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Welcome to the Pendulum Foundation Newsletter. Check back often for updates and new information.

Good news regarding prison reform! The Vera Institute of Justice is coming to Colorado. Their mission statement states that Vera “combines expertise in research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance to help leaders in government and civil society improve the systems people rely on for justice and safety.” That pretty much says it all. Vera has done remarkable things in other states and we applaud Governor Ritter, Department of Corrections’ officials and all others who have cooperated with The Vera institute and who are embracing prison reform. I truly believe that, with our worsening recession, it is imperative that we turn away from punishment and toward rehabilitation. For those who want to be tough on crime, warehousing prisoners and mindlessly long sentences have helped bankrupt America – and have made us no safer. So we can continue to blather about “coddling criminals” while our country is bleeding, our schools are crumbling, and we can’t take basic care of our old, young, poor, and our sick. The Politics of Retribution are so self-defeating and soooooo 20th century.
On to a more enlightened 21st.

Last month I attended the annual National Juvenile Justice Network conference in Chicago. The panels were held at the illustrious Northwestern University School of Law. I was particularly intrigued by the panel on juvenile confessions – nearly 25% are false – and blended sentencing – overall a bad idea. Advocates from around the United States are working to improve conditions in juvenile facilities and reform juvenile justice and adult systems and The Pendulum Foundation is proud to be a part of NJJN.
One of the subjects mentioned at the conference was the Convention for the Rights of The Child. CRC has been ratified in every country except for the U.S. and Somalia. CRC (www.childrightscampaign.org) provides the most basic rights to children. Currently, all of Europe’s actions and laws re: the health and welfare of children are designed with CRC in mind. Of course we don’t want to be like other nations — which may be why we are falling so far behind so many. According the most recent American Human Development index, we are no longer the “richest nation on earth.” We don’t even number among the top 10. We rank 42nd in global life expectancy and 34th in survival of infants to age. (Which goes hand in hand with having the highest percentage of children living in poverty.) Suicide and murder are among our top 15 causes of death. While we have 5 percent of the world’s population, we account for 24% of the world’s prisoners – and we’re the only nation that sentences its children to die behind bars. And although we spend more per capita on health care than any other nation, we have a shorter life span than citizens of every western European and Nordic country except for Denmark.

I have long believed that the way we treat the least among us says much about who we are as a society. Our thoughtless policies, including our decades of lock-em-up-and-throw- away-the-key sentencing “reforms,” are bankrupting us physically and spiritually.
Once again it’s time to come into the 21st century.

We continue to work on HR4300 (www.hr4300.com). We believe that, with the change in administration, allowing children serving life to have a CHANCE at parole in fifteen years, has a chance at passage. Doesn’t mean that any of those juveniles will ever get parole. It just gives them the chance. With America’s parole boards as tough as they are – and peopled largely by law enforcement types – there will never be a wholesale release of the thousands of kids serving life.

Finally, we are seeking actors in the Monument, CO, area of all ages for some forthcoming commercials on our issue. Top notch film company and it will be a great experience – for which you won’t be paid! Experience can be fairly minimal, probably minor speaking parts, and we guarantee you’ll have a good time. If you are available during the first two weeks of August, please shoot me an email at maryellen@pendulumfoundation.com