An Open Letter to the Members of the House Judiciary Committee:

We the undersigned have seen the US prison population increase year after year, with great financial and social costs.

Today our country is the world's leading jailer, with increasing community instability because prisons cannot solve the problems of poverty, hopelessness, lack of education and job opportunities that persist. They compound for growing numbers of people disenfranchised and carrying the stigma of felon.

We write to urge the House Judiciary Committee to study the merits of reestablishing a system of earned, early release of federal prisoners. One bill, H.R. 3072 to revive parole is one remedy before you today.

Harsh, determinate sentencing reforms of the mid 1980's were enacted by Congress with the hope of curbing illegal drug and associated crime, and creating evenhanded punishment. These goals have not been met. Instead we have a system that cannot be properly monitored, lacking in transparency, without the balance of judicial discretion.

The continued institutionalization of millions of people will not rehabilitate people, or change society for the good. Over reliance on prison to solve problems has failed us. There are fresh ideas to replace locking people up in human warehouses, cages then expecting them to function normally in society after years and decades of wasteful imprisonment.

H.R. 3072 To Revive Parole was introduced by Danny Davis on June 27, 2005, with 10 Cosponsors to date. National prisoner advocacy groups are finding growing support for earned, early release for federal prisoners, all evidence that suggests rewarding offenders for model behavior in prison is agreeable to the public.

We respectfully request an opportunity present to the House Judiciary Committee, a panel of experts and citizens intent on introducing ideas that will reduce the federal prison population while increasing public safety.

Respectfully,

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