Aging People in Prison Human Rights Campaign

MISSION: To advocate, educate, and lobby for the release of aging people in prison.

VISION: For aging people in prison to be released, returned to their families, and to rebuild families, communities, and society

ORGANIZATIONAL PURPOSE: Work towards having the human rights of aging people recognized; in order for them to be released and returned to families to begin the process of reintegration and rebuilding communities and a more humane society.

Platforms:

Parole

  • Modify Parole Boards and Processes across the nation to reflect a more civilian inclusive parole process.
  • Advocate for more use of release mechanisms already in place: geriatric/medical parole, compassionate release, clemency, etc.
  • Local governmental authority to monitor, appoint, and terminate parole commissioners.
  • Local governmental authority to utilize release mechanisms on behalf of aging people in prison from their state, cities, districts, etc.
  • Push to limit the length of time a victim impact can be used to contribute to parole decisions

Age

  • Advocate raising the age of elderly people in prison to 50 years old
  • Recognize illness and length of time served in prison as contributing factors to premature aging of a prisoner
  • Release elders in prison automatically in their 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th decade of imprisonment.
  • Release elders in prison automatically in their 60s and above

Punishment Paradigm to Human Rights Paradigm

  • The prisoner’s crime after 3-6 decades or more is no longer the original crime sentenced for, but the length of time itself spent in prison by the prisoner.
  • The extreme sentencing of people to decades in prison; resulting in a massive elderly prisoner population within America.
  • Aging people in prison result in a massive family and community breakdown generationally.
  • Aging people in prison result in the separation of parents and grandparents from their children and grandchildren.
  • Aging people in prison creates a cycle of generational incarceration.
  • Aging people in prison creates several generations of children literally growing up with no parents in their human development.
  • The maximum sentence of prison terms in Europe is 25 years for the worst of crimes.
  • The International Criminal Court has no death penalty for world leaders accused of mass genocides of thousands of people.
  • The International Criminal Court sentences world leaders accused of mass genocides of thousands of people to no more than 20 years in prison, most convicted do no more than 15 years in a prison.
  • A human made of flesh and blood is not made to exist in concrete and steel for decades inside of a prison.
  • The human brain is not made to absorb the cognitive, mental, and physiological impact of serving decades in a structure made of concrete and steel.
  • Aging people in prison of African descent extend from the legacy of slavery and the 13th amendment which places them in the punishment paradigm.
  • Aging people in prison of African descent is an extension of the enslavement selling process where the mother, father, and children are separated and sent to governmental managed institutions.
  • Aging people in prison is a violation of the 8th amendment.
  • Aging people in prison negates their human rights.