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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 27, 2008 CONTACT: Margaret Dooley-Sammuli at (213) 291-4190 or Tommy McDonald at (510) 229-5215 Prop 5 TV Ad Focuses on $2.5 Billion "Bottom Line" Only Measure to Cut State Costs, says LAO LOS ANGELES - Amid the state budget crisis and financial market meltdown, voters are anxious about ballot measures that will cost the state money. There's only one measure on the November ballot that will actually cut state costs, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO). That's Proposition 5, the Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act (NORA), which would increase treatment access for youth and nonviolent offenders, and reduce prison overcrowding. Cost-cutting is the theme of "Bottom Line", a new TV spot released today and airing statewide. The ad highlights the ballot language prepared by the LAO: that Prop. 5 will result in "capital outlay savings potentially exceeding $2.5 billion." The LAO's analysis has impressed other groups concerned with the state's fiscal health: Adrian Moore, of the Reason Foundation, said "Proposition 5 is taxpayers' only hope of getting prison spending under control, and the only choice on the ballot for voters concerned with our state's fiscal solvency." Richard Holober, of the Consumer Federation of California, said, "Prop. 5 is a good deal for California taxpayers. It's the only measure on the ballot that will reduce state spending. In these economic times, California can't afford not to pass Prop. 5." According to the LAO, Prop. 5 will reduce the state prison population by at least 18,000 and the number of people on parole by 22,000. Overall, the LAO calculates that Prop. 5 will generate "savings potentially exceeding $1 billion annually on corrections operations." Annual costs for Prop. 5 rehabilitation programs could eventually grow to $1 billion, says the LAO - making Prop. 5 cost-neutral on an annual basis. By reducing the number of nonviolent offenders behind bars and on parole, Prop. 5 will slow California's skyrocketing prison growth - which is currently increasing at three times the rate of the general adult population. According to the LAO, this would reduce future spending on prison construction by at least $2.5 billion. Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, deputy campaign manager with Yes on 5, said "Prop. 5 is a smarter way to spend existing resources so that we put the brakes on out-of-control prison growth while investing in proven, effective recidivism-reduction programs." UCLA researchers have found that treatment diversion saves $2.50 for every $1 invested, and yields $4 for every $1 among those who complete treatment. So, advocates believe, long-term savings from Prop. 5 could well exceed the $2.5 billion projected by the LAO, as more individuals achieve long-term abstinence from drugs and alcohol and become productive members of the community. The TV spot is online here: http://www.prop5yes.com/campaign-ads-videos The New York Times Editorial is online here: http://www.prop5yes.com/the-california-prison-disaster DPA Fact Sheet: CALIFORNIA'S BLOATED PRISON GROWTH * Since 2000, prison costs have grown 50% to over $10 billion - about 10% of the state budget. It now costs $46,000 to incarcerate one person for one year in CA. * Since the late 1980s, the prison population increased by 75% to over 170,000 - nearly three times faster than the general adult population. Meanwhile, the number of incarcerated nonviolent offenders skyrocketed from 20,000 to 70,000. * In the 1990s, California built 21 new prisons and just one university. The state now spends about the same amount annually on prisons and higher education. * From 1980 to 2000, the number of drug offenders behind bars jumped from 1,778 to 45,455. Since 2000, the number of people incarcerated for drug possession has fallen by over 6,000 - thanks to Proposition 36 treatment-not-incarceration. * About 20% of prisoners are incarcerated for a drug offense, but over 80% of inmates have a substance abuse problem. The prison system has capacity to provide treatment to only about 5%. * Every month 10,000 inmates are released; most have not received treatment or rehabilitation behind bars. California's recidivism rate is twice the national average at 70%. Each month 7,000 parolees are returned to prison. * Since 1980, membership in the prison guard union increased 500% from 5,000 to 31,000 - and average annual earnings grew from $14,400 in 1980 to nearly $90,000 in 2008 ($73,720 in base pay plus $16,000 in overtime). IF PROP. 5 DOESN'T PASS. * The response to California's prison crisis will be determined by a federal court. On November 17, 2008, a three-judge panel will consider putting the entire prison system under federal receivership. (The Legislative Analyst's Office calculates that Prop. 5 would reduce the prison population and parole populations by at least 40,000 in just a few years.) * California prison spending is projected to reach $15 billion by 2011. (The legislative analyst calculates that Prop. 5 would reduce prison spending by $1 billion per year and cut prison construction costs by at least $2.5 billion.) * Spending on drug and alcohol treatment in the community will continue to shrink; spending was cut by 10% in the 2009-10 state budget. (Prop. 5 would allocate increased and reliable spending on community-based alcohol and drug treatment programs proven to cut incarceration costs.)