We have a new address but our director Dennis Sobin's legal status remains unchanged. Please note that the new location of the Prisons Foundation is 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington, DC 20006. It is the same location as our Prison Art Gallery. The move will permit a more streamlined and efficient operation. Meanwhile, the popular outdoor art kiosk and information center of the Prison Art Gallery at G and 7th Streets in Washington, DC will be open seven days a week, 10 am to 10 pm. News About Our Director Despite our insistance on a speedy trial, Dennis Sobin's trial following his arrest for attending public hearings at City Hall (see complete details in our original email below) has been put off until August 5, 2008. This poses a hardship since there are hearings and meetings at City Hall that Dennis is scheduled to attend, including one on a new bill to help ex-prisoners. In the meantime, here are the names and contact information of city hall officials who can transfer the person who falsely instigated the arrest, Dennis's estranged son Darrin Sobin. With such a transfer, Dennis will be able to go to city hall to visit these officials and attend hearings and meetings without fear of further arrest. If you haven't contacted them already, please do so today. They are feeling beleagured due to the many calls and emails they have received, and YOURS could be the turning point. Adrian Fenty, Mayor 202-724-8876 [email protected] (Mayor) 202-724-5556 [email protected] (Mayor's advisor) Vincent Gray, City Council Chairperson 202-724-8032 [email protected] (chief of staff) Jack Evans, City Councilmember (new phone #) 202-724-8058 [email protected] Phil Mendelson, Chair of Judciary Committee 202-724-8064 [email protected] ************************************************************* Below is the original email that the Prisons Foundation sent with details of the arrest of our director Dennis Sobin at a public hearing at city hall in Washington, DC Dennis Sobin, Director of the Prisons Foundation, went to City Hall to testify at a budget hearing on the priorities of the Attorney General's Office. This is routine for our director as these hearings represent important opportunities to advocate for alternatives to incarceration and the need for prosecutors to focus on serious crimes rather than non-violent offenses. One of those prosecutors happens to be Dennis Sobin's son, Darrin Sobin. He and his father have not seen eye to eye for some time. Last year the younger Sobin, Darrin, flexed his muscle as a government attorney by getting a stay away order to keep his father a set number of feet from him. Now he has gone the next step by having his father arrested for stepping foot in City Hall because Darrin has moved into an office in that building. When Dennis arrived for the hearing, his son knew of his presence because Dennis was on the witness list to testify. Dennis never got to testify because his son had him whisked out of the building in handcuffs and put in jail before a judge could release Dennis. By then the hearing was over. The building security officers who arrested Dennis have acknowledged that they were pressured to take this action by Darrin. They even went so far to try to appease Darrin, short of arresting his father, by offering to accompany Dennis to the City Council Chambers where the hearing was taking place and stay with him throughout his testimony. But Darrin rejected this. Darrin has let it be known that if his father returns to city hall for any reason, the same fate awaits him. It is therefore URGENT that the following officials at city hall be called TODAY to let our outrage be known. Says Dennis, "I don't want my son fired. That would be too extreme and a particular hardship for his children, my grandsons Alexander and Tristan." We are requesting that Darrin Sobin be relocated to the Attorney General's headqurters a few blocks away. That way our director Dennis can conduct Prisons Foundation business at city hall. Here are the names and phone numbers of officials at city hall who can make this happen. Please call them TODAY to get their assurance that this will indeed occur without delay. Even if you are not a resident of Washington you can demand action as a visitor who is shocked that such a thing could happen in the nation's capital. Adrian Fenty, Mayor, 202-724-8876 (This is Adrian's private number so please be brief when talking to him and please do not retain this number for any other purpose. He has been a supporter of the Prisons Foundation ever since his childhood friend Donald Thomas ended up in prison and needed our help.) Vincent Gray, City Council Chairperson, 202-724-8032 (Next to the mayor, Vincent is the most powerful person in city hall and has a reputation as a no-nonsense official. Dennis worked for his campaign and helped get him elected in 2006.) Jack Evans, City Councilmember, 202-724-8058 (As chair pro temp, Jack is number three in power at city hall. He also happens to be the councilmember representing Dennis in Ward 2. Still, Dennis cannot visit him at city hall as long as Darrin Sobin is there.) Phil Mendelson, Chair of Judciary Committee, 202-724-8064 (Phil is an at-large councilmember who chaired the hearing at which Dennis was set to testify and is reportedly upset at what happened there. He can bring about Darrin Sobin's transfer in the interest of justice and democracy.) On a personal note, Dennis is in good spirits and continues to meet his responsibilities daily as our director.... Thank you for calling the above city hall officials and demanding that action be taken TODAY. Please call us at 202-393-1511 or email [email protected] if you need further information. Thank you for your help and support in this crisis.

