Why We Must End Life without Parole Sentences

More than 1,000 Massachusetts residents are now serving life sentences with no possibility of parole, even after decades of growth and change in prison.  Pending legislation would not automatically free them, but it would give them a chance to go before the Parole Board and seek release. 

Speakers include:

·  Leslie Walker, former director of Prisoners’ Legal Services who is lobbying to change the law for the Parole Review for All Committee of the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition

·  Anna Duarte, whose brother Franky has been serving life without parole for homicide he was charged with at 19.  Now 53, he has done all he could do to improve himself in prison earning over 60 certificates for program completion

·  Shanita Jefferson, whose mother Angela Jefferson has been serving life without parole for 28 years, since Shanita was 3. While incarcerated, Angie has earned a GED and is close to earning a Bachelor’s Degree from B.U., along with completing a multitude of programs.  Shanita wants a chance at parole not only for her mom, but also for the man who killed her father.