments to make phone calls and email access free. Regular communication is crucial, especially when in-person visits aren't available.

Many of you have joined our FAMMilies in Action Facebook group, and we are glad to have you. We know this is an especially rough time for families and we are working hard to provide as much reliable information as we can, as well as opportunities for you to advocate for your loved one. We are all in this together.

Sincerely,


Kevin Ring
President, FAMM

P.S. These victories were made possible in part by your generous gifts. Please consider making a donation to FAMM's COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund so we can do even more for the most vulnerable: https://secure2.convio.net/famm/site/Donation2?1720.donation=form1&df_id=1720&mfc_pref=T&autologin=true