FedCURE News and Legislative Updates 2007

The CURE: America's Ailing Federal Criminal Justice System

FedCURE is the world's leading advocate for America's, ever growing, federal inmate population which is approaching 200,000 people. We are working with members of Congress to reinstate parole; increase good time allowances; provide for compassionate releases; restore PELL grants; and opportunities for successful reentry into the community, for all federal offenders; and promote a system that incarcerates fewer people and provides humane conditions for those who are incarcerated or under post-incarceration supervision via parole or supervised release. Over 45,000 people were released from federal prison last year.

FedCURE's lifetime member and PBS film producer and Soros Justice Media Fellowship candidate, Allan Mason and BNNreports.com (Broadcast Network News) are documenting FedCURE's activities for inclusion in the production of a one-hour special news documentary film titled, The CURE: America's Ailing Federal Criminal Justice System (suitable for Frontline, NOW, or an independent special report for the Public Broadcasting System and their affiliates). Perhaps we may be able to collaborate in some manner.

The film would examine the ailing federal criminal justice system in the United States and the impact of two pieces of proposed federal legislation that would reduce federal prisons sentences and provide for tax payer relief by enacting smart legislation that would revive the system of parole for federal prisoners; and reduce run-a-way recidivism rates by enacting smart legislation such as "The Second Chance Act," reauthorizing the grant program of the Department of Justice for re-entry of offenders into the community, to establish a task force on Federal programs and activities relating to the re-entry of offenders into the community, and for other purposes. See H.R. 3072, H.R. 1593 and S. 1060, respectively. We are seeking partners and funding for this film and to produce short VNR's for our upcoming legislative campaigns to promote FedCURE's legislative initiatives.

Federal Parole:

Congress abandon parole for all federal offenses committed after 01 November 1987. FedCURE co-authored the last two federal parole bills, in the 108th and 109th Congress, with Rep. Danny Davis (D-ILL) seeking to revive the system of parole for all federal offenders. This year FedCURE drafted a new federal parole bill for Rep. Davis and to float around to other members of Congress who may want introduce the bill in this Congress. The bill is titled as The Criminal Justice Tax Relief Act of 2007 (CJTRA). The bill is estimated to save the taxpayers 4 to 7 billion dollars annually and 80 to 140 billion dollars over a twenty-year period. FedCURE is waiting for Rep. Davis to sign off on the CJTRA.

The CJTRA, would, inter alia:

• Reinstate the old parole statutes and make amendments thereto.
  
• Make all offenders eligible for parole.
  
• Increase good time allowances.
  
• Give jurisdiction to the United States Parole Commission to set release dates in accordance with applicable parole guidelines or the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, whichever is lowest.
  
• Provide for reduction in term of imprisonment of elderly offenders.
  
• Clarify parole procedures.
  
• Provide post incarceration supervision.
  
• Apply prospectively and retroactively.
  
• Extend the life of the United States Parole Commission for twenty years.

The Second Chance Act:

The Second Chance Act of 2007 was introduced in the 110th Congress, also by Rep. Davis, on 20 March 2007 as H.R. 1593. Just a week after the re-introduction of the bill, 28 March 2007, members of the House Judiciary Committee passed H.R. 1593 out of committee. Sen. Bidden introduced S. 1060, an identical bill, in the Senate on 29 March 2007. On 02 August 2007 The Second Chance Act passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Unanimously! Both bills now go to the full House and Senate for a vote. If passed, President Bush will have to sign the final bill into law. Gene Guerrero, Director of The Open Society Institute/Open Society Policy Center (SOROS) is the lead lobbying effort behind this legislation.

The Second Chance Act of 2007 authorizes $192 million annually and would:

• Reauthorizes and makes improvements to existing State and local government offender reentry program. The bill authorizes $50 million annually for the Department of Justice, State and local grant program, increasing authorization levels, incorporating best practices from the reentry field, and requiring the measuring and reporting of performance outcomes.
• Authorizes new competitive grants for innovative programs to reduce recidivism. The bill authorizes $130 million each year in grants for State and local governments and public and private entities to develop and implement comprehensive substance abuse treatment programs, academic and vocational education programs, and housing and job counseling programs, and mentoring for offenders who are approaching release and who have been released. The bill requires grantees to establish performance goals and benchmarks and report performance outcomes to Congress.
• Strengthens the Bureau of Prisons ability to provide reentry services to federal prisoners. The bill authorizes funds to improve federal offender reentry services and to establish an elderly non-violent offender pilot program.
• Authorizes grants for research and best practices. The bill authorizes additional funds for research on innovative drug treatment methods, causes of recidivism, and methods to improve education and vocational training during incarceration and for the development of best practices.

If you are interested in collaborating in some manner and would like to discuss this in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Links to Bills:

H.R. 3072: http://www.fedcure.org/information/HR3072-IH-FullText-FedCURE.shtml
H.R. 1593: http://www.fedcure.org/information/HR1593.shtml
S. 1060: http://www.fedcure.org/information/S.1060.shtml
BNN: http://www.bnnreports.com/fedcure

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Best Regards:

Mark A. Varca, J.D., CIO,
FedCURE
P.O. Box 15667
Plantation, Florida 33318-5667
USA

Web Site: http://www.FedCURE.org
E-mail: CIO@FedCURE.org
E-fax: (408) 549-8935

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FedCURE NEWS and Legislative Updates

The last day of 109th U.S. Congress was Saturday, 09 December 2006. Despite our best efforts H.R. 3072 (Federal Parole) and H.R. 1704/S.1934 (The Second Chance Act) failed to pass. These bills will have to be re-introduced during the 110th Congress which convened 04 January 2007. The new Congress has huge implications for FedCURE and its two legislative initiatives: H.R. 3072 and H.R. 1704/S. 1934. With the Democrats in control of the Judiciary Committee agenda FedCURE is hopeful that we can get hearings on the new bills.

Federal Parole and Re-entry Legislation for the 110th Congress

The parole bill will take a new form this year and will have a new number. FedCURE traveled to Washington, D.C., to work on it with Rep. Davis' office on 18-19 April 2007. A bill is expected to be introduced in May 2007.

The Second Chance Act of 2007 was introduced in the 110th Congress on 20 March 2007 as H.R. 1593. Just a week after the re-introduction of the bill, 28 March 2007, members of the House Judiciary Committee passed H.R. 1593, the Second Chance Act of 2007. The bill will now be sent to the House floor for consideration, which sponsors say will take place in mid-April. During the mark-up of the bill, members voted down several amendments that would have jeopardized the bipartisan support for the bill. Sen. Bidden introduced S.1060, an identical bill, in the Senate on 29 March 2007. See: http://www.fedcure.org/information/Legislation.shtml.
H.R. 261 and 623 are still in committee and have not been marked up for hearings.

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FedCURE

P.O. Box 15667

Plantation, Florida 33318-5667

USA

The new 110th U.S. Congress has huge implications for FedCURE and its two legislative initiatives:

Dear FedCURE Members, Supporters and Friends:

The new 110th U.S. Congress has huge implications for FedCURE and its two legislative initiatives: H.R. 3072 (Federal Parole) and H.R. 1704/S. 1934 (The Second Chance Act).

As you may know, FedCURE authored H.R. 3072 and its predecessor H.R 4036. H.R. 3072 is a bill to revive the system of parole for Federal prisoners and is our champion cause. The bill has died in committee and we will reintroduce the bill in the 110th Congress.

H.R. 1704/S. 1943, a bill we also strongly advocate in favor of, had bipartisan support in the 109th Congress and cleared the House Judiciary committee. However, one lone hold out legislator, Senator Tom Coburn- Republican, OK, killed the passage of the Second Chance Act, at the last minute, during the "lame-duck" session in the Senate . Its broad bipartisan support will likely continue, however, in the 110th Congress, hopefully carrying it towards final passage.

FedCURE works closely with Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill), who is the key-sponsor of both of these bills. Many Democratic members of Congress who sponsor FedCURE and with whom FedCURE works with were re-elected and will assume powerful leadership positions when Congress reconvenes in January. For example: Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) a FedCURE sponsor and cosponsor of H.R. 3072 and H.R. 1704, will become Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, replacing sentencing reform foe Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), who opposed reinstating federal parole and orchestrated attacks on judicial discretion and sponsored the egregious "Booker-fix" bill, among many other costly and punitive sentencing bills. You can bet when the federal parole bill is reintroduced to the 110th Congress that he will mark it up for hearings. Rep. Robert "Bobby" Scott (D-Va.), another FedCURE sponsor and cosponsor of H.R. 3072 and H.R. 1704 will become Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, which is the committee where sentencing bills begin.

The positive relationships FedCURE has built with Republican lawmakers like Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) and Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who were re-elected, will also continue. And, of course, we will keep reaching out to more Republicans to build a broad consensus for sentencing reform, which is still necessary to win reforms.

In a resolution dated 16 August 2006, the American Correctional Association strongly urged Congress to reinstate and fully fund a system of parole for Federal prisoners:ACA Resolution on the Reinstatement of a System of Parole For Federal Prisoners.

FedCURE's lifetime member and PBS film producer and Soros Justice Media Fellowship candidate, Allan Mason and BNN (Broadcast News Network), is documenting these activities for inclusion in the production of a one-hour special news documentary film titled, The CURE: America's ailing federal criminal justice system (suitable for Frontline, NOW, or an independent special report for the Public Broadcasting System and their affiliates), examining the ailing federal criminal justice system in the United States and the impact of two pieces of proposed federal legislation that would reduce federal prisons sentences and provide for tax payer relief by enacting smart legislation that would revive the system of parole for federal prisoners; and reduce run-a-way recidivism rates by enacting smart legislation such as "The Second Chance Act," reauthorizing the grant program of the Department of Justice for re-entry of offenders into the community, to establish a task force on Federal programs and activities relating to the re-entry of offenders into the community, and for other purposes. See H.R. 3072, H.R. 1704 and S. 1934, respectively.

FedCURE needs your support and for you to be informed in these matters. The 110th Congress could mean big changes for federal criminal justice. We need you to be engaged in this process with us.

Please consider subscribing today. It is free. Simply send an e-mail
to:FedCURE-org-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Best Regards:

Mark A. Varca, J.D., CIO,
FedCURE
P.O. Box 15667
Plantation, Florida
33318-5667
USA

Web Site: http://www.FedCURE.org

E-mail: FedCURE@FedCURE.org

E-fax: (408) 549-8935

"Using Technology to Bring About Federal Criminal Justice Reform" tm
WWW.FEDCURE.ORG 2002-2006. All rights reserved.

Please Donate and Join Now: http://www.fedcure.org/join.shtml

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(c) 2006 www.FedCURE.org 

FedCURE News: Federal Parole and Re-entry Legislation

Please support H.R. 3072: The bill To Revive the System of Parole for Federal Prisoners.

Since 1987, there has been no parole in the federal system. Today's official Federal Bureau of Prisons count is: 188,591+ people incarcerated. This legislation (H.R. 3072) is the single most important issue facing federal criminal justice reform in United States today. "Thousands of people in prison are serving life sentences for non-violent offenses without the possibility of parole. The vast majority of these people are also first time offenders." This is an atrocity.

Please support this legislation by contacting each member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee at: http://judiciary.house.gov/CommitteeMembership.aspx and strongly urge them to support H.R. 3072 - The Federal Parole Bill. If you click on the committee members links, you will go to their e-mail page. You will need to contact each member of the committee, so cut and paste your message into their e-mail message box.

Click here to Contact the Congressperson in your district: http://www.fedcure.org/ContactCongressREP-SEN.shtml

Also, complete mail labels for the U.S House of Representatives, in word.doc format, are available here: http://clerk.house.gov/members/index.php.

FedCURE Newsletter - March 2006 is available at:
http://www.fedcure.org/newsletters/FedCURE-Newsletter-March2006.pdf

Spread the WORD!


FedCURE
P.O. Box
15667 Plantation, Florida
33318-5667

USA

Web Site: http://www.fedcure.org/
E-mail: FedCURE@FedCURE.org

E-fax: (408) 549-8935

"Using Technology to Bring About Federal Criminal Justice Reform" tmhttp://www.fedcure.org/ 2002-2006. All rights reserved.

Please Donate and Join Now: http://www.fedcure.org/join.shtml

Subscribe to our free discussion group e-mail: FedCURE-org-subscribe@yahoogroups.com