How To Help Your Advocate 4 Justice

NEW! Download the Advocate 4 Justice Parole Packet here! (PDF Format)

Tell your U.S. Representative to Support Federal Parole: Find Their Phone Numbers Here! -- Write Your U.S. Representative at www.house.gov/writerep -- To find who your Representative is, visit www.vote-smart.org

(Advocate 4 Justice encourages you to print out the material below and mail it to your incarcerated loved ones. Click here for printable version. You may also download and print a one-sheet Advocate 4 Justice flyer here in PDF Format)

(Sample letter in support of HR 3072)

December 5, 2005

HR 3072: To Revive The System Of Parole For Federal Prisoners

Dear Honorable Congress Members, House and Senate:

I am writing to personally ask you each to co-sponsor HR 3072, a bill To Revive The System Of Parole For Federal Prisoners. The bill makes fiscal, social and moral sense. The current prison system set up the way it is makes all us Americans look inhumane. Prisoner's are human beings who deserve a second chance. We American's must step up to this challenge and make the neccessary changes to promote more successful re-entry. All Prisoner's are eventually released, I prefer they be properly rehabilitated prior to re-entry to society. It makes us all safer in the long run.

Most of the prisoners in federal custody are non-violent drug offenders. It is illogical to spend tax dollars on long imprisonment when other means have proven far more effective in solving the social problems of drug abuse and addiction. State leaders across the U.S. are moving ahead on their own to reform failed sentencing, drug, and parole policies.

Enactment of HR 3072 would provide prisoners with an incentive to maintain exemplary behavior in prison. A humane philosophy of earned, early release would foster incentives toward cooperation, study, and learning skills that would begin creating a safer environment for staff and prisoners alike, not to mention a more successful re-entry.

With hope for the future, and families reuniting earlier, the impact and social costs of incarceration would be lessened. High costs of imprisonment -- more than $10 billion annually for nonviolent drug offenders alone- could be dramatically reduced. Inhumane prison overcrowding would be relieved, along with the immediate need to build expensive, additional prisons.

Please co-sponsor HR 3072 to build a safer society by promoting rehabilitation, shorter incarceration times for deserving prisoners, and more appropriate use of public funds to strengthen effective social programs.

Sincerely, ______________________________

Address _______________________________

Phone Number _________________________

Your Last Chance For Freedom!

July 4, 2005; from the Advocate 4 Justice

Introducing new Legislation is easy; the hard part is getting it passed. This procedure is going to take a while, unless everyone is putting pressure on their elective officials. This is your last chance for freedom unless you are resigned to the fact that your are going to do all of your time. You and your family must go on a writing campaign.

My main focus is to help HR 3072 to pass. If you are having problems at your institutions, use the Administrative Procedures that your institution has in place to solve the problem. Do not write and ask me to help solve problems occurring at your Institutions. I refuse to entertain anything other than passing the bill HR 3072. There are 2.1 million people incarcerated in the United States. If you can just get one person out of your family to attend the Family Members and Friends of People Incarcerated March on Washington, DC, that would be awesome.

This is the first time you have probably been in the driver's seat in a long time. Show me you can drive. I'm still interested in coming to speak to you, so prepare for me. In September, I would like to go to DC for a while to lobby for bill HR-3072. If you can help get me to DC and your institutions, this will be great.

Careers of Congressmen and Congresswomen are won and lost by what they supported or didn't support. There comes a time when your integrity is challenged, and you have to make a decision that is not popular to the public. The wrong decision at the wrong time can destroy a political a career. Bringing back Federal Parole is not popular to some, but it is the right thing to do. Everyone deserves a second chance. I agree, we should have prisons, but we shouldn't give non-violent offenders more time than we give an offenders that goes out and commits the most heinous crimes on earth.

Congressman Danny Davis{D-IL}, Sheila Jackson-Lee{D-TX}, Charles Rangel {D-NY}, and Rob Portman{OH-2} have put their integrity on the line by introducing bills that will relieve the overcrowding in the jails, State and Federal prisons and also promoting re-entry programs for released prisoners. Danny Davis's work will be in vain if you do not allow your voice to be heard. I'm asking you to call your Congressman or Congresswowoman and tell then to co-sponsor HR 3072: To Revive The System Of Parole For Federal Prisoners. You can call your Congressmanperson at (202) 224-3121. I think it is better to both write and call your Congressman and tell them to cosponsor bill HR 3072 .

June 22, 2005

A Message from Garry L. Jones, Advocate 4 Justice:

The Speech You Didn't Hear

Since I was unable to be there in person to present my speech, I decided to provide you with a written copy of some of what I was going to present to you. The Bureau would not let me be there for you physically; therefore, I decided to be there for you spiritually. You may have heard some of these words before, coming out of other people's mouths. But, please know that I do not come to you as a Democrat, Republican, Mason or Elk.

I, Garry L. Jones, come to you as a man of integrity wanting to fight the injustice that has been thrust upon you. I have received many letters from each of you, and I can tell by your words of despair that you have lost hope. When you lose hope, you lose everything, even your belief in a higher power. When you lose belief in higher power, Satan steps in and traps the mind. A lack of hope will cause you to do something that you would not normally do. I wish to keep that from happening.

When I was working with the D.C. Department of Corrections (Lorton), an incident occurred that had a lasting effect on me. It was a lesson well learned. An inmate jumped me, but in a matter of seconds, he quickly jumped off me. After the investigation was over, I went back to that inmate and asked why he jumped on me for telling him to do something so simple as to pick up some trash. He stated "I have life and I have done 15 years and I don't have anything to live for. Officer Jones, this time gets to me every now and then and I lash out; I don't have hope anymore."

That inmate's statement stayed in my mind for a long time. I forgave that inmate and did not press charges against him. Sometimes when I think about that incident, I wonder if I would have forgiven him if he had gotten the best of me. But as I walked the many yards of six prisons, State and Federal, I observed two things; these institutions were full of people who had no hope and with people who had resigned themselves to the fact that there wasn't anything they were able to do to help their cause. I beg to differ; there are some things you can do!

You can first start by writing your elected officials and voicing your opinions. You must help the inmates that can't read and write; write letters on their behalf. You cannot do this as just one individual; you must do this as an entire group. The voice of many is much louder than the voice of one. When you were first incarcerated, you left behind beautiful families. You had dignity; you were educated, and most important of all, you had hope. Do not let your current situation rob you of your hope.

You may be under the impression that you can't do anymore to help your cause and have given up. You have given what little money you had to lawyers without getting a sentence reduction. You may have given your money to what turned out to be scams, and you may think that everybody who wants to help you is in it for the money. You are wrong! Even though you may not see or hear me, I am diligently fighting for your cause. Please rest assured that I am not the only one that is fighting on your behalf. I am fighting for the unjust laws that the government has enacted.

A famous preacher once stated that if you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything. That same preacher went on to say, "A man can't ride your back, unless it is bent." Some of you can't imagine why an ex-Lieutenant [of the BOP]would want to help you. Please let me explain that everyone that has on a uniform is not bad, nor do they think that the key should be thrown away. I should know, because I wore the same uniform.

At the present time, I am focusing my efforts on the reinstatement of parole, as well as the Family Members And Friends of People Incarcerated (FMI) March on Washington, D.C., August 13, 2005. I cannot find you a lawyer or call the D.A. that prosecuted you. But, I can advocate for you in the reinstatement of parole. I only have a few volunteers who are helping me help you. Please pray to God that they do not give up hope and stop helping the advocate, like it appears some of you have done. I have written the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, and I am waiting for a response. I encourage you all to ask your family to support and attend the March. Write Roberta Franklin and thank her for having the courage to organize the March. (Write to: Family Members and Friends of People Incarcerated (FMI), Roberta Franklin, Director, 2243 Ajax Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36108. Their website is www.journeyforjustice.org

There is another group that I am associated with, The November Coalition. Anything that has to do with drug reform, as well as getting accurate information straight off the press, November Coalition is the organization to join. Their address is 282 West Astor Colville, WA 99114, website www.november.org. There is a small fee for inmates. They have their own newspaper [The Razor Wire], and they primarily cater to inmates. I also belong to an organization called LEAP: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (www.leap.cc). This organization is bringing attention to the failed war on drugs and trying to find other solutions, rather than putting everyone behind bars for life.

If the Bureau [of Prisons] continues to shut the doors in my face, then God will open other doors that will allow me to get my message out to as many people as possible. You must know that if the government wanted to stop the war on drugs, it would have been accomplished a long time ago without any problems. This is nothing more than a political issue. If the government was really trying to stop drugs from destroying our kids or trying to prevent drug addiction, it would be against cigarettes and alcohol, which are nothing more than drugs that can also be addictive. They speak against it and warn against the danger, but they continue to sell it to you, your family, your children and your friends. For what? To make a profit.

I could not go over the entire speech in one letter, but I wanted to provide you with enough information so that you could understand what I advocate and see where I am coming from. I want to respond to each of you in writing. However, because of administrative costs, my funds are depleted. I am asking that when you write, you include a self-addressed stamped envelope. I will respond to you as soon as possible.

