Got a Loved One in prison? Live in Ohio?

WE are FADS, Families Against Disparate Sentences, a family-of-prisoners group working to bring CHANGES to how men and women in Ohio prisons can achieve equality in sentencing. Currently, Ohio has substantially unfair disparities between those sentenced prior to the enactment of SB 2, July 1, 1996, and those sentenced afterward. It is our mission to bring FAIRNESS to all!

After a long absence, we are back in business. If you have a need to express your frustration, anger, or cynicism, come on board! The APA is still exercising its authority without any governing body to control it. Isn't it time for this lack of oversight to be remedied?

SENATE BILL 149 reintroduces Parole Board Reform to Ohio Legislature for consideration. Senator Louis Blessing is the sponsor. Please check the ORC site or the Gongwer site listed below for the bill in its entirety. Many Ohio prisoner advocates are disappointed with the bill's provisions. Read it for yourself, then let us know through the guest book feature what you think.

MISSING CHILD HAS THE STATE OF OHIO SEARCHING FOR HER WHEREABOUTS

Missing since Sunday afternoon (February 7, 1999) Erica Baker, 9 years old, is still missing. Please click on the below address for information about her.

ACTIVEDAYTON.COM

New Feature -- Sign Our Guestbook. What do you think about this site? What issue do you want to know more about? Which articles did you find particularly informative? Let us know. Click here for access to the Guestbook "LookingINside."

Sign My Guestbook Guestbook by GuestWorld View My Guestbook

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 10 part series on prosecutorial misconduct and the loss of the presumption of innocence in the US Federal court system is worth your while to read.

If the tactics of Ken Starr's prosecutorial team struck you as violative of guaranteed civil rights protection, and his nonchalant comments as to the "standard prosecutorial investigatory procedure" alarmed you, this series serves as an emergency flare in the darkness of our nation's current zealous pursuit of supposed wrongdoers in the War Against Crime that has been waging for over ten years. Read about the innocents wrongly prosecuted and imprisoned, all in the name of criminal justice. Just who are the real devils in this Faustian deliverance of our protected constitutional rights to the politically charged chambers of the prosecutor?

Click here for link:
Win At All Costs by Bill Moushey

Parolees -- You have the right to serve as part of the electorate. See Section 2961.01 Send us your feedback on these changes.

While some debate exists currently as to when Ohio prisoners lose their right to vote, family members and friends of prisoners, YOU have that right. VOTE for the candidate of your choice based on the issues and your conscience.

Senate Bill 2 is now available through the Gongwer site.

Ohio Supreme Court renders decision about retroactivity of SB 2.

[Cite as STATE v RUSH(1998),__Ohio St.3d__.] -- OSCt denies any proposition that S.B 2 has any retroactive application under any section of old law or new law.

UPDATE -- JAN 13, 1999 -- Ohio Supreme Court overturns appeals court decisions in three separate cases related to post SB 2 legislation.

In another defeat for prisoners litigating for equity in sentencing to SB 2 guidelines, the Ohio Supreme Court, using State v. Rush as its argument, today overturned appeals court decisions in Cuyahoga County that had allowed defendants convicted under pre-SB 2 statutes to serve time under SB 2 guidelines. Click below for link to State v. Lundy, State v. George, and State v. Woodson.

For the complete decision, go to the Ohio Supreme Court site, click on Opinions, click on 1998, scroll down to No. 97-1778, click and read.

Click here for Ohio Supreme Court site:

OHIO SUPREME COURT

Recently, we received an email message about rumors circulating that the APA now has an option for TPVs.

Contained under Section 2967.141(B)(2) of the O.R.C., part of Amended Substitute SB 111 (eff March 17, 1998), the language is clear: The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, through its division of parole and community services, may operate or contract for the operation of one or more violation sanction centers as an alternative residential facility....A violation sanction center operated under authority of this division may be used for either of the following purposes. (2)Service of a sanction that the Adult Parole Authority or Parole Board imposes upon a parolee whom the Authority determines to be a parole violator because of a violation of the terms and conditions of the parolee's parole or conditional pardon.

Click here to access the O.R.C.

