Entries by Matthew

Support Fair and Healing Justice for our Youth

This week, Congress is in full negotiations regarding re-authorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). Youth who are locked up are separated from their families, and many witness or experience violence. These youth struggle when they get out, trying to complete high school, get jobs, housing, or go to college. The Act requires states to keep youth separated from adults prior to trial as well as in prison, invests in alternatives to incarceration, and provides youth support necessary for successful rehabilitation and re-entry into their communities — among many other important functions.

Department of Peacebuilding Fall 2015 Lobby Report

The National and CA Department of Peacebuilding (DoP) committees, and other DoP partners, lobbied 125+ members of Congress and U.S. Senators this fall, with visits to many legislative offices in Washington DC, and “AMPLIFYING” calls and visits from our home states. The National DoP committee delivered 134 personalized letters to members of Congress.

Tell Congress to Fix the Sentencing Reform Act!

We’re asking you to tell Congress to amend H.R. 3713 so that it doesn’t create new mandatory drug penalties, expand existing mandatory minimums associated with the “War on Drugs” to whole new classes of people who aren’t currently allowed to be charged with those penalties, prevent certain offenders from benefiting from the bill’s sentence reductions, or prevent those already sentenced under the former 100:1 crack-to-powder sentencing disparity from even being able to apply to the court to seek relief.

Breaking News: Part of Youth PROMISE Act Passes!

We have an exciting celebration to share. Thanks to all your hard work, Congress passed some meaningful provisions of the Youth PROMISE Act as part of the final version of the Every Student Succeeds Act, S. 1177, creating school based PROMISE plans. It is likely to be signed by the President soon.

Another Mass Shooting: This must not be our legacy. Sign Petition

Sign our petition to the President and Congress. It is clear we need to make fundamental shifts in how we are organizing ourselves in America and around the world when it comes to dealing with violence and conflict — shifting towards systemic healing and restorative oriented approaches. This gets to the root cause of violence on the planet.