I spoke with Congressman Davis' office June22, 2204. His office stated that, before they introduce the parole bill, they want to see the results of the Second Chance Act for Ex-Offenders (HR-662) introduced February 8, 2005 by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY). This bill is introduced to permit expungement of records of certain nonviolent criminal offenses. This bill has 22 cosponsors. The Second Chance Act of 2005 (HR-1704) has been introduced by Rep. Rob Portman. This bill has 40 Cosponsors. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee {D-TX) introduced the Federal Prisons Bureau Offender Relief Act of 2005 (HR-256) on 01-06-2005; this bill has no cosponsors. HR-256 is early release for certain nonviolent offenders; notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Bureau of Prisons, pursuant to a good time policy, shall release from confinement a prisoner who has served one half or more of his term of imprisonment (including any consecutive term or terms of imprisonment) if that prisoner:

• has attained the age of 45 years
• has never been convicted of a crime of violence, and
• has not engaged in any violation, involving violent conduct, of institutional disciplinary regulations.

I will like to add one more thing before I end this letter. I want you to write your Congressman and tell your family to write their Congressman to cosponsor the above bills, HR-662, HR-256, and HR-1704. Look at this as being in the playoffs, if these bills passes then you will be eligible for the finals. The finals will consist of the reinstatement of the federal parole bill by Congressman Danny Davis. I will like to thank-you for your support, but the ball is in your court and you should know what to do with it. Tell your family members to visit www.advocate4justice.org.

Garry L. Jones
The Advocate4Justice, LLC
PO Box 366064
Atlanta, GA 30336
Web: www.advocate4justice.org
Email: advocate4justice2004@yahoo.com

May 11, 2005

Greetings to all the dedicated Inmates:

I want to update all of you on what is has been happening with regard to the new bill for the reinstatement of the Federal Parole to be introduced in the 109th Congress by Congressman Danny Davis, Democrat, 7th District, Illinois.

Unfortunately at this date, the new bill has not been introduced, but don't get discouraged. On May 3, 2005 I spoke with Congressman Danny Davis' office, and was assured that the bill would be introduced, but Congressman Davis' office would not say exactly when.

Your advocate is in the front line fighting, and it is not easy.

My personal goal is to visit as many Federal prisons as I can, to encourage not only you, but your families as well, to write to your Congresspersons and Senators, whether they are Democrat or Republican. Returning parole to the Federal Prison system should be a bipartisan issue.

There are a lot of rallies being held all over the United States, some of which I have attended, and there are many more that I want to participate in. This month, there is a rally in New York to support drug law and sentencing reform. I want to assure you that I am not in this to make money, and don't expect to, but if you know people who can help with travel expenses, please tell them about my work.

I have made several trips to Washington, DC, lobbying for Congressional support for the bill that would bring parole.

On August 13, 2005, there will be a "March on Washington" called by Ms. Roberta Franklin of Family and Friends of People Incarcerated. I will be speaking at this march, and I am a volunteer organizer for the Atlanta, GA region. This march requires at least one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for permits, security, stage and sound system, etc. In a call for unity, the November Coalition is joining the Federal Prison Policy Project, Critical Resistance Chapters, and other national and local organizations.

The Plan is to get every city in every state to hold special meetings and fundraising activities. I am working closely with Nora Callahan and Chuck Armsbury of the November Coalition on special media strategies as well. Numerous large organizations are signing on as sponsors each week.

This is where you and I come into the picture -- most of you are writing me and asking what can you do to help. Here are some suggestions:

Donations please, whether it be large or small.

Perhaps someone has a family member who can contribute a laptop for my use while I'm on the road.

I need for all of you to look for Government Grants -- we can work together in pursuing ways to build new programs.

Write and give me a contact person to call, and set up a time when I can come to your institution. I will need transportation costs -- my presentation is free. The sooner you get back to me the sooner I can get to you.

This advocacy needs many people. I intend to lend my part to get the support, and together we will see a parole bill passed into law.

My Volunteer Administrative Assistant, June Clarke, is handling the travel logistics; other volunteers have come forward to assist with other work that has enabled me to visit Washington, DC, meet other community leaders and launch a website at www.advocate4justice.org. The website is an online resource center, letting others know what they can do to reform drug sentencing laws and return the federal parole.

Let Us Work To Get This Bill Passed -- It Will Benefit Everyone!

Thank you!

Garry L. Jones
The Advocate4Justice, LLC
PO Box 366064
Atlanta, GA 30336
Web: www.advocate4justice.org
Email: advocate4justice2004@yahoo.com