Sing a song, read a prayer, speak from the heart and let our mamas behind bars in our nation’s prisons know you’re thinking about them. Call to our toll-free 24/7 answering machine now at 877-410-4863 to leave a recording we’ll play over the air.

In the U.S., we have a nation inside our nation. In America’s prison-nation, mothers are forced to give birth in shackles and families are asked to pay exorbitant charges to telephone corporations in order to keep in touch with their incarcerated loved ones. As part of our Mama’s Day Special we invite you to join two national campaigns: BIRTHING BEHIND BARS and PRISON PHONE JUSTICE CAMPAIGN.

4444 Arlington Blvd, Arlington, Virginia.
 

All are welcome!
 

(Enter parking lot from South George Mason Drive. Street parking is also available.)

Virginia is reconsidering how it administers solitary confinement at the state’s only super-maximum prison and plans to implement sweeping changes to its often-criticized practices.

Nearly 500 inmates at Red Onion State Prison spend 23 hours a day in a cell, don’t shower daily and have limited recreation. Some prisoners, including those with mental illnesses, have been kept in isolation for years, inmates and lawyers say.

Some state lawmakers and human rights groups have asked the Justice Department to investigate the use of solitary confinement at Red Onion.

Virginia State Police troopers’ duties to check on registered sex offenders could be shifted to unarmed civilians under a little-noticed provision in the two-year state budget pending before the General Assembly.

Tucked into the $85 billion spending blueprint is Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proposal to hire 43 “non-sworn” personnel to monitor people “required to comply with the requirements of the Sex Offender Registry.”

Under the current system, troopers and state parole and probation officers conduct semi-annualresidence and employment status checks on thousands of registered offenders.

Administration officials such as Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling have said the switch would “free up troopers currently in that unit to get back on the roads” for patrol and other functions.

However, the plan has triggered alarm bells for an organization that lobbies to change sex offender laws. Its implementation also is being watched closely by a State Police advocacy group.

Virginia knows it has DNA evidence that may prove the innocence of dozens of men convicted of crimes they didn’t commit.

Bennett Barbour was convicted in 1978 of a rape he didn’t commit. At trial, he had an alibi supported by several witnesses. He didn’t match the victim’s description of her attacker. Barbour suffers from a severe bone disease that would have made it nearly impossible for him to be the assailant. Police found no physical evidence connecting him to the crime, beyond the eyewitness identification by his alleged victim. Barbour was handed an 18-year sentence and paroled after nearly five years.

A lawyer for 11 Virginia inmates asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to reinstate a lawsuit claiming that prisoners are being illegally denied parole.

Northup said state law requires the board to consider the nature of the crime, the sentence imposed, the inmate’s prior record, the inmate’s record in prison and whether release would be an acceptable risk. He said parole denial for inmates with exemplary prison records suggests that not all the criteria are being fairly considered, but it’s difficult to tell because the parole board’s decision-making process is shrouded in secrecy.

The meeting takes place on March 20th
from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at
the Norview Baptist Church
1127 Norview Ave.
Norfolk VA 23513

Contact James Bailey at jbailey383@aol.com if you need more information.

Saturday, March 31,
American Legion Post 180,
330Center St. North
Vienna VA
9:00 – 11:15 AM