The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls has written an OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA urging him to switch to a broader plan of “amnesty.”
December 13, 2016
The Honorable Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
We are advocates for prisoners seeking clemency. Many of us are clemency recipients, seeking relief for brothers and sisters left behind. We have waited for every list released by the Office of the Pardon Attorney (OPA), hoping to see more extremely deserving names. We have remained largely silent in appreciation of your compassion to many suffering under draconian sentencing laws passed during the crack hysteria of late 1980s and 1990s. But with only six weeks of your presidency left, we must speak out.
We ask for your immediate intervention for thousands more prisoners who will continue to suffer needlessly unless a broader clemency plan is implemented.
Our foremost concern is that very few women are receiving clemency. This seems to be the result of gender bias. Women are far likelier than men to be serving long sentences because of the drugs a spouse or partner sold, due to broad application of the conspiracy law but the converse is not true. Few men, if any, ended up with 20 years to life based on illicit activity attributed to a wife or girlfriend. Sadly, only 68 out of 1,023 clemency recipients to date have been women.
Melissa Trigg, for example, has perfect institutional conduct, had no prior convictions, and meets all the criteria of Clemency Project 2014 (CP14). She was previously addicted to methamphetamine, pled guilty and has served 10 years of a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence. Her father is suffering with stage-four lung cancer, and her mother also has cancer. Her story epitomizes the need for criminal justice reform. Yet her application for clemency was denied.
Many first offenders and marijuana prisoners applying for clemency are also being denied. For example, Craig Cesal (first offender) and Ferrell Scott are both serving life without parole for pot, despite having been vetted and approved by CP14. Crystal Munoz has served almost 10 years for a marijuana conspiracy charge; she has two young daughters who dreamed of spending the holidays with their mom. She was denied.
We ask that you reconsider your decision to deny clemency for the following women: Eva Palma-Atencio,* Benedicta Arreola,* Rita Becerra,* Sandra Marie Bowen,* Kayla Buchanan, Patricia Cass, Patricia Cooney, Odis De La Cruz, Karen Davis, Randi Dulany, LaTonya Davis, Raquel Esquavel,* Vallia C. Friend, Nancy Ferneau, Kristin Goduto, LaShonda Hall, Tynice Hall, Nelly Herrera,* Lenora Logan, Shanita McKnight, Eve Olivarez, Lazara Ordaz, Shanita McKnight, Barbara Pachecho, Melissa Trigg,* Shannon Randall, Kimberly Robinson, Anabel Valenzuela, Bernetta Willis, Mary Ziman
And men: Edward Palma-Atencio* Michael Alexander,* Joel Audain, Wilfredo Barrios,* Deangelo Bishop, Julio Cesar Casa, Seth Cox,* Thomas Darr, Noe, Jr. Espino, Robert Garcia, Winston Griffiths,* Darryl S. Hope, Clarence Jenkins, Michael Montalvo, Reymundo Montoya, Keith Stewart, Blake Stover,* William Underwood, Sagrario Valdez, and Lawrence Wallace.
And marijuana prisoners: Antonio Bascaro, Linda Byrnes, Craig Cesal,* Parker Coleman, Corvain Cooper, Andy Cox, Maurice Foley, Michael David Knight, Ken Kubinski, Crystal Munoz, Aaron Sandusky, Ferrell Scott,* and Rohan Walters.
Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates recently said, “There are not many people who need to spend the rest of their lives in prison.” We agree. Therefore, we wish to address these inconsistencies and search for cases that have slipped through the cracks.
We realize OPA has a daunting task and is under tremendous pressure, yet time is running out. Federal prisoners were urged to file for clemency based on the reasonable expectation of careful, fair examination of their applications. This could best be achieved if OPA employed as many attorneys with defense backgrounds as it does former or current prosecutors.
Your senior advisor Valerie Jarrett referred to protests in front of the White House, then added: “All you need to do is knock on the door—we want to hear.” This letter is our knock on the door. We respectfully request a meeting with a representative from the White House, Deputy Attorney General Yates and Deputy Pardon Attorney Larry Kupers to express our concerns about worthy candidates whose applications are either denied or remain pending.
