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Dear Friends, We are pleased to announce to report that the selection of a world-class Board of Directors for our upcoming Safe Streets Arts Foundation is progressing well. We encourage others to continue to apply, however, since there are additional seats we wish to fill. We are striving for maximum diversity. The new Safe Streets Arts Foundation will take over (from the Prison Art Gallery) and expand our annual Kennedy Center program "From Prison to the Stage" which features the work of imprisoned and formerly imprisoned playwrights and composers. The Safe Streets Arts Foundation will also establish and oversee a network of prison galleries across the U.S. (and potentially overseas) under the sponsorship of other nonprofit organizations; using as a model our successful Prison Art Gallery in Washington, D.C. Listed below are the impressive and distinguished backgrounds of some the people who have been initially accepted to serve on the Safe Streets Arts board. Their names are being withheld pending final notification of all accepted applicants. Current board members selected include: • An established artist, art curator and art professor whose art is featured in a well known gallery. For the last six years she has been a mentor to imprisoned artists at a famous women's prison. • A former prisoner who produces and hosts a popular broadcast program for a major radio station. While in prison he formed a singing group that successfully performed and toured after the members were released; including a stunning and moving production at the Kennedy Center. • A warden of a large men's State Prison who holds a PhD and believes that "Art programs boost self-esteem." She previously served as warden of a maximum security women's prison and is a national speaker on modern prison initiatives. • A Social Scientist and professor of Criminal Justice who acquired his graduate degree after his release from prison in 1991. He has served on government commissions responsible for funding billions of dollars into community development and crime prevention programs. • A former elected official who is currently a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. An international traveler and collector of art, he holds a law degree and a master degree in International Affairs. If you are interested in submitting an application for a position on the board, please send a resume and a brief letter of introduction and interest to: Prisons Foundation C/o: Board Selection Committee 1600 K Street NW Suite #501 Washington, D.C. 20006 Yours for justice, Dennis Sobin #206757 C.T.F. D-3B #10 1901 E Street SE Washington, D.C. 20003 A CALL FOR SUPPORT: The Prisons Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC that promotes the arts and education in prison and alternatives to incarceration. We are now accepting tax deductable donations. The support of our supporters, quite bluntly, is what keeps us going. Please consider making a tax deductible donation to the Prisons Foundation so that we may continue to promote the arts in prison and help encourage the wonderful atistic talent we cultivate everyday. *Note the views in this letter are those of Dennis Sobin. Please send your comments directly to him.

National: Bipartisan, Religious Support for Federal Disenfranchisement Reform Erika Wood of the Brennan Center authored a Politico article on the Poverty Forum's support for the Democracy Restoration Act. The coalition of Christian leaders and policy experts from both conservative and liberal camps sent its recommendations to the Obama administration in what has been called a "rare instance of true bipartisanship." Federal legislation, soon to be introduced by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), would restore voting rights to people with felony convictions who are out of prison and living in the community. Alabama: Lobbying Against Disenfranchisement Bill Grassroots advocate Kenneth Glasgow of The Ordinary People's Society is lobbying against a bill that would revoke voting rights from individuals regardless of the offense they were charged with, the Dothan Eagle reported. The proposed bill would increase the number of crimes that involve moral turpitude from about 15 to more than 70 and revoke the voting rights of people charged with those crimes. Currently, individuals who have committed a crime of moral turpitude - including murder, robbery and rape - are disenfranchised. State Rep. Randy Wood, (R-Anniston), the House sponsor for the bill backed by Attorney General Troy King, said individuals who would lose their right to vote under the proposed bill would truly show that they are interested in being a part of society by applying to the state Pardons and Parole Board to have their rights restored, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. "I'm not saying I don't want people to have the right to vote, but losing the right to vote is part of the punishment," said Rep. Wood. "This way, if you serve your time and paid your debts to society, you can apply to have your voting rights restored and go vote." Sen. Bobby Singleton, (D-Greensboro) is drafting a bill that would do exactly the opposite of the King bill by giving individuals who have completed their sentences automatic restoration. "When you take a person's voting rights, you take them from being able to get public housing, public assistance, student aid, Pell Grants. They can't get a business license," Glasgow said. "It puts them in a position where they have a sentence for a certain amount of time, but the collateral consequences last a lifetime. Those of us who have been incarcerated who have paid our dues to society are not second-class citizens, we're second-chance citizens." Today, a press conference is scheduled at noon at Freedom Park, followed by a Criminal Justice Summit from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Wallace College Hank Sanders Technology Center, Meeting Room 105. - - - - - - Help The Sentencing Project continue to bring you news and updates on disenfranchisement! Make a contribution today. Contact Information -- e-mail: [email protected], web: http://www.sentencingproject.org.