Hello to all our elected officials of the office. First my name is Ms. Frankie Faulk, I am from Lumberton, Nc. I am a prison rights advocate and a member of the NAACP Chapter in Robeson County. The reason for this email is to bring light to a bill that did not make it to a law. House bill 625 was a great bill and still is. So many people supported the house bill. That it led to much disappointment from those who are incarcerated, family and friends. There are plenty of reasons to try again with the bill. I created a petition to show that we the people support the change for the prison system. After creating my petition, it was brought to my attention another one that has over ten thousand signatures. If you would just take the time to review the attachments to this email would be great. It will hopefully give you a look deeper into reintroduction house bill 625. Your feedback would be appreciated. Thank you for your time. Your time is greatly appreciated. I would appreciate your thoughts on the house bill or any other bill that will help bring home so many people.
HOUSE BILL 625
The Criminal Sentence Reduction Reform, 2021-2022 was sponsored by elected officials Morey (primary), Alston, Clemmons, Gailliard, A. Baker, Ball, Belk, Brockman,
Butler, and Dahle with other officials, did not make it past the 1st reading. There are so many family members as well as incarcerated men and women thinking that this was going into effect in January this year. Not understanding that the bill did not make it into a law. Calls were being made to many different people in hopes that they or their loved ones were coming home. I called the Congress office and spoke with someone at the law library to gain understanding of what happened. After speaking with them on HOUSE BILL 625 and finding out that it did not make it into a law, explaining that they will not have freedom just yet. Witnessing the disappointments on both sides (ours and theirs), I decided to create a petition in efforts to see that this HOUSE BILL 625 is truly needed and wanted by many. While creating the petition led me to have more conversations with incarcerated individuals. Taking the time to do research prompted me to ask them to answer a question, “What does second chance mean to you?” The answers from them are:
To me a second chance is like a breath of fresh air. Given a chance in an unforgiving society is like giving life to a kid that hasn’t been granted foresight. Being gone 27 years hasn’t made me bitter but has helped me realize that I can’t make up for lost time but make the best use of the time I’m granted again. C. Blount
To me a second chance would be everything. Right now, I don’t feel like a human being, so just being free would be everything. I grew up here since I was 16 years old. So, learning how to survive out there with a job and learning how to pay bills would mean the world to me. Also getting a chance to work with the youth that look like me to keep them from coming in here would make me feel like I accomplished a grammy. That’s what a second chance would mean to me. H.S. James
A second chance to me means getting out, showing the system that I have changed. I am focused on my family and where they need me at. Showing that I am human and that I stand for something. R. Ratcliff
One more chance is all I’ve been asking for. I have been here since I was 20 years old. Seeing people come and go. Just to come back again. Each time I see this it eats me up. Here I go wanting what these people are just taking for granted. I’ll be 45 soon and still praying that hopefully I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel to nowhere. One more chance is all I need. D. Lewis
A second chance means to me “not to sound like a cliche” almost everything to me. Being that I was still a kid when I first became incarcerated (just turned 19) it will mean the chance to experience life as an adult with adult thoughts and responsibilities. It means that I will have a chance to show that I have a lot to contribute to society. It also feels like being there for my daughter and grandson will be one of the best feelings in the world. L. Johnson
A second chance means a chance to right your wrongs, a chance to fix the unfixable, a chance to unlock what’s been stored inside and a chance to push past the barriers to the possibilities in front of me. A chance to also bring joy to one’s life and joy to those who unconditionally have love for you. Sometimes pain is never ending, but certain joys will mask the pain. And a second chance at freedom is a mask that won’t eliminate the pain but will provide clarity and understanding of previous pain and teaches us to appreciate this new chance to avoid making the same mistakes that caused previous pain.
