Prison Justice Resources
- Sunday, Mar. 20, 6 pm: LEPOCO Potluck & Politics with Sheila Clever speaking on “Pipeline to Prison Learning Tour: A Report,” at LEPOCO 313 W. 4th St., (south) Bethlehem. In September 2015, Sheila Clever was one of 16 participants who spent six days visiting prisons and prison-related facilities in Pennsylvania. Sheila will report on what she learned about the impact of mass incarceration in our state. Please bring some food to share for the potluck dinner at 6 pm; presentation will begin shortly after 6:30 pm. (Rescheduled from Jan. 24)
- End Mass Incarceration is the focus of Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) spring lobby event, Mar. 12-15, 2016 in Washington, DC. The event website fcnl.org/events/slw includes resources on mass incarceration legislative issues.
Pennsylvania Legislation: (bad bills)
- HB1091 – Mandatory Sentences for Felons Possessing Firearms. For details about this bill, see DecarceratePA.
- Other bad bills: ( See decarceratepa.info/stopbadbills )
All three of these bills have been approved by PA House and are awaiting Senate Judiciary action.- HB1089 – to deduct 25% of a prisoner’s wages (which are as low as 19 cents/hr) and 50% of all money sent to them by family and friends, and direct that money towards any fees and costs that person owes. (approved by PA House, awaiting Senate action.)
- HB758 – to garnish up to 25% of the wages of people who get jobs on their release from prison, with that money going to costs, fines, and restitution.
- HB123 – requires cash bail that would normally be returned to a defendant to be diverted to pay any outstanding costs, fines, and restitution owed by the defendant for any other case.
- Report on Oct. 2015 “Mass Incarceration” workshop in Harrisburg
also, see links for related resources including video recordings of presentations at efpjc.ppjr.org
Climate Change Resources
- Climate Advocacy Workshop announcement (Feb. 16, 2016).
Climate Change Impacts and Solutions for Pennsylvania:
- Natural Resources Defense Council report from 2011
- Union of Concerned Scientists – Northeast US Climate Impacts (2008)
- Union of Concerned Scientists – Climate 2030 Blueprint
- Union of Concerned Scientists — other reports
- PA’s Top Power Plant Polluters (National Wildlife Federation)
- Don Brown – blog on Ethics and Climate: ethicsandclimate.org
- Statements from World Religions on Climate Change
- Even monkeys get climate change justice, so why don’t governments and the press?
- Sen. Boscola – “justification” for SB805
- FCNL Roadmap for Lobby Visits on Climate Change
Homeless Sheltering in Allentown
- Community builds on lessons learned about caring for homeless (Morning Call, Feb. 11)
- Frigid weekend forecast rallies churches to stay open for the homeless (Morning Call, Feb. 10)
- Who’s really responsible for sheltering the homeless? by Corinne Feldman (Morning Call, Jan. 29)
- POLL: What should have been done to help Allentown’s homeless during Saturday’s storm? (Morning Call, Jan.28)
- Advocates and Allentown officials devising plan to keep homeless sheltered in next storm (Morning Call, Jan.27)
- Advocates and Allentown officials devising plan to keep homeless sheltered in next storm (Morning Call, Jan. 27)
- Allentown homeless disagreement nothing new by Bill White (Morning Call, Jan. 27)
- Editorial comment from Chris Cocca (Morning Call, submitted on Jan. 26, posted on Feb. 1)
- Allentown Homeless Caught in Blizzard (Morning Call, Jan.25)