Campaign to End Life Without Parole
A sentence of life without the possibility of parole is a sentence to die in prison. Life without parole sentences are inhumane, extremely costly, harm our communities (overwhelmingly Black communities), and do not improve public safety. CELWOP is committed to ending life without parole in Massachusetts through legislative advocacy, coalition building, education and mobilization, community outreach, and collaboration with individuals and families of those incarcerated or formerly incarcerated.
In Their Own Voices
The following videos were created by Beryllium Pictures and produced by Jordan Salvatoriello and Sean Ellis, with the hope that they will guide us in working toward a more humane legal system.
In these videos, Rahsaan Hall, President and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, and four men (Herby Caillot, Thomas Koonce, Michael McAfee, and Karter Reed), who were sentenced in their youth to life without the possibility of parole, discuss the detrimental effects of Life Without Parole. (All four men were released after spending decades behind bars when Massachusetts eliminated this extreme punishment for juveniles.) Their testimonies are both humbling and inspiring.
A Cruel Fate
Life without the possibility of parole is one of the most inhumane and cruel forms of punishment that a society can mandate for a single individual.
Disproportionate Punishment
Nearly one in five prisoners in Massachusetts is serving life without parole, and many of those are not the perpetrators of the crime.
Investing in People Not Prison
An overwhelming majority of those incarcerated for life without parole come from conditions of extreme poverty or have been subjected to violence and trauma themselves.
When we make the investments in people and the underlying issues, we get better outcomes for our communities.
A Parole Hearing for Everyone
A parole hearing has to be earned through long-term, consistent hard work and it does not guarantee release.
Locked In and Shut Out
People serving life sentences are not able or not likely to get involved in prison programming.