Ohio Revised Code

Please note the following links to read more about the Youngstown private prison, prison privatization industry, and the huge profits that make investing in this industry an inducement for its continued growth.
Youngstown's Deadly Bargain by David Phinney
AND
Crime and Punishment by Ted Koppel

Americans With Disabilities Act applies to state prisons

US Supreme Court ruling:
Pennsylvania Dept. of Corrections v. Yeskey, No. 97-634 (1998)
Argued April 28, 1998
Decided June 15, 1998
Held: state prisons fall squarely within Title II's statutory definition of "public entity," which includes "any . . . instrumentality of a State . . . or local government." Sec. 12131(1)(B).

JUSTICE SCALIA delivered the opinion of the Court.

What this means is if a loved one of yours has been denied entry into a prison program because of physical limitations or mental health reasons, you have grounds for a legal suit against the state department of corrections for violating the ADA. For a full text of the opinion of this ruling go to

The US Supreme Court Database for the Current Session

WE at FADS encourage you to visit the Ohio Government site listed below so that you can stay familiar with what Ohio posts onto the Internet. Also, the Gongwer site has a direct link to the analyses and progress of all Senate and House bills introduced available for viewing and downloading. We encourage you to ask your legislators to obtain E-mail addresses so that messages can be left for convenience and the economics of saving on long distance calls. A "considerate" legislator should understand that.

CURE-OHIO's new web site is now available for access through this site. See below for the new link.

PLEASE Families inform your loved ones that FADS cannot serve as legal advisor to any prisoner. By sending us any litigation for display on the web, the prisoner does not ensure legal action on his behalf by FADS. We are not set up to perform this service. We are here to make the prisoner's voice available to the Net public and to inform families of legislative action on prison/prisoner issues.

Added OCT 14 -- CIIC POSITION PAPER in Two Parts.

Also, click on CURE-Ohio's latest Minutes for More Info on Ohio Rallies, Petitions, and PRAC, the Prisoner Grievance Committee begun by Alphonse Gerhardstein.

If these articles are unavailable for viewing here, go to the geocities site. address http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/4323

Our plans include:

Exploring legal remedies to correct the disparities. Writing letters to legislators for CHANGES in the law. Gaining the right of "liberty interest" for prisoners eligible for parole. Informing the public of the current practices of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitations and Corrections ODRC including:

Ohio Adult Parole Authority OAPA full discretionary powers. Guidelines in use without mandatory enforcement. Retaliating against prisoners who file grievances or who stand up for their rights. Funding expenditures that are excessive and wasteful.

These are just a few of the topics that will be featured on these pages.

We welcome letters of support, "whistle blowing," or just "blowing off steam." Prisoners, your identity will always be kept confidential unless YOU request otherwise.* Family members -- it is time to come out of the shadows and to support our incarcerated Loved Ones.

Let's face it -- Ohio now has around 48,000 prisoners in the 30 minimum, medium, close, maximum, and super-maximum security prisons that litter the state's landscape. And the state keeps building MORE!!! If WE, the families of prisoners and prisoners alike, do not get involved, then CHANGES will never occur. Let's make things FAIR now!!

WE are FADS. WE shall remain in force until the CHANGES we seek are Accomplished

EMAIL:ntenney@earthlink.net -- our updated email address

Original articles submitted are published with a copyright waiver to aid in the free and unfettered distribution to the non-Internet public. We urge you, freeworlders, to post these articles on your community bulletin boards, and display them through any legal public forum. *Prisoners, please indicate in writing if you want your identity made known. All requests for confidentiality will be strictly honored.