Alice Johnson, for example, is a first offender serving life, who filed for clemency in early 2015. She has the support of three Congress members, her warden, the African American Mayors Association and others. John Knock is a first offender serving life for marijuana. He filed in 2014. They have been passed over, while people who filed as recent as six months ago have received clemency. Moreover, many non-citizens have been denied, despite their eligibility.
Clemency should not involve a labor-intensive process of determining whether people would receive less time if sentenced today. This is about mercy. The parole board used to focus on whether individuals had programmed and had reasonable conduct while in prison; that is what should be done now.
Above all, we advocate the rapid implementation of a large-scale amnesty program, such as:
• Amnesty for every nonviolent first offender with clear conduct who has served five years or more.
• Amnesty for every second-time offender with clear conduct who has served 10 years or more.
• Amnesty for every third-time offender with clear conduct who has served 15 years or more.
• A reduction of every life sentence (including cases in which violence was committed by a co-conspirator and not the applicant)** to a term of no more than 20 years.
It seems certain that President-elect Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions, his pick for attorney general, will not share your vision of mercy for drug prisoners. For this reason, we beg you to take the steps we suggest. Doing so will underline your legacy as the most compassionate, justice-oriented president in modern history.
*CP14 approved/filed, and/or first offender and/or non-citizen **Reviewed on a case by case basis, to determine culpability, or lack thereof
Respectfully submitted,
Clemency Recipients Seeking Justice for Prisoners Left Behind
Ramona Brant – served 22 years on a LIFE sentence*
Norman Brown – served 24 years 6 months on a LIFE sentence*
Kemba Smith – Clinton-era Kemba Smith Foundation served 6.5 years on 24 year sentence*
Angie Jenkins – served 18 years on a 30 year sentence*
Amy Ralston Povah – Clinton-era & Founder of CAN-DO Foundation served 9 yrs on 24 yr sent.
Jason Hernandez – Founder of Crack Open the Door served 17.5 years on LIFE sentence
Dorothy Gaines – Clinton-era-Founder of
Dorothy Gaines Foundation served 6 yrs on 19 yr sent.
Shauna Barry-Scott – served 10 years on 20 year sentence
Danielle Metz – served 23 years on a LIFE sentence
Donel M. Clark – served 22 years on 35 year sent.
Barbra Scrivner – served 20 years on 30 year sentence
Michelle Miles – Spoke at Yale University post release served 19 years on a 30 year sentence
Israel Torres – Guest on Michael Santos program served 17 years on a LIFE sentence
Pauline Kay Blake – served 14 years on a 24 year sentence
Darryl Reed – served 27 years 10 months on 35 year sentence
Billy Dekle – served 25 years 7 months on LIFE sentence
Charles “Fred” Cundiff – served 26 years on a LIFE sentence
Dickey Joe Jackson – Breaking Bad Truck Driver served 20 years on a LIFE sentence
Donna McDaniel – served 20 years on a 30 year sentence
Gregory Liningham – 23 years 5 months on a LIFE sentence
Billie Taylor – served 24 years on a 34 year sentence
Telisha Watkins – served 9 years 10 months on 20 year sentence
Timothy Tyler – served 27 years on a LIFE sentence
Antonio Lopez – served 17 years on a 30 year sentence
Trevis Love – served 22 years on a LIFE sentence
Cynthia Shank – served 10 years on 15 year sentence
Bobby Joe Young – served 13 years on a 22 year sentence
Ricky McCall – served 15 years on a LIFE sentence
Gracie Ann Walker – served 10 years on 24 year sentence
Donella Harriel – served 13 years on a 22 year 6 month sentence
Antonio Reeves – served 11 years on 17 year sentence
Alicia Siller – served 14 years on a 21 year sentence
Carla Holte – served 15 years 10 months on a 21 year sentence
