Dear friend,

It’s not just that we lock up too many people. We lock up too many people for far too long. We leave them in prison for years—even decades. Some remain behind bars even though the laws that put them there are no longer on the books. Some remain there even though they have done great things in prison and have proven they deserve mercy.

Our laws do not allow people to show that they deserve a second chance—and we need to change that.

At FAMM, we believe the time is now to create mechanisms to give people who are serving excessive sentences a second chance. That's why we're launching our Second Chances Agenda. https://famm.org/secondchances/

We're pushing state and federal policymakers to:

• Pass "second look" laws that direct courts to reconsider a person's sentence after 10 or 15 years to determine whether a shorter sentence is now appropriate;
• Expand compassionate release (including medical and geriatric parole or release) to allow elderly and sick people to come home early; and
• Expand clemency so governors and the president use their power to shorten sentences and grant second chances to as many deserving people as possible.

Implementing these three mechanisms would mean that people serving extremely long sentences would have a meaningful opportunity to come home and reunite with their families. These reforms can also lead to meaningful reductions in mass incarceration by allowing policymakers to reconsider extreme prison sentences for more serious offenses.

We're going to be working hard to make these reforms a priority across the country for the next year and we need you to join us. Add your name to our Second Chances Agenda petition, and you will be connected with opportunities to fight for reforms that give people a shot at a second chance: https://secure.everyaction.com/XcIk7L7uq0yKGf-6HUsf-g2

With your support, we can push policymakers to stop throwing people away with extreme sentences that don’t allow for mercy. Thank you for your continued support and advocacy.

Best,

Kevin Ring
President, FAMM