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 27, 2008 CONTACT: Jennifer Kern, Drug Policy Alliance, (415) 373-7694 White House Pushes Controversial Student Drug Testing Agenda at Summit in Albany on October 29 Largest Study, Leading Health Groups Call Random, Suspicionless Drug Testing Harmful and Ineffective ALBANY - The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is conducting a series of regional summits designed to convince local educators to begin drug testing students - randomly and without cause. This policy is unsupported by the available science and opposed by leading experts in adolescent health. The latest summit will be held in Albany on Wednesday, October 29 at the Crown Plaza Albany, State & Lodge Streets from 8:30 am -1:00pm. Studies have found that suspicionless drug testing is ineffective in deterring student drug use. The first large-scale national study on student drug testing, which was published by researchers at the University of Michigan in 2003, found no difference in rates of student drug use between schools that have drug testing programs and those that do not. A two-year randomized experimental trial published last November in the Journal of Adolescent Health concluded random drug testing targeting student athletes did not reliably reduce past month drug use and, in fact, produced attitudinal changes among students that indicate new risk factors for future substance use. "Drug testing breaks down relationships of trust," said Jennifer Kern, Youth Policy Manager for the Drug Policy Alliance. "All credible research on substance abuse prevention points to eliminating, rather than creating, sources of alienation and conflict between young people, their parents and schools." Random student drug testing is opposed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association, the Association of Addiction Professionals, and the National Association of Social Workers, among others. These organizations believe random testing programs erect counter-productive obstacles to student participation in extracurricular activities, marginalize at-risk students and make open communication more difficult. "Our schools should stay focused on education, prevention and health, not invasive drug testing programs that have never been proven safe or effective," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. "New York students deserve comprehensive, interactive and honest drug education with assistance and support for students whose lives have been disrupted by substance use." A December 2007 policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Substance Abuse and Council of School Health reaffirmed their opposition to student drug testing, holding: "Physicians should not support drug testing in schools ... [because] it has not yet been established that drug testing does not cause harm." Making Sense of Student Drug Testing: Why Educators are Saying No, published by the Drug Policy Alliance and the American Civil Liberties Union, can be found online at www.safety1st.org.

Drug Truth Network Update: 4:20 Drug War NEWS from 90.1 FM in Houston and dozens of radio affiliates in the US, Canada and Australis & on the web at www.kpft.org. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US, Canada and Australia. 4:20 Drug War NEWS 10/27/08 to 11/02/08 now online (3:00 ea:) Select online at www.drugtruth.net Sun - Mikki Norris of Cannabis Consumers talks about rights and freedom for cannabis users Sat - Jeff Jones speaks re medical marijuana safety and control & for Oaksterdam University Fri - Drug War & Halloween go together like peanut butter and jelly Thu - Dale Gieringer, director of California NORML Wed - Keith Stroup, former director of National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws Tue - Terry Nelson reports for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Mon - Glenn Greenway and the Poppygate Report Next - Century of Lies on Tues, Cutural Baggage on Wed (Now With Transcripts): - Cultural Baggage 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: Amanda Fielding, Lady Neipath, Dir Beckley Found. - Century of Lies 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT, 9:30 AM PT: San Francisco Atty. Tony Serra Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, and www.audioport.org Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker: Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Prohibition is evil." - Reverend Dean Becker, Drug Truth Network Producer Dean Becker 713-849-6869 www.drugtruth.net

Maine & Vermont: Voting Interest Up in Prison Facilities Officials in Maine and Vermont have stated that inmates' interest in voting is up this election year. The states are the only ones in the nation that allow individuals to vote while serving time for a conviction. "Vermont has taken the position the more we can get folks in prison involved in the community in a responsible way, the better their chances of reintroducing them to the civilian world in a responsible way," Secretary of State Deb Markowitz was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. "The rationale for disfranchisement has never been particularly compelling or clear," said Alexander Keyssar, a Harvard University historian and author of "The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States." The AP reported that in the 1790s, the Vermont Legislature attempted to ban inmate voting. The move was overruled in 1799 by the Council of Censors, a now-defunct fourth branch of government that met every seven years to decide constitutional questions. Illinois: Some State Employees Well Versed on Voting Rights Laws, Some Not Terry Klingman, an Illinois resident who served nine months in prison, attempted to register to vote at the Department of Motor Vehicles. He was first denied by an employee who was not informed about state election law. Only after a supervising employee stepped in was Klingman able to register. According to the Kane County Chronicle , a Secretary of State spokesman said employees aren't necessarily versed in election law. At the Illinois Department of Corrections, however, employees inform inmates before they are released on parole that they are free to register to vote. "We want them to be prepared," said spokesman Derek Schnapp. "Hopefully they'll be a regular citizen in our society. But it's up to them whether or not they take the initiative to go register." Kansas: Voter Registration Ends on Positive Note Voter registration efforts on one Wichita corner have registered 2000 people; of those it was estimated that about 25% were citizens with felony convictions, KSN3 reported. According to Kansas law, residents can vote if they've completed their sentence and probation or parole. "They didn't realize that because they had a felony, it could be years ago, and it's been off paper, they haven't been in jail, they can still vote," said Representative Gail Finney. National: Broadcasters Pay Attention to Disenfranchisement The Sentencing Project's Advocacy Director, Kara Gotsch, appeared on NPR's "News and Notes" show highlighting voting rights of individuals with felony convictions. Countering Gotsch's view during the segment, entitled "Assessing Voting Rights," was Heritage Foundation Senior Policy Analyst, David Mulhausen. Click here to listen to the interview. The Sentencing Project's Policy Analyst, Ryan S. King, was also featured on the American News Project which highlighted a Virginia barber who is permanently banned from voting. NPR's show, "The State We're In," featured U.S. disenfranchisement in its coverage, focusing on New Jersey and Rhode Island voting laws. New Jersey law automatically restores voting rights after probation or parole. In 2006, Rhode Island residents voted to restore voting rights upon leaving prison. Maryland: Press Conference to Spotlight Unlawful Cancellation of Registration Applications; Voting Leads to Community Connection, Empowerment The African American Democratic Club of Baltimore City and the NAACP Baltimore City Branch have scheduled a press conference today to notify more than 400 citizens with felony convictions that they may be eligible to vote, despite their having received a letter from the Baltimore City Election Board stating that their voter registration applications were canceled. Applicants were sent undated letters not addressed to anyone specifically. The letters did not mention a deadline for responding to the election board letter nor include contact information or an official's name and signature. "We find it appalling that the Baltimore City Election Board will not correct their error thereby possibly enabling qualified voter registrants to have their applications made active and to allow them to vote," stated Minister C.D. Witherspoon, President of the African American Democratic Club of Baltimore. "We're going to try and get as many former felons as we can," Marvin L. "Doc" Cheatham Sr., president of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP told the Baltimore Sun. In response to a Daily Times editorial in support of vote restoration, Amy Cruice, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland's Election Protection Campaign, wrote a letter to the editor that described Maryland's voting rights laws and benefits to voting after incarceration. "People who vote feel more connected to their community and are empowered by having a voice in the democratic process," stated Cruice. She stated that formerly incarcerated individuals who vote are less likely to be re-arrested. Iowa: Voting Rights Law is "Simple" According to The Gazette, state officials, including Department of Corrections employees, are unclear on how a person's criminal record affects voting eligibility. "It's really very simple, said Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro. "Iowa's rule is that as long as you're not a convicted felon serving a sentence, you have every right as anyone else has to vote." Each month, the Department of Corrections sends the names of those who have completed their sentences to the governor, who automatically reinstates their rights. Ohio: Secretary of State Backs Voter Education for Individuals with Felony Convictions The Voting Rights Institute of the Ohio Secretary of State has produced a flyer on the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people that is being widely disseminated throughout the state. In cooperation with the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, "Find a New Direction: Reclaim Your Right to Vote" will be distributed on an ongoing basis through corrections agencies, non-profit organizations, and civic groups. The flyer includes basic information on Ohio voter qualification law for people with felony convictions, including such issues as misdemeanor and out-of-state convictions. Florida: Restoration Change Still Doesn't Fix the Problem In response to a Sun-Sentinel investigation that revealed voting registration discrepancies, Muslima Lewis and Mark Schlakman wrote in a Tallahassee Democrat opinion editorial on the continued confusion disenfranchisement laws have brought individuals seeking the right to vote, in addition to state officials. "It would be a travesty if election officials were to, once again, deprive eligible individuals of an opportunity to exercise one of the most fundamental rights in a democratic society. Florida can ill-afford to repeat this history." Lewis, senior attorney for the ACLU's Racial Justice and Voting Rights Projects and Schlakman, senior program director at the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights at Florida State University, write that despite the April 2007 rule change allowing citizens with non violent records to vote, hundreds of thousands still cannot vote. Alabama: NAACP Settles Voting Rights Case, Allows Inmate Voter Education to Continue Rev. Kenneth Glasgow resumed registering Alabama inmates to vote and fill out absentee ballot applications after the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) settled the lawsuit it filed against the Alabama Department of Corrections in federal court earlier this month on behalf of Rev Glasgow. The Alabama Department of Corrections canceled Rev. Glasgow's efforts at the request of the Alabama Republican Party. "Now I can continue the ministry that God gave me: helping to give a voice to the voiceless by reaching out to people in Alabama's correctional facilities who are eligible to vote," said Reverend Glasgow. "The ministry is so critical because too many in Alabama's correctional facilities who are eligible to vote don't know it." Ryan P. Haygood, Co-Director of LDF's Political Participation Group, who represented Rev. Glasgow stated, "This significant development strengthens the integrity of Alabama's democratic processes by guaranteeing that eligible voters who seek to vote will have their voices heard." For additional information, see Associated Press coverage, and Ballot Access News. California: ACLU Voter Education Campaign will be Mainstay for Future Campaigns The ACLU has been broadcasting radio spots and using its Web site to educate formerly incarcerated individuals on their voting rights as part of an ongoing public information campaign. The effort, which also includes handing out bilingual fliers to churches and civic groups, will be used not only for the upcoming election, but future elections, News Channel 3 reported. "A lot of people feel that they have kinda' permanent sentence that it's like they have a big scarlet a on their chest and they'll never have the rights of a normal citizen again," said Eric Greene of the American Civil Liberties Union in Los Angeles. - - - - - - 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

[Courtesy of DPA] For Immediate Release: October 24, 2008 Contact: Margaret Dooley-Sammuli at (213) 291-4190 or Tommy McDonald at (510) 229-5215 Prop. 5 Supporters Release New TV Ads, Focus on Youth Drug Treatment Under Prop. 5 LOS ANGELES – Supporters of Proposition 5, the Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act, today unveiled two new TV spots intended to begin running statewide next week. Both Yes on 5 spots highlight the measure’s drug treatment programs for young people. If passed, Prop. 5 would provide $65 million per year to counties to make drug treatment available to at-risk youth under the age of 18. Virtually no publicly funded treatment is available now for young people. The first Yes on 5 spot, titled “Warden,” features Jeanne Woodford, former warden of San Quentin State Prison and former Director of the California Department of Corrections. Against a backdrop of images of San Quentin, she speaks of her 25 years working at the prison, where she began as a prison guard. “Let me tell you,” Woodford says, “too many of the men I dealt with started out as kids with drug problems. But California doesn’t have treatment for kids.” She goes on to say that the youth treatment provisions of Prop. 