S. Blanks
Regaining my freedom would essentially mean gaining my life back. Yes, I am alive, but am I really living? That’s the question. Being gone as long as I have, I have been to rehabilitate myself not only physically and mentally, but also spiritually and emotionally. Being able to truly learn who I am as a person has taught me value not only myself but also to all my loved ones and society. The reason I say society also is because now I know how to be a positive role model for my community and feel I now know how to play a role that’ll be uplifting verses being detrimental to my community. No matter how small that impact may be. I also feel like due to the systemic racism and opportunities that were not attainable to before are attainable now. So having my freedom back will mean everything to me, everything. Because one day of freedom is better than a lifetime of punishment that doesn’t fit the bill. L. Robinson
What does a second chance mean to me? A second chance is the opportunity to live out the lessons and corrections squeezed from the pain of the past. Looking back I could have easily allowed the barriers and challenges I was up against to box me in and become my home. But why would I want to live imprisoned by the things I supposedly can’t do when I can be freed by the things I can. It means getting back in the game after some life coaching on the side lines. I’m just blessed it wasn’t long enough for me to get cold. I know God is everywhere, even with me when I was buried with time. Accepting the accountability of that allowed my true self to take root and grow. Everyone deserves the chance to show that and what they learned from their mistakes, because we are all humbled by the fact that no one is perfect. R. Crump
These are just some of the ones that shared the thoughts and feelings on what a second chance will mean to them.
Hearing these men speak of having a second chance, having conversations with their families on wanting them home and those having hopes that they will live to see the day their loved ones come home. All of this led me to create the petition called Grant Nc Criminal Sentence Reduction Reform which has over a thousand signatures of support for this to be back on the table. Also, there is another petition called Reduce Nc Structured Sentencing Mandatory Minimums from 100% to 65% retroactive for all which has over ten thousand signatures of supporters as well. In the comments people are voicing how much they want a family member home. In total there are over eleven thousand people who are in support of the house bill. We the people support and thank each one of the elected officials who understand and would like to see the change within our prison system. Studies have shown that nearly half of Americans have or had a close family member incarcerated. With all of us working towards being the change, creating spaces for those who will come home to have success and not re-offend, having those uncomfortable conversations, giving a voice to those forgotten ones and moving forward with progress for all. Doing the research, speaking with men on the inside, family members who are struggling, children who can’t sit through visitations, even the prices of phone calls, and sending mail is becoming a hassle has shown me that we are also failing them as well. The system isn’t focusing on reform or rehabilitation only on continuing punishment. There’s a quote that speaks volumes to what is happening with our society, “PRISONS DO NOT DISAPPEAR SOCIAL PROBLEMS, THEY DISAPPEAR HUMAN BEINGS. HOMELESSNESS, UNEMPLOYMENT, DRUG ADDICTION, MENTAL ILLNESS, AND ILLITERACY ARE ONLY A FEW OF THE PROBLEMS THAT DISAPPEAR FROM THE PUBLIC VIEW WHEN THE HUMAN BEINGS CONTENDING WITH THEM ARE RELEGATED TO CAGES.”
I have taken a great deal of time reading and researching the prison industrial complex, I say instead of just looking at the crimes being committed how about to look at the individual. How did you get here? What was the cause for you to commit crime(s). Here’s a few reasons some people commit crimes: drug abuse, alcohol abuse, poverty, low self-esteem, peer pressure, mental health, backgrounds, society, unemployment, and unequal rights.
When you incarcerate someone who may be suffering a mental disorder with someone who has committed a crime because he needed the money, how does that help either one of them? Society
would rather lock them away instead of dealing with the real problems in this country. Mental health care is needed, equal employment opportunities including those who are felons, everyone deserves to have a chance of LIFE LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.
There are so many people who are eligible to be released. Family members ready to help them come back into society. Many of those incarcerated have been working on jobs in prison as well as enrolled in programs that aid in improving their behaviors, skills, mental health, social functioning, and education. They deserve a second chance at life. With this petition we are asking that House Bill 625, Good Time Reduction, or Earned time opportunities be reintroduced to the Senate.
It is time to modify the North Carolina Judicial system.
