Despite passage of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act in July by the U.S. House of Representatives, enactment this year is uncertain. Only a few weeks remain in the legislative calendar and the Senate must prioritize the bill for a vote on the floor.

Your Senators need to hear from you if we want a Criminal Justice Commission to address unfairness, excessive sentence length and racial disparity.  Please contact your Senators today and ask them for their support.

Send your Senators a letter in support of the Commission.

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act, currently pending in the U.S. Senate, would create an independent body of experts to study and advance programs and policies that promote public safety, while overhauling those practices that are found to be fundamentally flawed. Please contact your Senators to secure passage of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act this year.

In March, after more than a decade of inaction, Congress convened expert witnesses on voting rights, reentry and elections administration at a hearing of the Democracy Restorations Act, a bill to restore federal voting rights to people no longer incarcerated for a felony conviction. A broad coalition is advocating for this legislation but we need your help to secure additional support on Capitol Hill. Please contact your representatives in Congress and ask them to cosponsor the Democracy Restoration Act today.

Advocacy-oriented document that describes the procedure for engaging in jail-based voter registration; highlights successful strategies based upon campaigns in a number of jurisdictions. 63 pages

In-depth report on the individuals, coalitions, lawmakers, strategies and issues that came together in the summer of 2001 and resulted in the passage of Public Act 01-11 restoring the right to vote to persons on felony probation. 36 pages

Document describing voter education, outreach, and registration programs in four local jails. 5 pages