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It Finally Happened! Massachusetts bans life without parole for adults under 21 in a landmark decision!! The following related quotes are from the Daily Free Press, The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University, 01/26/2024.
““I think this ruling is going to help those who have struggled early on in life be able to get a fresh start, and not have to be a victim to the circumstances that they’re born into,””
““I’m looking forward to them showing Boston and society that people do change and people do need a second chance,” said Goldberg, who said her reentry organization will “join forces” with organizations like Prisoners’ Legal Services of Mass. to accelerate the parole process. ”
Attend: Lobby Day to End Live without Parole and Extreme Sentencing, November 8, 10:00 a.m. Meet at the Hall of Flags, MA State House, 24 Beacon St., Boston, MA.
Attend: “Where There Is People There is Power” September 20, 12pm-2pm at the State House, 24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA. This event is sponsored by the Campaign to End Life without Parole (CELWOP) and We Are Joint Venture in collaboration with The Harriet Tubman Project and Mass Second Look. For more information contact the Director of The F8 Foundation.
It Passed! No Cost Calls for Incarcerated People. Funding for this is now in the FY24 MA budget.
Attend: August 3, 7:00 pm—Please join We Are Joint Venture for an online Legislative Advocacy Training Program via Zoom offered by Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts. Topics covered: the legislative timeline, when to expect public hearings and how to prepare testimony for them, how to reach out to your legislators, how legislative committees work, and possible avenues for advocacy for the joint venture bill. To join the Zoom meeting, log in here. For more information see We Are Joint Venture’s Facebook page.
On July 27, the MA Judiciary Committee conducted a hearing dealing with more than 45 bills seeking change within the Massachusetts criminal justice system. According to an article by Jean Trounstine of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, the “engagement of nearly 30 incarcerated men and women testifying remotely from five different institutions was unprecedented.” Read more about this hearing in an article by Tanisha Bhat in The Bay State Banner.
Listen: on July 27, on behalf of the Campaign to End Life without Parole (CELWOP) and The F8 Foundation, the Director of the F8 testified before the MA Judiciary Committee in support of bills S.1045 An Act to Reduce Mass Incarceration and H.3962 An Act Regarding Joint Venture.
The Director of the F8 was a panelist on the July 27, live Soul Thursdays Podcast: Restorative Justice - Rebuilding Lives in Parole, Policy, and Prison Reform. Register for the next live Soul Thursdays podcasts here. Soul Thursdays is a division of the Community Education Collective, LLC.
Attend: April 27, Central MA Regional Town Hall—a night of education and discussion focused on policies that affect individuals in recovery and people who are actively using substances. This event, sponsored by MOAR (Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery), will also discuss the Opioid Settlement Funds that our towns are receiving. Where are the funds going? Are they going to efforts that help people and save lives? This meeting is for all—individuals, families, community members, and organizations. Let your voice be heard. Register here through eventbrite. Note that the Director of The F8 Foundation will be speaking at this event, which will be held at St. John Church, 44 Temple Street, Worcester, MA 01604.
Attend: Breaking the Cycle: Navigating Prison Reform, Re-entry, and Reducing Recidivism, April 19. This event is sponsored by ELEVATE Northeast and Coyote Cannabis. It will include panels and discussions highlighting work done in support of currently/formerly incarcerated and recently released individuals regarding access to education, healthcare, and re-entry. Organizations working with these individuals will discuss healthcare, education, re-entering the workforce, expunging records, and staying out of prison. Find the schedule here. Register for the event (required) through eventbrite here. Note that the Director of The F8 Foundation is one of the panelist.
Attend: Learn and Build on Saturday, April 8. (Find details and meeting location here.) This meeting is sponsored by We Are Joint Venture and described as follows. “We will use this time to discuss pressing issues within the community and judicial system. Legislators, law makers, community residents, judges and lawyers will attend, as well as collaborative organizations and guest speakers. Our goal is to have informative conversations surrounding topics such as Raise the Age, Joint Venture, and Life without Parole. We will not only identify and discuss the issues, but also collectively brainstorm and build solutions. To evolve, some history has to be forgotten, and some history has to be enlightened… Every voice counts.” For more information see We Are Joint Venture’s Facebook page.
