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CITIZENS ALLIANCE ON PRISONS AND PUBLIC SPENDING
CAPPS UPDATE
Working to safely reduce the prisoner population and reinvest the savings in prevention
Don’t miss this
important CAPPS
Annual meeting!
Please register by 5
pm, November 10.
INSIDE
P 2 | WRITE YOUR REP
TODAY!
P 3 | CAPPS ANNUAL
MEETING
WHO WE ARE
LAURA SAGER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
BARBARA LEVINE
ASSOC. DIR. RESEARCH & POLICY
DENA ANDERSON
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
ELSIE KETTUNEN
DATA / FINANCIAL ANALYST
PROF. JUSTIN SMITH
RESEARCH CONSULTANT
NOAH SMITH
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
GRASSROOTS MIDWEST
CONSULTANTS
GARY ASHBY and
THERESE HERCHER
VOLUNTEERS
CAPPS MEMBERS MEETING WITH LEGISLATORS IN THE CAPITOL
BUILDING THE MOVEMENT
CAPPS’s first Legislative Day was a
tremendous success!!
Thank you to our cosponsors, members and supporters who
came to the first CAPPS’s Legislative Day on September 17.
Over 100 participants from across Michigan met with their
legislators in their offices, outside House and Senate sessions
and even over lunch to talk about long-overdue sentencing and
parole reforms.#
After the event, a number of legislators told us how impressed
they were that CAPPS supporters came so well prepared, stayed
on topic, and conveyed clear messages. Representative Joe
Haveman (R-Haveman) noted that he was very pleased to be
able to “put a face to the issues.” #
Please take the next step: Attend the CAPPS Annual
Meeting on November 13 (see Page 3), write a letter to your
legislator or call us to help you arrange a meeting in your
community to let them know we need meaningful reform!!
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 ❦ PAGE 1
CITIZENS ALLIANCE ON PRISONS AND PUBLIC SPENDING
You can find your state representative
and senator on these websites:
www. house.mi.gov and
www.senate.mi.gov
!
How to address your letters:
Representative (Last name)
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
!
Senator (Last name)
P.O. Box 30036
CAPPS members met with Representative
Lansing, MI 48909-7536
Fred Durhal on CAPPS’s Legislative Day.
!
!Sample letter to legislators for you to customize
!
Dear Representative/Senator (His or her last name),#
!
My name is _____________. I am concerned that we are still spending $2 billion a year on corrections
because we keep thousands of people in prison far longer than necessary for public safety. #
According to the Pew Center on the States, Michigan’s average prison length of stay is far longer than any of
the 35 states it studied in 2009. There is no safety payoff – research shows that simply keeping people longer
does not keep the public safer.#
Therefore, I am writing to urge you to support: 1) reinstating a sentencing commission, which could
recommend policies that would reduce the average prison length of stay,#
2) establishing criteria for delaying the release of people who are eligible for parole that are based on
prisoners’ own behavior in prison,#
and 3) supporting reforms to the parole process for parolable lifers that would ensure objectivity,
transparency and accountability.#
[Add just one or two sentences about why you personally care about these reforms. If you have a loved one in prison,
mention that. If you are concerned that Michigan spends more on corrections than higher education, which helps drive up
tuition costs, you can say that.]&
If we make smart sentencing and parole reforms a reality, Michigan can save hundreds of millions of dollars
and reinvest those dollars in services that are proven to make our communities safer.#
[Add one closing sentence about why you think this issue is so important]&
Thank you for your time and consideration. If you have any questions, please contact me. You can also
contact the Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending at [email protected].#
Sincerely, #
[Sign then print your name, address, and phone number. Include the title and name of the group, if you are representing an
organization.]
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 ❦ PAGE 2
CITIZENS ALLIANCE ON PRISONS AND PUBLIC SPENDING
CAPPS 2014 ANNUAL MEETING
6:00-8:00 PM, Thursday, November 13
Emanuel Lutheran Church, 1001 North Capitol Avenue, Lansing, Michigan 48906
There is ample free parking in the lot BEHIND the church. The lot entrance is off Seymour Avenue.&
5:30 PM Doors open | 6:00 PM Buffet begins | 6:30 PM Program
Cost of buffet per person: $20 (Note: Some scholarships may be available. Call for info.)
Registration deadline: 5 PM, Monday, November 10
Contact Dena Anderson, CAPPS executive assistant, to register TODAY:
(517) 482-7753 or via email at [email protected]
You won’t want to miss this opportunity to get the latest news!!
Incarcerated members: Please encourage your family and friends to attend
As we go to press, groups are negotiating the details of the Council of State Governments reform
package. Criminal justice reform bills will be introduced just days before the Annual
Meeting.
Barbara Levine, CAPPS associate director for research and policy, will provide details about
the pending legislation, answer questions and outline what reforms will likely still be on our
agenda in 2015. #
Noah Smith of Capitol Services will provide training on how to talk to your legislators about
the pending proposals and provide a timeline for action. #
In addition, meeting participants will elect CAPPS Board members and vote on proposed
bylaws in a very brief business meeting. (Revised CAPPS Bylaws are at www.capps-mi.org.)
Coming soon:
CAPPS Kalamazoo Community Meeting
Saturday, December 6, 9 AM-1 PM
Bethany Reformed Church, 1833 South Burdick Street, Kalamazoo
Update on legislation | 3 critical sentencing and parole reforms | Workshops
To register, contact Dena Anderson:
(517) 482-7753 or [email protected]
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 ❦ PAGE 3
CITIZENS ALLIANCE ON PRISONS AND PUBLIC SPENDING
Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending #
824 N. Capitol Avenue#
Lansing, MI 48906#
P: (517) 482-7753, M-F#
[email protected]#
!
Twitter: @CAPPSMichigan#
Web: www.capps-mi.org
CAPPS needs your support, now more than ever . . .
Fixing Michigan’s sentencing and parole policies will take the generous support of hundreds of
people just like you. Our legislative advocacy is funded entirely by membership dues and
donations. Please join CAPPS and help build the movement by making a gift to CAPPS.
To donate, Go to www.capps-mi.org (click the JOIN button at the top of the home page), email
[email protected] or mail us. Also: Please consider a monthly gift of any amount. We can
help you set up a recurring donation, just give us a call!
Thank you to our Legislative Day cosponsors:
3Rs#
Michigan League for Public Policy#
American Friends Service Committee#
Michigan United#
Church of the Servant Prisoners in Christ#
Restorative Justice Coalition of West Michigan #
Citizens for Prison Reform#
Woodside Church Outreach and Social Action
CRCNA Office of Social Justice#
Committee. #
Crossroad Bible Institute#
Thanks, also, to our incarcerated members who
Grassroots Midwest#
urged their families and friends to attend! &
Flint Area Congregations Together#
Humanity for Prisoners#
The Micah Center Beyond Prisons Group#
Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency#
Special thanks to Grassroots Midwest, Dena Anderson
and our volunteers: Gary Ashby, Carlos Cardenas, Therese
Hercher, Carol Rienstra, Leon El-Alamin, Pete Martel
and Ron Simpson-Bey for their extraordinary work!
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 ❦ PAGE 4