“Life Without Parole: Not a “Get-Out-of-Jail-Free” Proposition

Did you know that you could be convicted of a crime you did not commit, but may have participated in, under a little-known—and confusing–theory called “Joint Venture”? A joint venturer is someone who aids in the commission of a crime. The actual perpetrator may serve his or her time and be released while, in Massachusetts, the joint venturer can be sentenced to life without parole. “Felony murder” laws hold people liable for murder if they participated in a felony, such as a robbery, that resulted in someone’s death. These laws impose sentences on people who neither intended to kill nor anticipated a death, and even on those who did not participate in the killing. One out of six people incarcerated in Massachusetts is serving a LWOP sentence, thus stripped of hope and denied their capacity to rehabilitate. Shockingly, Massachusetts is second only to Louisiana for having the highest percentage in the country of those incarcerated serving LWOP. The Coalition to End Life Without Parole (CELWOP) supports An Act to Reduce Mass Incarceration and The Elder Parole Bill. These bills would eliminate LWOP by mandating parole review eligibility in all instances starting at 25 years of incarceration, stopping prisons from acting as nursing homes, and establishing restorative justice programs for those incarcerated in Massachusetts on sentences in excess of 25 years. Learn about CELWOP’s work with faith-based groups, unions, schools and colleges, community-based and activist organizations, to challenge false the narrative that people convicted of violent offenses are irredeemable and undeserving of a second chance. Hear directly from formerly incarcerated panelists, followed by Q&A. Panel will be moderated by Cynthia Kussy-Goldberg, Community Organizer for CELWOP and Director of the F8Foundation, which helps men and women who are returning to society acclimate and succeed.

Register: t-b-s.me/lifewithoutparole