Vikki Hankins, Vice President

Completing The Mission...Federal Parole

It hurts to have spent 18 years of my life inside a federal prison. One week ago today (March 28, 2008), I was released from federal prison due to a retroactive amended guideline for crack cocaine.

Prior to my release from federal prison I'd become a part of an organization called Advocate 4 Justice. This organization was founded by a Lieutenant who once worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

I remember learning of this particular Lieutenant through other inmates who'd asked me for help in formatting letters to Congress. I was impressed by the fact that someone who actually worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons was taking steps to help right wrongs.

A month or so went by and I received a newsletter in the mail from the organization, November Coalition. In this newsletter was an article entitled "Retired Corrections Officer Advocates for Federal Parole". Through this article I came to understand his name to be Garry L. Jones.

Though I had been skeptical of trusting Federal Bureau of Prisons' employees or any other authority figure as far as that matters, I made a decision to contact Advocate 4 Justice, to see what it was about and if I could be of any assistance. At the time I was under the impression I would be released by President Bush via Executive Clemency. This would have put me in a position to be of 'true' assistance to this Lieutenant's mission.

In no time at all I came to completely understand the passion that drove Advocate 4 Justice and it's "primary mission"...REINSTATEMENT OF FEDERAL PAROLE in the Federal Prison System made 'retroactive'.

I speak from a place of experience, pain and passion...

It is unnecessary to be in prison for 18 years on an offense such as the one that I was convicted of. Everyone is effected by such lengthy sentences...the families hurt; instead of reforming and rehabilitating, the inmate becomes traumatized; millions/billions of dollars are spent to keep the inmates confined for such unnecessarily long times...it did not take 18 years for me to get it!

My crime was a crime of non-violence, for such crimes there has to be a change and though I am no longer inside prison walls I have made it my aim to complete the mission that I became apart of with Advocate 4 Justice!

Vikki Hankins, Vice President

No good work is done alone. Along with hundreds of incarcerated men and women, Advocate 4 Justice's volunteer team includes the special people featured here.

Toni Thomas: Advocate 4 Justice Researcher

E-mail Toni

My name is Toni. I reside in Illinois. I'm currently employed at a staffing agency as a Candidate Recruiting Specialist. I'm also currently in pursuit of obtaining my Associate's Degree in Human Services.

I have a teenage son -- I pray that he never faces the Justice System, because Justice is blind in the United States. I have a friend currently serving a 25 year prison sentence. I can never forget him telling me that his case was the funniest he had ever heard of. The only thing funny was they took my life.

This was a man that was a father before anything else. His daughters mean the world to him. I can't understand nor grasp the reality that a man with a high school diploma and some college that speaks two languages can't be rehabilitated, yet someone that kills or steals the innocence of children or any human life can be.

Through this journey with him I have learned so much and have been reunited with old friends that face these same obstacles in the same struggle. I will say you never know why God places people in your life, but I do know it is for a reason, whether for a season or lifetime. I believe that this is my season to help as many people as I can that are placed in this situation. Helping consists of anything, from a word of encouragement to standing in front of others speaking on minimum mandatory sentences and African-Americans filling up the prisons in the United Sates. I believe if we all put perspective on this Bible verse than we wouldn't be standing in the need. We would be standing prospering, but so many are quick to Judge. They don't know what they are Judging, or how many lives and families they are ruining, because of lack of knowledge or compassion of other human life.

"LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE"

Terry Jones: Advocate 4 Justice Advisor Terry Jones (Garry's brother) has been in human services for 20 years. Terry is a former correctional officer, case manager, substance abuse counselor and a professor at Prince George's Community College in Largo Maryland. Currently he is a case manager in the area of mental health in Charlotte, NC, working with adults with severe and persistent mental illness. Terry has a BA in Speech Communication from NC A&T State University(Greensboro, NC), ), an AA in Law Enforcement from Prince George's Community College, Largo, Maryland, and is a Certificated Addiction Counselor from UDC, Washington, DC. Terry enjoys sports and challenging young people to be productive citizens.

Duane King: Advocate 4 Justice Attorney Duane King, Esq. (Garry's brother) was born in Kinston, NC. He attended the University of North-Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he obtained a BA degree in Political Science. He obtained his Law Degree from Howard University School of Law. Mr. King now specializes in personal injury and criminal defense work, and is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia.