Yes, Even You Can Be a Drop LWOP Advocate

The Felony Murder Elimination Project is a proud member of the Drop LWOP Coalition, a collection of organizations and advocates who work to end Life Without Parole sentencing in California. Our goal is to afford relief to those currently serving this sentence, no matter the conviction, through legislative change, commutations, pardons, and resentencing and public awareness about the injustice of the LWOP sentence.

Advocacy takes several forms, and if you're a frequent visitor to our website and social media pages, you've likely used many of these forms in your own pursuit of seeking a fairer and more just criminal justice system. You've sent support letters and contacted your elected officials. You've visited a state capital building during a rally day. You've testified in front of a legislative committee in the goal of advancing legislation. You've voted for policy makers, or for legislation directly via referendum, that advance the criminal justice and sentencing reforms you believe in.

Sometimes, the opportunity to be an advocate pops up when you're not expecting it. It could be from that friend who is susceptible to media sensationalized accounts of crime in the nightly news headlines, or from that uncle who thinks they should "lock him up and throw away the key."

Those opportunities are just as important as any you've seen promoted here, and if you feel comfortable doing so (not all these one-on-one advocacy situations are safe for people, so use your own judgement and determine which battles you can fight and which need to be saved for another day), here's a helpful, concise, data-backed worksheet that demonstrates why Life Without Parole sentencing needs to be abolished.

Highlights:

• Life Without Parole sentences are cruel, arbitrary, and are not shown to make our communities safer.
• LWOP sentences are inherently racist, as majority of those receiving this sentence are young people of color.
• People sentenced to LWOP face systemic marginalization and exclusion inside prison.

Read, download, and save this information flyer for a rainy day when you can take the opportunity to educate and advocate for reasonable and sane sentencing and criminal justice reforms.