The Woodhull Freedom Foundation and Prisons Foundation are launching a new annual fundraiser called Eroticon: Erotic Art from Behind Bars. This event is a reception and art auction featuring over 40 works of erotic art created by imprisoned men and women from across America. The pieces range from nudes to erotic pieces, including oils, acrylics, watercolors and pen and inks. Busboys and Poets is the presenting sponsor and generously donating hors d'oeuvres for the event. Proceeds will benefit both foundations and the artists directly. The event is intended to raise awareness about issues of incarceration, rehabilitation, sexual freedom and sexual expression. The evening will begin with a gallery reception at 6 pm featuring background music by classical guitarist and ex-prisoner Dennis Sobin. People will mingle, network, drink wine, and sample hors d'oeuvres provided by Busboys and Poets, and peruse the artwork. Representatives from the Woodhull Freedom Foundation and the Prisons Foundation will speak about the important work each organization does. Afterwards, we will start the art auction, and each piece will go to the highest bidder. There is a $10 entrance fee, which includes wine and food. The nearest metro is McPherson Square on the blue/orange lines and Farragut north on the red line. For further information about the event, please contact Aubrie Dillon at 202-628-3333 or [email protected].

[Courtesy of Prison Art Gallery] Sun Trust bank will give its money (not yours) to your favorite nonprofit organization, whether the Prisons Foundation or any other 501(c)(3) for the asking. We recently received a donation from one of our long-time supporters, Bryan Jay Parker, Chairman of International Healthcare Access Group in Washington, DC. Though the contribution was Bryan's doing, it didn't come from him directly but rather from Sun Trust. It's part of Sun Trust's "My Cause" promotion, and it's worth checking out for ours or any other nonprofit. Here are the details. The My Cause promotion gives individuals a unique opportunity to reinvest in their nonprofits of choice. If you haven't had a chance to take advantage of the My Cause program, you have time. Now through June 30, 2008, you can choose to have SunTrust give $100 to the nonprofit organization of your choice, or receive a $50 gift card when you open a new SunTrust Personal or Business Checking account during the promotion period, accept a new SunTrust Visa® Check Card, make any purchase with the new card, and submit a completed online redemption form by August 15, 2008. If you currently bank with SunTrust and have a SunTrust Visa Signature® or SunTrust Platinum Visa with SunTrust Rewards Credit Card, or SunTrust Visa Check Card enrolled in the SunTrust Rewards program, you can donate your SunPoints (SunTrust's reward points system) to your nonprofit of choice! Donations can be made in $25, $50, or $100 denominations. The best part of this element is SunTrust has decided to make SunPoints for Charity a permanent component of its SunTrust Rewards program - so you can continue to donate your SunPoints even after the My Cause promotion has ended. If you plan to participate in the My Cause promotion and open a new checking account by June 30, we encourage you to donate your $100 to the Prisons Foundation. And once you receive your applicable card, or if you already have one, turn your SunTrust Rewards into donations as well. We hope that you will spread the word about the My Cause promotion and the SunPoints for Charity program to your friends, family, and personal and business contacts. The more awareness we can generate among our supporters, the greater the opportunity for us to increase our fundraising easily and effortlessly. For more information about My Cause and how to get involved, please visit www.suntrust.com/mycause. Or you can contact our own supporter who took advantage of this program, Bryan Jay Parker, Chairman, International Healthcare Access Group, LLC, 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20004 202-434-8900.

Yes, the rumors you have heard are true! Our beautiful prison art has a new 22 million dollar home. Announcing the opening of the National Museum of Crime and Punishment on May 23 featuring many of our most striking and gorgeous pieces. Long in the planning, and generous in the funding, a new museum opens in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2008. Located on 7th Street NW (a half block from the popular Verizon Center and one block form the famous International Spy Museum), the National Museum of Crime and Punishment is destined to become the "must" place to visit in the Nation's capital. We are proud that many of the most beautiful and unusual pieces of prison art from our Prison Art Gallery are featured at the museum. In addition, the museum's large and innovative gift shop carries many of our prison art prints. You'll want to be among the first to visit this extraordinary museum. With exhibits such as a recreation of Al Capone's plush jail cell and John Dillinger's actual getaway car, and with equipment that will allow you to get your own authentic mug shots and test your skills at outsmarting a lie detector test, your visit will be both interesting and educational. For more information, please visit CrimeMuseum.org.