SUPPORT GROUPS, ADVOCATES, INFORMATION, and OTHER RESOURCES for PRISONERS and their FAMILIES

CURE-Ohio
State chaper of national prisoner's support group
1998-1999 DRC Budget for Ohio
Provides summation of goals, chart for projected expenditures, and list of services
Columbus Dispatch Policy for email letters
Provides email address and site map
Prison Reform Links
The usual sources of info, plus some not-so-usual ones
Article by John Perotti
Ohio's own nationally known prisoner/activist/author
State Capitals Newsletters
Provides info from state capitals on public safety and justice policies -- limited access, but ordering forms provided
Prisons and Penal Matters
Prisoner's Rights Group in Ottawa, Canada -- has good links to a variety of US prison sites
PRISONZONE
Art. photos, poetry, prose, and other creative contributions about prison
Gongwer New Service -- OHIO
Session laws introduced for consideration, and other legislative action. Now includes the LSC analyses of intro'd bills.
Ohio Highway Patrol
Site of the Investigative Branch of Ohio Penal Institutions
Family Corrections Network
A US based Website about Families of Offenders
Welcome to the Walls
Families of Incarcerated Support Site
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Corrections
Info on Ohio prisons, parole board, Hire an Ex-Offender Program, and link to the Old State Reformatory, aka Mansfield, plus Offender Index recently added
Columbus AlivewireD -- Alternative News for the Bold Minded
Get the Straight Story Without Fear
The Case of Kenneth Richey ADDED 10-3
A More Detailed Account of A Mansfield Death Row Prisoner
More On Kenny Richey From the UK Side ADDED 10-3
British Press Links and Contacts for the Kennth Richey Campaign
Death Penalty Page ADDED 10-3
Links to JusticeNet And More
PennPals ADDED 10-28
Site Designed to Connect the Freeworlders to the Prisoners NEW & IMPORTANT to CHECK OUT
Prison Librarianship Clearinghouse
A New Site for Conducting Prisoner Litigation Research -- ADDED JAN 5, 1999

