11. June 2009 by Rev Young.

There are many large organizations who have joined with Senator Webb in calling for the Criminal Justice Commission.  The letter below is from one of them.

If you would like to view this email in your Web browser, click here.   Dear Friend, This Thursday, June 11th at 3 p.m., Prison Fellowship’s own Pat Nolan will testify at a Senate subcommittee hearing to offer system-wide solutions that focus on the biblical philosophy of restorative justice. Click here to watch the webcast and grab your front row seat! America’s prisons are overcrowded, understaffed, often violent, and little is done to promote rehabilitation or prepare inmates for release. We are dedicated to transforming the lives of prisoners and their families through the power of Jesus Christ. As part of that mission, we also strive for criminal justice reform. Led by Pat Nolan, Justice Fellowship works alongside some of our nation’s most influential policymakers to fix a system that’s so clearly broken. Thursday afternoon’s hearing will examine a proposal to launch a long overdue review of the crisis gripping our criminal justice system. Pat’s dedication to going beyond crime and punishment has earned the respect of national lawmakers. And that’s why he’s been asked to testify. After the webcast, continue the discussion by following Justice Fellowship on Twitter. Through prayer, commitment and the ongoing quest for the truth and wisdom of our God and Father, we can build a justice system that brings true healing to victims, offenders and our communities.   Thank you and may God bless you. The Staff of Prison Fellowship

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11. June 2009 by Rev Young.

Senator Webb has made a bold proposal that the United States create a commission to study, review and report on the condition of our criminal justice system in this nation.  Some of you may remember a commission that was created several years ago to investigate the practices and conditions of our nations prisons.  If you have not heard of, or read this report, you may find it at www.prisoncommission.org.  From the findings of this commission, several programs and ideas have launched that eventually will bring change to our practices of incareration. 

This next commission will investigate the entire system of criminal justice from start to finish.  Many leaders, law makers and legislative members have come to the conclusion that our entire system is broken and in severe need of reform.  There will be a hearing today on this very legislation.  See below.

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11. June 2009 by Rev Young.

The practice of the Direct File Statute allows for District Attorney’s to transfer a juvenile case to adult court.  Once that happens, the charges become adult charges, the sentences become adult sentences and the life of a young person is permanently changed.

There have been many cases that have garnered national media attention from horrendous crimes and acts of violence perpetrated by a youth.  While the media and the press releases from the District Attorney’s office deliver to us a portrait of a child killer, the truth and facts of the stories are far more devastating.  Behind these gruesome stories are histories of physical and sexual abuse, mental illness, addiction, generational gang violence, false confessions leading to injustice, entrapment and questionable interrogation practices, MIRANDA rights violations, constitutional rights violations and abuse on these young people from the authorities that are holding them. 

In the past 20 years we have created a trail of terror for us as American citizens and we aren’t even aware of it.  We have given ourselves over to media sensationalism, sound bites that influence our opinions and refused to look at the results of our choices and laws.  If you have children in this country I am calling you to awaken and begin to take a long honest look at the conditions in your schools, communities, juvenile centers, justice centers, jails and prisons.  Your child may be safe in your arms today but what is your child’s future?  Are the systems we depend upon in this country truly preparing for and providing a future for your child?  Or are we choosing, as a nation of uneducated and uncommitted parents, to rid ourselves of a generation of children?

This may sound very harsh and even exaggerated.  It is not.  We have lost 15,000 lives to the generational gang wars in California.  These youngsters are not raised with right and wrong, as we suppose, they are raised with “survive or die”.  We have 20,000 young people locked in adult facilities across this nation every night of the year.  We have Children as young as 13 sentenced to die in prison.  We have no mental health programs for children and as a result we use juvenile detention facilities as their treatment centers.  Educators EXPECT and ACCEPT the fact that one third of all sixth graders entering middle school and one third of all ninth graders entering high school will fail.  They prepare prison beds based on those failures.  Upwards of 10,000 young adult people (per state !) with developmental disabilities have no programs or resources for their care or rehabilitation!  This nation has fallen dramatically in it’s international ranking for the education of children. 

With all of this neglect, we wonder why we have so much trouble among our youth.  We have abandoned our responsibilities and our children.  We have allowed laws to be put in place that say our children are not redeemable, that you cannot rehabilitate a child.  We no longer believe that children make mistakes, even really big ones, but they can be reformed and become contributing citizens. 

And we have lost our voice.  We choose not to speak out.  We choose to believe that our voice is not important.  We put blinders on and choose not to look at the problems around us.  I believe the day and time has come for us to take back our voice.  I applaud you for reading these blog articles and educating yourself on these issues.  I hope it has caused you to research issues involving the children in this country and education, reform and rehabilitation practices.  Now I am asking you to use your voice.  Write or call your senators, representatives and national leaders.  Speak out for reform and change.  Bring America’s focus back to the children of this country.  Let us speak out so that we start caring for our children instead of trying to bail out corporations.  Speak out so that we can get back to our basic moral responsibilities……caring for children, families and building a future for this nation.

Every major shift in history has come from a group of citizens who united in VOICE and caused change.  I ask you to use your voice.  Please click on the video link from Campaign For Youth Justice.  http://www.campaign4youthjustice.org/video.html#

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