The Coalition for Jubilee Clemency

The Coalition for Jubilee Clemency 8730 Georgia Avenue, Suite 400 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Tel: (301) 589-6020 Fax: (301) 589-5056 info@cjpf.org Sister Marion Defeis Chaplain, Rikers Island, NY Rabbi Gerald Serotta Jewish Chaplain, George Washington University Rev. Robert Schaibly First Unitarian Church, Houston, TX Rev. Andrew Gunn St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Washington, DC Rev. Bernard Keels St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Baltimore, MD Rev. Howard Moody Coordinator, Religious Leaders for a More Just and Compassionate Drug Policy Ralph J. Kuehner Secretary for Social Concerns, Archdiocese of Washington Michael S. Gelacak Former Vice Chairman, U.S. Sentencing Commission The Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, MD Families Against Mandatory Minimums Washington, DC The Sentencing Project Washington, DC Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE) Washington, DC The November Coalition Colville, WA

Click here to read the letter of appeal to faith leaders. Click here for a full list of clergy members who have signed the appeal. SIGN-ON STATEMENT TO PRESIDENT CLINTON FAITH LEADERS: Please give us your contact information in the form below so we can contact you about a similar clemency campaign directed toward President Bush. To the faith leaders who signed the CJC letter to President Clinton, thank you for helping us encourage President Clinton to grant clemency to low-level, nonviolent Federal drug offenders! Your appeal was successful! Near the end of his term, President Clinton granted clemency to 23 such offenders. Following is the text of a previous sign-on letter campaign to President Clinton. Honorable William J. Clinton President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: As faith leaders who cherish Divine justice and mercy for all persons, we ask you to grant clemency to and to release on supervised parole those Federal prisoners who have served at least five years for low-level, nonviolent involvement in drug cases (as defined by the U.S. Department of Justice). Mr. President, scores of Americans are serving unconscionably long sentences for drug offenses -- in some cases twenty years or more -- which are grossly out of proportion to the nature and severity of their crimes. These unduly severe sentences violate human rights and waste scarce criminal justice resources. The continued incarceration of such offenders does not serve any meaningful purpose. The constitutional power to grant reprieves and pardons is a unique and powerful tool to express the public's merciful spirit. As you know, the public has a strong desire for justice and for forgiveness. By exercising your executive power to forgive these men and women you help heal the devastating effects of race and class disparities in our criminal justice system. Commuting the sentences of low-level, nonviolent drug offenders will begin to restore much-needed public confidence in our criminal justice system. Many of these offenders are parents. Their children are being hurt by these separations. Their children and their communities need them home. Clemency is the last hope for justice for many of these offenders, as many have exhausted all appeal options available to them. Mr. President, only you have the power to return these men and women to their families, and to let them become peaceful, productive citizens. We hope, trust, and pray that you will. Sincerely, Why should I sign this letter? Yes, please list me as endorsing the above Coalition for Jubilee Clemency statement to President Bill Clinton. Yes, please list my organization as endorsing the above Coalition for Jubilee Clemency statement to President Bill Clinton. (We will automatically list your organization name next to your name for identification purposes only. If your organization would like to endorse the statement in addition to or instead of you, we will list it separately.) The fields marked (*) are required. Name:* Title:* (Rev., Minister, Rabbi, etc.) Organization:* (Church, Synagogue, Temple, etc.) Address: City, State:* Zip Code: Telephone:* Fax: E-Mail: (This helps us save money in our communication with you) By agreeing to endorse the statement, I understand that I am agreeing to my name being used with this statement in the public release, press materials, brochures, advertisements, and other public formats. The Coalition for Jubilee Clemency plans to release this letter in mid-November 2000. We will include your name, title, affiliation (organization), and the city and state of your organization.