5 are one of its main draws for her. “I can’t tell you how good I feel,” Woodford says, “when I think of all those kids who will never wind up in prison.” The second Yes on 5 spot offers a dramatic story of a young person who has slipped into addiction and criminal activity as a result of a drug problem. In “Rewind,” we take a look back at what happened: “When he was 14,” the narrator says, “he had a drug problem. But there was no drug treatment available. Now, we have to spend forty-six thousand dollars a year to keep him in prison.” Prop. 5 is “a better way” because it offers drug treatment to young people, the narrator says. The spot then ends by showing the two possible outcomes – in one frame, the youth is shown in a mug shot, headed for jail. In the other, he is wearing a cap and gown, graduating from college. Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, deputy campaign manager for Yes on 5, said, “Prop. 5 would fill a huge gap in drug treatment services in California. It is shocking how little we do now for young people with drug problems. These ads highlight for voters one of the most important aspects of Prop. 5, something almost everyone can identify with.” These ads, and others, are in final testing stages. The youth ads can be viewed online today: http://www.prop5yes.com/campaign-ads-videos ###

Many of you have called us to find out if our director Dennis Sobin is still scheduled to go to trial next week for entering Washington City Hall against his son Assistant D.C. Attorney General Darrin Sobin's wishes. Yes, the trial is still set to take place at DC Superior Court, 500 Indiana Ave NW, Washington, DC before Judge Linda Turner on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 11 am. No, his son has not had a change of heart, nor has the mayor or Darrin's superiors seen fit to intervene YET. Please do not call us as we have no further information! If you wish to call anyone, you can contact Mayor Adrian Fenty at 202-724-8876. Please read the heartfelt letter below that Dennis sent to him before you call. As of this writing, there has been no response from the mayor. We believe he has taken a strong personal interest in this matter, but we do not know for sure. You can find out by calling 202-724-8876. LETTER: Dear Mayor Fenty, It was great seeing you recently. Your admiration of my work as a performing artist at the Kennedy Center and as director of the Prisons Foundation is greatly appreciated. Let me begin by saying that it's always a pleasure meeting you. The support you and your agencies have given to the Prisons Foundation in its mission to support the arts and education in prison, reentry of prisoners into society, and victim assistance, is most admirable. Unfortunately, I have not been able to accept your invitation to come to City Hall to meet with you because of threats made by my son, Darrin Sobin, an assistant attorney's general there. Darrin, for all his good features and capabilities that we discussed, has been hateful to me ever since I sued him and my sister for failing to account for my inheritance, which they jointly managed after my mother's death while I was in prison in the 1990's. While I have extended the olive branch to them in recent years, they have not relented in their efforts to keep me away from them. Through his influence, power and knowledge of the law, Darrin got a stay away order from me to keep me away from him. He recently invoked it to keep me away from City Hall under threat of arrest. It is not an idle threat as he had me arrested in April and charged with three counts of violating the stay away order for three appearances I made at City Hall, each time to testify at public hearings. As far as I know, Darrin intends to prosecute me with the help of his colleagues in both the DC Attorney General's Office and the Federal Attorney General's Office (Darrin is a registered Republican with good federal connections). Indeed, when he got his stay away order from me, he was represented in court by the highly experienced Director of the domestic violence branch of the DC Attorney General's Office, despite the fact that there has never been violence or even the threat of violence in this matter. You had mentioned in one of our conversations that you would "talk to Darrin." This was not my suggestion but yours, and I appreciated it. Indeed, he should know what's at stake if he continues his course of action. Darrin has more to lose from my upcoming trial on October 29 if he pursues this prosecution of his father than I do, whether or not he succeeds in sending me to jail. If he wins and has me put in jail, it will be a shameful thing for a lawyer to do, particularly one whose legal education was paid in part by his father. If he loses, there will be grounds by me for recovery of damages for false arrest and malicious prosecution. Thank you for anything you have done or intend to do in accordance with your promise to me. With kind regards, Dennis Dennis Sobin, Director Prisons Foundation 1600 K Street. NW, Suite 501 Washington, DC 20006 www.PrisonsFoundation.org [email protected] 202-393-1511