"Being in prison on the Fourth of July is a painful reminder of how misleading the American story of independence can be. This Fourth of July, we must re-examine who experiences so-called American freedoms. We must re-define our cultural values and begin building a world we could all celebrate."
- YaVonne (Hakim) Anderson
currently imprisoned at Central California Women's Facility.
Dear Justice Now Supporter,

Take on the challenge of joining us in solidarity for our summer 2010 Stamp Drive, and raise money to end violence towards people, to challenge the imprisonment of individuals, and to create alternatives to policing and prisons. Through the dedication of Justice Now supporters both inside and outside prisons, we have already raised $10,617 in donations, have accomplished tremendous victories in our compassionate release efforts, and continue to push towards our goal of raising $45,000.

Compassionate Release Update
Justice Now is one of the only organizations that specializes in the compassionate release of persons in prison that are suffering from a terminal illness or severely deteriorated health. Appeals for compassionate release must go through a lengthy bureaucratic process, during which an individual’s life expectancy and level of incapacitation are among the factors taken into consideration before the person in prison can be released to their loved ones for the final stage of their life. Even though it is a highly selective process, just in the past few weeks, Justice Now has accomplished two significant victories. We successfully fought for the compassionate release of one of our clients who suffers from the neurological condition Machado-Joseph Syndrome and we helped sway the Board of Parole to vote for the compassionate release of another client experiencing respiratory failure. It is vital that Justice Now receives the necessary support to continue the fight for uniting people in prison life with their loved ones in order for individuals to receive the care they require.

Take Up The Challenge!
Justice Now is up to $10,617 in donations! Supporters are mailing in checks, donating through our website http://www.jnow.org/, and pledging money on our Facebook cause page at http://www.causes.com/causes/497092?m=9e4cc0c7&recruiter_id=140835260. In addition to people matching stamp donations or donating a flat amount, Justice Now supporters have found two creative ways of making matching donations.

The Facebook Cause Challenge:

At the moment we have three donors who are matching their donations to Facebook by giving 10 cents to Justice Now for every person that joins the cause page. To take part in the Facebook cause challenge, contact our office by emailing Alana Pinsler at alana@jnow.org or send her a Facebook message, and pledge 10 cents or more for every member that joins the cause page. Additionally, help Justice Now raise funds by joining the cause page yourself!

The Work Day Challenge:

As you read this email, people inside California prisons are building up their stamp drive efforts. During our last stamp drive, Justice Now received over $800 in stamp donations. This is an immense amount of money, epically considering that a 44 cent stamp is about the equivalence to one days worth of work. Therefore, over 1,818 days worth of work were donated by people in prison. Take up the work day challenge and donate at least one days worth of your work earnings to match the support people inside are giving Justice Now.

P.S.Any donation made to Justice Now has a significant impact on the services we can provide for people inside prisons. In order for us to continue partnering with people inside prisons to work towards a world without prisons, we need $20 for every collect call (we receive about 4 of these a day), $250 for monthly postage expenses, $350 for daylong legal visits (we make about 4-8 visits per month), and $1,500 to pay for medical release requests that are needed for people in prison to demand medical care. Your contributions and that of people on the inside will make change possible. Together we can build a world without prisons. We thank you for being a part of this grassroots movement. We know that our combined power is what makes a difference!


"America has become a country that imprisons those it fails, blaming poverty, drug addiction or homelessness on individuals, rather than recognizing and addressing the conditions that give rise to them. . . Instead of using prisons as a supposed solution to social problems, we sould reallocate our resources to invest in every person in America."

- Beverly Henry
currently imprisoned at Central California Women's Facility

Make a donation in solidarity with the stamp drive going on now in prisons around California to support Justice Now.