Philander Butler – served 18 years on a LIFE sentence
Olynthia Louise Hinton – served 11 years on 20 year sentence
Angela LaPlatney – served 11 years 9 months on a 20 year sentence
Lamont Glass – served 19 years on 22 year sentence
Debra Brown – served 14 years 8 months on 20 year sentence
Courtney Hurt – served 10 years on a 30 year sentence
David De’Juan Wise – served 12 years on 20 year sentence
Susan Rosenberg – Clinton-era recipient Founding Member of the Council
Linda Evans – Clinton-era recipient – Co-Founder of All of Us or None
Weldon Angelos – Weldon Angelos Foundation – served 13 years on a 55 year sentence
Larry Duke – served 24 years on a LIFE sentence (compassionate release)
*Selected to have lunch with President Obama on March 30, 2016
(Obama recipients unless otherwise noted)
Advocates For Clemency Applicants
Andrea James – Recipient of Robert F. Kennedy award – 2016; Founder of Families for Justice as Healing Co-Founder of National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls (the Council)
Topeka Sam – Co-Founder of the Council; Founder of Ladies of Hope Ministries
Phyllis Hardy – Matriarch of the Council
Lois Ahrens – Founding Director of The Real Cost of Prisons Founding Member of the Council
Vivian D. Nixon Executive Director – College and Community Fellowship
Syrita Steib-Martin – Operation Restoration
Ivy Woolf Turk – Project Liberation
Laura Whitehorn, Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP (RAPPCampaign.com)
Teresa Y and Laurin Hodge – Co-Founder & Executive Director Mission: Launch, Inc.
Beth Curtis – Life for Pot and sister of clemency applicant John Knock
P.S. Ruckman – Pardon Power
Eric Sterling – Criminal Justice Policy Foundation
Ron Hampton – Blacks in Law Enforcement
Jonathan Perri – Associate Campaigns Director change.org
Karen Garrison – Mommie Activist and Sons
Donna Hylton – From Life to Life
Evie Litwok – Witness to Mass Incarceration
Beatrice Codianni – Reentry Central
Sharon Brooks – Founder Peace of Hope, Inc.
Denise C. McCreary-Founder/President-Hands Of Hope Outreach Ministries, INC.
Nora Callahan – November Coalition
Dawn Harrington – Free Hearts
Alexandra Chambers – Nashville Feminist Collective
Malik King – EPIC and CAN-DO Prisoner Outreach Coordinator
Anrica Caldwell – member Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers
Arlinda Johns – Guardian Angel Program
Alaine Lowell – Director of Thomas Paine Society
Stephanie Landa – Freedom Grow
Cathryn Michon – Award Winning Filmmaker, actress and activist
David Borden – StoptheDrugWar.org
Stephen Downing Deputy Chief, Los Angeles Police Department (Ret)
Diane Goldstein Lieutenant, Redondo Beach, CA Police Department (Ret)
Chandra Bozelko – Winner of National Society of Newspaper Columnists and Webby Awards
Kathy Morse – featured in Bill Moyers documentary – RIKERS
Stacey Borden Founder/President of New Beginnings Reentry Services, Inc. (Boston MA.)
Gretchen Burns Bergman, Co-founder & Executive Director of A New PATH and Lead Organizer of Moms United to End The War on Drugs
Kathie Kane-Willis – Director – Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy
Denise
Angela Cullen – Broken No More
Steven Miller, Police Sergeant, Canton, Michigan (Ret.)
Hon. George Eskin, Judge of the California Superior Court (Ret.)
Kimberly B. Cheney, former Attorney General, Vermont
David A. Lanoie, Esq., Special Sheriff/Superintendent, Greenfield, Massachusetts (Ret.)
David Long, Former Special Agent, US Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General
Inge Fryklund, J.D., Former Cook County, Illinois Prosecutor
Jack Wilborn, Reserve Police Officer, Glendale, Arizona (Ret.)
Carrie Roberts, Former Correctional Officer and Sheriff’s Deputy, Colorado
Neill Franklin, Major, Maryland State Police (Ret.)
Allison Barker Watson, Former Assistant District Attorney, Tennessee
Paul J Steigleder II, Deputy Sheriff, Clackamas County, Oregon (Ret.)
Gordon D McAllister Jr., Retired District Judge, Oklahoma
Formerly Incarcerated and Impacted Family Members
Patricia Williams – Graduate of Wharton School of Finance – formerly incarcerated and advocate for clemency applicant Michael Montalvo serving LIFE
Miquelle West – daughter of clemency applicant Michelle West
Brenda Sirois – Sister of clemency applicant Michael Pelletier serving LIFE for pot
Aicha Bascaro – daughter of clemency applicant Antonio Bascaro – denied
Tretessa Johnson and Catina Scales – daughter of clemency applicant Alice Johnson
Clarissa Brown – Daughter of clemency appellant Lavone Roach
Veda McNeil Ajamu – Sister of clemency applicant Robert Shipp
Vincent Holmes – Brother of clemency applicant Michael Holmes
Beth Cronan – Formally incarcerated and advocate for clemency applicant Terry Anderson
Collin Kavitz – son of clemency applicant Lori Kavitz
Kyndia Riley – Daughter of two clemency applicants – Santra Rucker and Darryl Riley
Lavithia Howard – Daughter of clemency applicant Cheryl Howard
Susan Kemble – Mother of Melissa Trigg – denied.
Brigitte Barren-Williams, Gina Stephenson and Heather Nunley – sisters of clemency applicant David Barren.
Janika Bostick – Sister of clemency applicant Rose Summers
Jerri Vega – Daughter of clemency applicant Geraldo “Jerry” Vega
Skyler and Serrell – daughter and son of Ferrell Scott – denied
Doretha Hall- Son of clemency applicant LaShonda Hall – denied
Arlinda Johns – Formerly Incarcerated and advocate for Tynice Hall – denied
Jane and Nick Scarmazzo – Parents of Luke Scarmazzo serving 20 years for pot
Carol Yohe and Clifford Burgoon – Parents of clemency applicant Clarissa Burgoon
Makayla Garron and Christian Davis – Children of Clarissa Burgoon
Jodi Loretta – Mother of Michael Chancellor serving 15 years for marijuana, convicted in 2013
Bette Herman Davis – Advocate for clemency applicant Nancy Ferneau – denied
Santa Christina – Advocate for clemency applicant Schearean Means served LIFE
Cheryl Ward – Formerly incarcerated and advocate for Rhonda Turpin, Andrea Joy James
Sarah Zaba – Formerly incarcerated, works at Vera Institute of Justice and graduate student at Columbia University
Doug Stover – brother of clemency applicant Blake Stover – denied
Anna Marie Clausen – Mother of clemency applicant Adam Clausen
Georgean Arsons – Guardian Angel for Angela Wright and Ricardo Montes
Jazzmin Brianne – Daughter of clemency applicant Roberta Bell
Markia Sykes – daughter of clemency applicant Clinton Matthews
Christine Edwards – Formerly incarcerated and advocate for clemency applicant Crystal Mattern
Helen Jones – Mother of clemency applicant Rita White
Maruenne Griese – Registered RN – mother of incarcerated daughter
Sandra Moore – wife of clemency applicant Sherman Moore
Cheneace Harris – Fiancé of clemency applicant Gregory Anthony Collins
Melyssa Olier – Fiancé of clemency applicant Jamel Gregory (1st offender serving LIFE)
Tikka Mitchell – Daughter of denied clemency applicant Solomon Montagueo serving LIFE under old 100 to 1 crack ratio
Debi Campbell – Formerly incarcerated and advocate for clemency applicant Chad Marks
Yvonne and Walter Mosley – mother and step-dad of clemency applicant Christopher Holyfield
Jane Byrne – Formerly Incarcerated
Carrie Tyler – Sister of Tim Tyler
Elizabeth Bishop – Sister of Jimmy Romans serving life for pot
Sam Spellman – Formerly incarcerated and brother of clemency applicant Phyllis Hood
Andrea Lister-Pierce – Formerly incarcerated
Karen Taylor – Formerly incarcerated
Rita Juarez, Vanessa, Angel and Maurillo Lopez, family members of clemency recipient Antonio Lopez
Bianca Ochoa-Hernandez – daughter of clemency applicant Aurelia Ochoa-Hernandez
