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Over the last year we grew. We listened. We organized. And we fought and won. And now we need your help to keep the momentum going.
pennsylvania
A Grandfather’s Rare Freedom: The Hidden World of Incarcerated Elders
When initially sentenced as a child to between 40 to 80 years in prison, Kevin Butler struggled to grasp what a virtual life sentence meant. It seemed like the beginning of forever, a time too long to understand. An exceedingly rare commutation brought him freedom after 32 years of that sentence.
The Fight to Free Our Elders
Mid-day on September 30, 2021, community members and lawmakers gathered outside of Philadelphia City Hall around the 12-foot bronze Octavius Catto statue for a press conference to gather support for the newly introduced Senate Bill 835 that would establish geriatric and medical parole in Pennsylvania. Several movement partners came together to host the event, namely …
The Origin Story of Life Without Parole in Pennsylvania
The author of the following piece, Jon E. Yount, died by suicide at State Correctional Institution Greene in 2012 while serving a life sentence imposed during 1966. Yount wrote this piece in February 2004 while incarcerated at State Correctional Institution Huntingdon. In this article, Yount reveals the political nature of the erasure of the possibility …
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Unpacking SB 835: Who has a chance at freedom from medical and geriatric parole?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate but is not law. We at Straight Ahead want to see the bill become law, as it would allow the possibility for parole for many older and sick people in prisons, including those who might not be covered by other reform bills. This was written and last …
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Unpacking SB 135: What does the Death By Incarceration bill do?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate but is not law. We at Straight Ahead are fighting for it to become law, as it would essentially eliminate life without parole sentencing. This was written and last updated July of 2021. Bills can sometimes change after being introduced. Here’s what the bill does The bill …
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My Time Will Come: A Dialogue on Transformation and Death by Incarceration
Ian Manuel grew up in Central Park Village in Tampa, Florida. In 1991, when he was 14 years old, Ian was sentenced to life without parole for a non-homicide crime in which he shot and wounded a woman. Ian served 26 years in Florida prison, including 18 years in solitary confinement. The Equal Justice Initiative …
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In Prison, Fatherhood was Only a Dream
This year is my first father’s day. But for the decades I spent incarcerated in an Alabama prison, I dreamt of him every day. I’ll spend the day at church, parading around the baby the congregation had been waiting for—one that I’ve been waiting for much longer. I’ll probably reminisce on the birth of my …