February 9th: Call Montco DA Steele and Ask Him to Support Geriatric Parole
Leaders in the criminal legal system have a duty to support humane policies that foreground rehabilitation. Over 8,200 people in Pennsylvania have sentences that will force them to grow old and die in prison without the possibility of a second look to see if they can be reunited with their families and communities. On Thursday, February 9th call DA Steele at 610-278-3090 and ask him to support geriatric parole eligibility and to urge the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association to do the same.
This past December Montgomery County faith and community leaders sent a letter to DA Kevin Steele calling on him to support a moral vision that provides second looks and the possibility of a second chance to rehabilitated people who are aging in prison. Shortly after community members who were personally impacted by incarceration and Amistad Law Project held a press conference to urge DA Steele to support geriatric parole.
We are asking Montgomery County DA Kevin Steele to send a letter to the General Assembly and also the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association asking them to support SB 835, a bill that would make people over 55 who have served half of their sentence or 25 years eligible for parole. District attorneys and their association, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association (PDAA), have a powerful voice in the state legislature and we want them to not oppose geriatric parole legislation. Kevin Steele is currently the president of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and has a duty to show moral leadership so that thousands of people who have turned around their lives do not continue to be condemned to die in prison. Pennsylvania needs mechanisms that provide a second look and the possibility of a second chance for those that put in the work to transform their lives.
On Thursday, February 9th we will keep pushing for what’s right. Join us in calling on DA Kevin Steele to urge him to support geriatric parole. Call DA Steele at 610-278-3090 to leave a message politely but firmly demanding that he support geriatric parole. Sign the petition below so you can stay up to date with efforts to demand justice from PA district attorneys.
