District of Columbia Abolishes Life Without Parole for Children

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The Comprehensive Youth Justice Amendment Act, which was sponsored by Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, is now in effect after passing the D.C. Council unanimously on November 1st, 2016 and passing a 60-day period of Congressional review. At least 100 people serving extreme sentences for crimes committed as children will now have the opportunity for sentencing review as a result of this legislation. 

The District of Columbia joins Arkansas in banning life-in-prison-sentences for children this year. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia now ban the sentence. The bill also ensures that every youth currently serving sentences longer than 20 years will receive the opportunity for review by either a judge or the parole board. In addition, this bill contains important provisions to reduce over-incarceration of youth, improve conditions for youth in the juvenile justice system, and promote restorative justice practices.

“The bill is incredibly important because it recognizes that young people must fundamentally be treated differently from adults – that they have a capacity to change and be rehabilitated. In that vein, adults who committed crimes much earlier in their lives as youth should have an opportunity for judicial review of their sentences after a certain period of time,” said Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie.

The CFSY worked closely with Councilmember McDuffie, partners at Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, the Campaign for Youth Justice, D.C. Lawyers for Youth, and other advocates to provide education and information about the need for reform. In addition, Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN) members Andre Williams and Eddie Ellis provided testimony to the Council. Their personal stories powerfully illustrated that children have a unique capacity for change and should never be discarded for life.

For more information on the bill and its application, including resources for if you or your loved one is eligible for review, please see the document linked below:

More Information about the D.C. Comprehensive Youth Justice Act

We are making progress, and your partnership makes this work possible. Thank you!

 

Conservative States Giving Juveniles a Second Chance

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When Arkansas last week became the 18th state — and first in the Deep South — to ban life-without-parole sentences for children, it joined a series of traditionally red states to end the practice in recent years. One need only look at a map of the issue to see states like Utah, South Dakota, and West Virginia among those who no longer sentence children to die in prison.

CFSY Executive Director Jody Kent Lavy, along with Jessica Jackson Sloan of the DreamCorps #cut50 initiative, spoke to this trend among conservative states in an op-ed published in the U.S. News and World Report, and emphasized that the possibility second chances and redemption — ignored by extreme sentences handed down to teenagers — are fundamental ideals for all Americans, liberal and conservative:

Last week, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed into law SB 294, or the Fair Sentencing of Minors Act, making Arkansas the 18th state to ban life without parole sentences for children. At first glance, this move may seem uncharacteristic for a historically conservative state known for harsh sentencing policies. But a closer look reveals a commitment to the fundamental belief that giving children who have done wrong a second chance is not only a legal imperative, but a moral obligation.

Read the full op-ed at U.S. News and World Report

Arkansas Abolishes Life Without Parole for Children!

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CFSY Senior Advisor & National Advocate Xavier McElrath-Bey, Arkansas Representative Rebecca Petty, and Linda White

Dear friends,

Amazing news! Arkansas, a state that ranks sixth for sentencing the most youth to life without parole, has abolished the sentence for youth under the age of 18! It becomes the first state in the Deep South to abolish this inhumane sentence for young people.

More than 100 people sentenced to die in prison for crimes committed as children now have hope of a second chance at life outside of prison.

After two years of our efforts led by Advocacy Director & Chief Strategy Officer James Dold, Governor Asa Hutchinson signed Senate Bill 294 yesterday. Efforts failed two years ago when a legislator whose daughter had been murdered opposed the bill. It wasn’t until meeting with Campaign Senior Advisor & National Advocate Xavier McElrath-Bey and Linda White, a longtime CFSY partner who advocates for an end to life without parole for youth despite losing her daughter Cathy to youth violence, that the legislator not only dropped her opposition, but became a lead sponsor, championing the measure in the House to ensure its passage. Bipartisan support followed, and the bill passed overwhelmingly.

Please join me in celebrating this monumental win, not just for the people in Arkansas who now have a second chance at life, but for the opportunity it creates to spread reforms to other states across the country. With this win, the number of states banning life without parole for youth has nearly quadrupled since 2012.

As ever, I am confident we will end life without parole for youth once and for all.

Thank you for helping to make victories like these possible.

Onward!

Jody Kent Lavy
Executive Director

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Xavier McElrath-Bey shares his story on air in Arkansas

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“It didn’t really dawn on me, what he meant, until many years later, while I was serving a 25 year sentence.”

Earlier this month, our Senior Advisor and National Youth Justice Advocate Xavier McElrath-Bey was featured on Speak up, Arkansas, a radio program in Little Rock. Xavier shared his story and spoke of children’s unique ability to change. Through Xavier’s powerful story, he was able to change the views of one listener who took the time to call into the show to express his new support for age-appropriate accountability.

New hope of freedom for those given mandatory life sentences as juveniles

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Today, the Chicago Tribune published a comprehensive and thoughtful article covering the resentencing hearings in Illinois following the Supreme Court decisions in Miller and Montgomery. The article, featuring our very own Legal Director Heather Renwick, discusses the lives of two individuals resentenced after receiving life-without-parole as a child. Their stories exemplify children’s unique capacity for change and that no child should have their lives defined by their worst mistake.