Getting Informed -- the First Step

FADS Introduction
Brief description of the Disparities created by SB 2
Steve Gumpl's Open Letter
From the Man who took on the OAPA and Won!
Case of Two Petty Burglars
A not-so-hypothetical example of the Disparities created by SB 2
Vonhoupe': FADS BAD LAD of the APA for August
The personal account of an Ohio Prisoner's travail with the APA
Charles Wampler essay
The opinion of an Ohio Prisoner incarcerated since the age of sixteen
Fox editorial
Taking to task the unethical behavior of an Ohio representative
Adequate Servings: Dining In at an Ohio Pen
Prisoner Critque of the DRC Menu. This article has been removed at the request of the prisoners who wrote it because they fear retalitory action by prison officials. For a copy, email site manager.
Paul Jasper's "The Prisoner"
Poem
HB555: Sulzer's Slight of Hand
Brief description of HB 555 and its potential effect on Prisoner Litigation
CIIC Members
Representatives and senators who sit on the CIIC
Jake Speaks: A Prisoner's Challenge to Advocates
Letter addressed to Ohio Advocate group
Runaway Parole Board
Part I of Pearly Wilson's Series about the APA and its Mendacious Methods
Rogues in the Courtrooms
Part II of Pearly Wilson's Series about the APA and its Mendacious Methods
Fear and Abhorrence: The Legacy of the APA
Part III of Pearly Wilson's Series about the APA and its Mendacious Methods
Orient Correctional Institution Fire
Botched Prison Behavior Modification Program Causes Inmate Protest
Ohio Death Penalty
A Section Devoted to Death Penalty Cases Specific to Ohio
"S-O-L-I-D-A-R-I-T-Y" ELSE DIVIDED WE FALL
Pearly Wilson Statement to Ohio Prisoners
Death Row Riot at Mansfield
Report about Mansfield Riot and Wilford Berry
A Call for Outside Intervention
A Prisoner's Plea for Ohio Legislators and Citizens to Get Involved
Conditions at the Orient Prison
Unacceptable, Maddening, and Deplorable
A Prisoner's Request for Responsible Reporting
Tell the Truth about Truth-In-Sentencing
Letter to the Editor
The Unfairness and Trickery of the Judicial System When Seeking Plea Bargains
Battered Women
From Domestic Abuse to Institutional Abuse
Hold the Politicians Accountable
Promises, Promises
Headline News: Former TV News Reporter Displays Her Fear, Loathing, and Ignorance to Reading Public
An Open Response to An Article in the Toledo Blade
Jailhouse Lawyer: Scourge of an Unjust System
Another Scathing Indictment from the Chief Prosecutor of the Criminal Ant-Justice System -- Pearly Wilson
An Eyewitness Account of the Event of the Mansfield Uprising Sept. 5 1997
NOT What the ODRC Told You
Four-to-Fifteen And Fighting For My Life
Experienced Litigator Sounds Off About Use of Racial Criteria in Getting Parole
Enslavement Emancipation Equity
Establishing True Justice in Ohio
Problems At Orient Prison
Reprinted by permission of <I>Columbus Alive</I>
Women Offenders And The Parole Board
"Tired of the Charade"
Save Us From the Purists
An Open Personal Letter To Senator Jeffrey Johnson
An Analysis Of Prisoner Release Data For The State Of Ohio
Introduction to a Study that Alleges Quota System at Work in Ohio APA Decisions
Introduction to the Study
Background Information About the Purpose and Mission Statement of the APA
Evaluation of Racial Data Pertaining To The Incarceration And Release Of Ohio Citizens
Uses the DRC and APA Stats to Assemble Analytical Material
Evidentiary Examination Of The Parole Board's Actions
Includes Analysis of First Offender Retention, Career Criminal Releases, and the Recidivism Rate In Ohio
Appendix To Data
Clarifies the Author's Intent and Purpose For Conducting and Wanting Study Published
An ANALYSIS OF PRISONER RELEASE DATA FOR THE STATE OF OHIO -- HTML FORMAT
Study Conducted On Release Quotas In One Ohio Prison From 1991-1997
Sam Sheppard's Walk Across Ohio And Results of Survey on Use of Death Penalty in Ohio
Personal Account by Marianne Kruse-Blanchong and Ohio State U's Survey
The Heart Of It All?
Article Urging Ohio Legislators To Look To Her Neighbors' Prison and Parole Practices
When They Won't Let You Do Right!
Article Decrying the APA Manipulation of Sex Offender Programs
Judge Denies Spirko New Trial
John Spirko, Ohio Death Row Inmate, Denied New Trial Despite Prosecutorial Evidence In His Favor
Committee Schedule for the Senate and House Criminal/Judiciary Committees
Check this one for bills under consideration, Families. Then go to Gongwer for bill detail.
Correctional Institution Inspection Committee Staff Position Paper Part I
Addresses Parole Issues and Makes Recommendations to the APA
Correctional Institution Inspection Committee Staff Position Paper Part II
Addresses Parole Issues In Relation to Senate Bill 2 Non-retroactivity
Planned Executions For Various States
Details of Alan Bannister Protest In Missouri
Press Release From Terrence W. Hattie
Announcement of Litigation Against the APA for Alleged Retalitation
FADS APA BAD LAD
Further Miscarriages of Justice in Ohio's Heartland
The Case Of Timothy "Little Rock" Reed and the APA as Decided by the NM Supreme Court Pt One
Shame, Shame on the APA for Breaking the Law
The Case Of Timothy "Little Rock" Reed and the APA as Decided by the NM Supreme Court Pt Two
Shame, Shame on the APA for Breaking the Law
The Case Of Timothy "Little Rock" Reed and the APA as Decided by the NM Supreme Court Pt Three
Shame, Shame on the APA for Breaking the Law
Senate Bill 182 -- Parole Reform Bill
Senators Jeffrey Johnson and Mike Shoemaker Co-Sponsorers of the Most Politically Palatable Hope We Have for Parole Reform
Open Letter to Sen Jeff Johnson About SB182 and ESPRA
What Prisoner's Want In A Parole Reform Bill
Where Is Keith Lamar and Whatever Happened to Human Rights In America?
Follow-up to Mansfield DR Uprising of Sept 5
George Skatzes Personal Experience During the Mansfield Death Row Uprising Sept 5 1997
Further Eyewitness Account of Unnecessary Guard Brutality Against NonResisting Prisoners
The Ohio Welfare Preservation and Crime Perpetuation Act of 1997 or SB 111 Unveiled
A Survey of O.R.C. 5120.56 and O.R.C. 5145.16
QUI TAM Law Suit Against State Officials -- Voinoviches, Atty Gen Montgomery, DRC director, et al.,
Civil litigation charging state officials with corruption and fraud
Law Suit Against State Officials -- Voinoviches, Atty Gen Montgomery, DRC director, et al.,
Relief sought by the author of the QUI TAM
On Politics and Justice or The Prostitution of Lady Justice
One prisoner's opinion of Sen. J. Johnson's SB 182
Statement of Intent to Fast to Protest Disparities in Sentencing
The Bottom Line -- No Justice, No Eat
Death Penalty Update -- The Slaughter Continues
Article About the Frequency of Executions in the U.S.


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Ellen & Van Tenney


Please note the
new email address and
snail mail address: ntenney@earthlink.net
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