Congratulations: Amo Rodriguez was just named a Recovery Coach for the City of Worcester.
View: some of the powerful stories of those impacted by the BHA/Justice4Housing partnership. BHA provides Housing Choice Vouchers to Justice Involved Individuals and Justice4Housing provides housing search and individualized stabilization services.
View: Film screening of Holding Up the Sky - “demonstrating the power that hope, community support, and education in prison can have on incarcerated individuals,” Wednesday, September 7 from 6;30 - 8:30 pm, Behrekas Auditorium, 150 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA.
Attend: Webinar on Technical Parole Violations and the Need for Reform, July 26 at 6PM, sponsored by the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition and featuring Senator Jamie Eldridge; Rebecca Rose, Esq., parole attorney; Steve Harris, community member with lived experience; and Cynthia Goldberg, Director of the F8 Foundation. Register here for the event.
Listen: Section 35 Reform in MA Webinar Event 2/15/22. As described on the mass.gov website, “Section 35 is a Massachusetts law that allows a qualified person to request a court order requiring someone to be civilly committed and treated involuntarily for an alcohol or substance use disorder.”
The F8 Foundation is pleased to promote and is working directly with the CultivatED Program. This innovative program is a “public-private partnership that provides fellows with a robust co-operative education program in the cannabis industry, free legal services, workforce preparedness training, and cannabis externships with livable wages and benefits.” Apply to the program here.
Holding Up the Sky is a new documentary film and education project by Bob Nesson. The film "aims to educate and enlighten viewers by demonstrating the power that hope, family and community support, and, importantly – education in prison can have on incarcerated individuals." The project is currently seeking donations to fund its completion. View a trailer here.
MA Legislative Briefing: Ending Life Without Parole, October 14, 2021, 12PM on Zoom.
Find more information here.Day-long hearing on corrections sees pleas for free calls and an end to Life without parole. See details in the October 7, 2021 article by Jean Trounstine published online in DigBoston.
How King Kam became Joseph Irizarry - Thomas FreeMe of the Coming Home Coalition and FreeMe Podcast interviews a gang leader who walked away. This presentation was sponsored in part by The F8 Foundation.
The Director of the F8 Foundation was a guest on Raymond Matthews’ podcast, Real Stories Real People. In this segment, Out of Prison and Giving Back, she describes her experience and the philosophy and work of the Foundation. Listen on YouTube at https://youtube.com/watch?v=ThsthIJs0Mk&feature=share
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ThsthIJs0Mk&feature=share
The Director of The F8 Foundation was named Chair of the Board of the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition for 2021, and the Coalition is presenting the following webinar.
The Director of The F8 Foundation was quoted advocating for families in the following article: "Prisons to Allow In-person Visits Starting Monday" by Allison Pirog in The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University, September 27, 2020. https://dailyfreepress.com/2020/09/27/prisons-to-allow-in-person-visits-starting-monday/
The Criminal Justice Reform Bill needs a Boost!!
The Joint Committee on the Judiciary is still reviewing H. 4652 COVID -19. H.4652, the decarceration bill, proposes targeted release of pretrial and sentenced individuals who are medically vulnerable or do not post a public safety risk to allow safe physical distancing for staff and individuals who remain incarcerated. Your request to your legislators to contact the Joint Committee on the Judiciary in support of this bill will greatly help.
To call the State House Switch Board: (617) 722-2000
To contact your representative by phone or email: https://malegislature.gov/People/HouseThe Director of The F8 Foundation participated in the Improving Prison Reform Panel of the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition. Watch here.
The Director of the F8 Foundation was featured in an interview on Friends of Kevin Radio WSMN 1590.
Examples of F8 events and client activities
Sephora sponsored a visit for clients of The F8 Foundation.
Visit to Mass Bay Community College. Clients of The F8 Foundation visited Prof. Hannigan's class, which donated 75 gift bags as part of a service learning project.