“‘I think there’s a growing recognition that children are different and that given the opportunity to grow and change, individuals who commit crimes as children can still contribute in significant and positive ways to the community if given a chance,’ said Heather Renwick, legal director of The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that aims to end sentences of life without parole for juveniles.”

 

In Memoriam

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In the past several months, our community lost three beloved individuals: Grace Warren, Timothy “TJ” Spytma, and Glen Mitchell. Each of them represented the power and strength of our community. The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth sends our condolences to the friends and families of these three passionate advocates for youth justice and dedicate our advocacy this year to their memory.

The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth would like to thank the friends and family of TJ Spytma who have graciously donated to our efforts in his honor. 

“Grace, I thank you for making me a stronger, better advocate for justice. But I am most grateful for the model you set for me, and all who knew you, of how to serve as an unconditionally loving, devoted mother.” – Jody Kent Lavy

“After serving four decades in prison TJ Spytma became a free man in 2014. In the past two years, since his release, he had been an asset to his community; a wonderful family member and friend to those in his life; and an ICAN member who had an extraordinary voice for children serving extreme sentences in the American criminal justice system. Rest in peace TJ.” – Xavier McElrath Bey
“Glen Mitchell personified grace, mercy and forgiveness. One of my most treasured and humbling experiences is when I interviewed him at length alongside Ellis Curry. Glen demonstrated warmth and genuine care for Ellis. He had no desire for retribution. His focus then and whenever I spoke with him was on creating a better world. Glen was a class act and a true warrior in our movement. He will be greatly missed.” – James Ross

Healing and Hope 2016

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November 15th | Jones Day | Washington, D.C.

This year’s Healing and Hope was an incredible evening. Our wonderful honorees left all in attendance with a sense of inspiration and hope for the future. We look forward to seeing you all next year!

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Highlights of the 2016 Convening

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“It was a blessing to be invited to the Convening and to meet so many people committed to this work. I plan to stay involved with this group of people until we bring about the change we all so desperately desire. I never imagined that the simple act of forgiveness would lead me to the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth and new friends of like minds who will last a lifetime. May we all be blessed along the journey.” – Lynette Grace

Last month, we hosted our most widely attended annual national convening to date in Washington, DC. We gathered together an incredibly diverse field of over 125 participants from 28 states to share strategies, build new relationships, and strengthen our movement to end life without parole for children. We were joined by parole board members, state legislators, former law enforcement officials, litigators, formerly incarcerated individuals, family members of loved ones serving life sentences, and family members of victims to youth violence. The conversations were sobering, emotional, empowering, inspiring, productive. Where else would a parole board chair, the president of a correctional association, and a recently paroled individual speak on the same panel? The convening provided a unique opportunity to utilize the diverse experiences in the room to inform our strategies going into 2017.

“The convening energizes me to do the work of abolishing life without parole for children. Being with the other family members and the staff of CFSY, along with the beautiful men and women who have grown up in prison and turned their lives around, is like being bathed in love for several days. It means the world to me.” – Linda White, loved one is a victim of a crime committed by a child. 

Our convening opened just one week following one of the most divisive presidential elections in history, so it was particularly appropriate that we began with a plenary on harm, healing, and hope. The panel featured the personal journeys toward forgiveness two parents who both lost loved ones to youth violence have taken, as well as the experiences of remorse and hope from three formerly incarcerated individuals. These presentations are what make the Convening such an invaluable experience. Each of our workshops and plenaries blended professional experience with personal testimonies that grounded our discussions in the context of the people whose lives are directly impacted by youth violence and the extreme sentencing of children.

“I am grateful that the Campaign invited me to take part in this year’s convening. I value the visits we made to Congressional offices and the opportunity I was given to serve on a panel and share my knowledge of the parole process. Nonetheless, the greatest gift of this convening was being able to spend time with others who, like me, were once serving JLWOP and were afforded a second chance. Each one of these individuals is a shining example that no child is born bad and so many of us have unlimited potential waiting to be realized. We shared our experiences and success with each other, and we look forward to supporting one another moving forward.” – Andrew Hundley, sentenced to life without parole as a teen and released as a result of the Supreme Court decisions in Miller and Montgomery. 

Our conversations ranged from technical discussions about parole to prioritizing racial justice and utilizing social media to strengthen advocacy campaigns. Our discussions were led by renowned figures in their respective fields – such as Steven Drizin, co-founder of the Center on the Wrongful Convictions of Youth, and Sheryl Ranatza, the Chairperson of the Louisiana Parole Board – as well as by individuals directly impacted by the extreme sentencing of youth.

“Being a part of the national convening each year is extremely important to me. It strengthens my resolve and reminds me that we have made tremendous progress. This year I was especially encouraged by the large constantly growing group of formerly incarcerated youth that have returned home and have become a part of  theCFSY family, dedicating their lives to eliminating JLWOP. They are the ultimate proof that no child is born bad and no child is beyond redemption and rehabilitation.” – Anita Colon, sister of someone serving life without parole in Pennsylvania. 

I am deeply grateful to all who traveled to be with us, those who shared their ideas, and most especially, those who shared their personal stories. We left energized, enlightened, and excited about doubling down our efforts to end extreme sentences for children. Together, we will end the practice of sentencing our children to die in prison. Onward! Jody Kent Lavy Executive Director The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth