ATTENTION PENNSYLVANIA CITIZENS WHO SUPPORT PAROLE FOR LIFER'S

MAY 15, 2016: 11:00am: LISTENING TO: A HEART IS A HOUSE FOR LOVE BY: THE DELLS

HI EVERYBODY. I WANT TO KEEP THIS SHORT & BRIEF BUT THAT'S NOT MY STYLE. I LIKE TO TALK & WRITE. ANY PENNSYLVANIA STATE RESIDENT WHO BELIEVES THAT SOME LIFER'S DO DESERVE A 2nd SHOT AT A NORMAL LIFE ON THE OUTSIDE, PLEASE GO TO:
PAsentencing.com
CLICK ON "SIGN OUR PETITION". AND SIGN IT ON LINE. EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A SUPPORTER, GO READ UP ON IT, GO CHECK OUT THEIR SITE. MAYBE THEY'LL CHANGE YOUR MIND OR GIVE YOU INFO THAT YOU NEVER HAD.
THE STATE OF ILLINOIS HAS REALIZED THAT MENTALLY, WE ARE STILL JUVENILES IN OUR EARLY 20's. SO THEY HAVE BEGUN NEW LEGISLATURE TO RAISE THE JUVENILE AGE LIMIT. HOW IS IT THAT AN 18 YEAR OLD CAN SIGN UP FOR ARMED COMBAT IN THE MILITARY BUT THEY CANNOT HAVE AN ALCOHOLIC DRINK? WE ARE STILL KIDS AT 18. NOT ALL ARE THE SAME. SOME 18 YEAR OLDS ARE VERY MATURE FOR THEIR AGE AND THEY ARE AN EXCEPTION, BUT MOST AREN'T. I SURELY WASN'T. MY DAUGHTER ISN'T, MOST PEOPLE I EVER KNEW WEREN'T. WAS SISTER WAS BUT THAT'S ALL I CAN REMEMBER. THERE ARE SO MANY STUDIES, SO MUCH SCIENCE, SO MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE THEIR MEDICAL/PROFESSIONAL OPINIONS KNOWN, MOST 18 YEAR OLDS STILL HAVE CHILDLIKE MINDS WHICH ARE UNDER DEVELOPED. I COULD LIST THE OPINION OF OVER 2 DOZEN PEOPLE IN THE LEGAL COMMUNITY AND PSYCHOLOGISTS, MOST OF WHOM WORK IN PRESTIGIOUS PLACES LIKE COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, FROM AUSTRALIA TO SAUDI ARABIA TO THE U.S.A., THESE DOCTORS & LAWYERS ARE ALL IN AGREEMENT WITH THIS ISSUE. WHERE OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE ALREADY REALIZED THIS AND HAVE RAISED THEIR ADULT AGE LIMIT, THE USA IS STILL BEHIND. TIME TO CATCH UP AMERICA. WE (USA) PRIDE OURSELVES ON BEING THE LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD, TIME TO CATCH UP WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD.
ANYONE WISHING TO SUPPORT PAROLE ELIGIBILITY FOR PENNSYLVANIA LIFER'S, PLEASE GO TO THE FOLLOWING SITES AND SEE WHAT THEY ARE ABOUT.

CADBIphilly@gmail.com (coalition to abolish death by incarceration)
decarceratepa.info or decarceratepa@gmail.com
www.reconstructioninc.org (they are fight for lifers)
hrcoalition.org (human rights coalition)
I WANT YOU TO READ THIS POWERFUL STORY BY AN AMAZING WOMAN NAMED MOVITA JOHNSON-HARRELL. SHE LIVED THE NIGHTMARE THAT NO PARENT SHOULD, SHE BURIED HER CHILD. HER 18 YEAR OLD SON, CHARLES ANDRE JOHNSON, WAS MURDERED. NO PARENT DESERVES THAT PAIN. BUT ALL I ASK IS YOU READ HER STORY, WHICH IS TO FOLLOW, & KEEP AN OPEN MIND. WE ALL SAY WE CAN'T OR WONT FORGIVE BUT FORGIVENESS IS SO VERY POWERFUL. IT TAKES SUCH A RARE & SPECIAL PERSON TO DO THIS.

CHECK OUT DECARCERATE PA, GO TO THEIR SITE. READ THEIR "FACT SHEET" ON LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE SENTENCES IN PA. SOME OF THE NUMBERS MIGHT SHOCK YOU. PENNSYLVANIA WILL NOT EVEN LET SOMEONE OUT OF PRISON WHO HAS A FEW WEEKS LEFT TO LIVE. IT HAPPENS ONCE EVERY 10 YEARS OR SO. PENNSYLVANIA SPENDS OVER $500 MILLION PER YEAR JUST TO KEEP THE ELDERLY LOCKED UP UNTIL THEY DIE. READ THE FACTS. LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. MEN WHO HAVE BEEN IN PRISON FOR 40, 50, 60 YEARS, IT'S RIDICULOUS NOT TO GIVE THEM A 2ND CHANCE, THE CHANCE TO GO HOME, DIE WITH THEIR FAMILY. BUT THIS ISN'T A GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD. THIS IS THE "POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE" DOESN'T MEAN THEY WILL BE PAROLED. IT'S JUST A CHANCE. THAT'S ALL WE ASK. PLEASE READ MOVITA'S STORY, I'M SURE SHE HAS A FACEBOOK PAGE. CONTACT HER, TALK TO HER. DON'T PREJUDGE EVERYTHING.

I WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY MONTH OF MAY, ENJOY MEMORIAL DAY. I HOPE TO SEE MY MOM AGAIN. TAKE CARE, STAY SAFE & GOD BLESS. CIAO.

THE COALITION TO ABOLISH DEATH BY INCARCERATION.

Statement from Activist and Advocate Movita Johnson-Harrell, MSW.

I apologize that I cannot be here with you physically. I am currently in Georgia working to empower women and marginalized communities.

On January 13th, 2011, my 18-year-old son Charles Andre Johnson was murdered in a case of mistaken identity by two young men. My family and I had to sit through a two week trial for the two young men that killed my son. Initially I wanted and even desired for these two young men to spend the rest of their lives in prison for what they took from me. I will never be able to hug my son again, I will never see my son again. My son will never see his only child that was born 26 days after his death.... Something happened as I sat through this two week trial.

I began to see my son's killers differently. I began to see that these two young men were victims. They were victims of a broken system that has failed to meet their most basic of needs. Prior to the trial ending I went to my family and informed them that I wanted to ask the judge for mercy for the two young men that killed my son.

My family did not agree with me but they respected my decision. At the sentencing hearing I made a plea to the judge on behalf of the boys that murdered my Charles. The judge said that in her twenty years on the bench she had never had a mother advocate for their child's killer. One of the young men received life in prison without the possibility of parole. The other young man was going to be sentenced to 24 to 40 years in prison along with 3 gun charges that carried 7 years each. As a result of my plea the second young man received 12 to 24 years in prison and the three gun charges were dropped. My only request of these two young men was that they would help others to make better decision and that the second young man would eventually be released from prison and he could raise his children.

Pennsylvania needs to abolish youth death by incarceration. The City of Philadelphia has sentenced more children to die in prison than anywhere else in the world.

These sentences break and fracture families and entire communities. This practice is inhumane. We as a society must take into account human development. We must realize that young people frequently make poor choices. We must also realize that while they make poor choices they also have the capacity to grow and change. It is important to recognize that part of human development is making mistakes but it is important to give young people the opportunity to redeem themselves. No child should live their entire life behind bars. It would seem because of my own personal experience that I would be the most unlikely candidate to fight to abolish youth death by incarceration.

I stand with the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration (CADBI) because I understand that one bad decision and my son could have been on the other side of the gun. I also understand young people change and can contribute positively to society if given the resources and opportunity.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that mandatory Juvenile Life Without Parole sentences are unconstitutional. Pennsylvania has failed to provide meaningful relief for the 500 people already serving this sentence. I stand with the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration. We are calling on state and city officials to provide rehabilitation. We need to create the opportunity for healing. Young people should be allowed the opportunity to redeem themselves. As a society we need to be compassionate and we need to be responsible. We need to fix the broken systems that further promote and perpetuate poverty, inequality and illiteracy which are all systemic issues that continue to send young people to prison. I fight for young people on both sides of the gun. Incarcerating our young people in astronomical numbers is not the solution to our dilemma. While we do need to fix the problem we need to start by releasing the young people that have already paid for their crimes. In honor of Mother's Day we stand together in solidarity. We stand for our communities, we stand for victims and we stand for our young people that should be given their GOD given constitutional right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Movita Johnson-Harrell
May 6, 2016
Philadelphia, PA