This Vigil can work perfectly with the IPT petition regarding phone calls. The administrators want to use this vigil to support legislation in favor of assisting with phone regulations.
The Vigil for True Justice (April 1st – April 31st) is a bi-annual Vigil event spanning across several activist, advocacy groups and organizations to draw peaceful attention to the desires of all parties to have a more effective and efficient justice system.
So Far: 55 –organizations, inmates and voting citizens (and counting)
Have pledged to participate in the Vigil. We’re already 1/10th there and we just started!
Our goal is 500 pledges by the kick off
*April 1st 2012*
The Vigil is a 31-day observance of peace in which all pledges agree to abstain from:
Consolidated Phone Calls
Vending Machine or Ace Vending Purchases
Western Union / Jpay Money Wires
Pledges have agreed to
Increase letter writing to Inmates
Write peaceful grievances regarding important issues (inmates)
Yes, Visiting is OK!
SPREAD THE WORD! / REFER A FRIEND.
We can reach our goal. If everyone convinced just one-person voting citizen or inmate and so on to participate / pledge, we will will reach BEYOND our goal by April 1st.
TO ADD A PLEDGE / PARTICIPANT
Send an e-mail subject heading: “PLEDGE” to:
VigilforTrueJustice@gmail.com Include your name, address and (if applicable) the name and address of the inmate that you frequently contact or visit
Include your phone number and cell phone carrier for quick text updates
We will add that person to our list serve and to our cell phone text tree
SEND IDEAS/ QUESTIONS / COMPLAINTS TO:
VigilforTrueJustice@gmail.com$362-MILLION!
An exhaustive analysis of prison phone contracts nationwide has revealed that with only limited exceptions, telephone service providers offer lucrative kickbacks (politely termed “commissions”) to state contracting agencies – amounting on average to 42% of gross revenues from prisoners’ phone calls – in order to obtain exclusive, monopolistic contracts for prison phone services.
These contracts are priced not only to unjustly enrich the telephone companies by charging much higher rates than those paid by the general public, but are further inflated to cover the commission payments, which suck over $152 million per year out of the pockets of prisoners’ families – who are the overwhelming recipients of prison phone calls. Averaging a 42% kickback nationwide, this indicates that the phone market in state prison systems is worth more than an estimated $362 million annually in gross revenue.
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/(S(34xg4h553u305v453i4j5u45))/displayArticle.aspx?articleid=23083&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Here’s one time where doing nothing can change everything...
Participate in the Vigil for True Justice
*April 1st – 31st 2012*
The Vigil is a 30-day observance of peace in which all pledges agree to abstain from:
Consolidated Phone Calls
Commissary Purchases
Vending Machine or Ace Vending Purchases
Western Union / Jpay Money Wires
Pledges have agreed to:
Increase letter writing to Inmates
Write peaceful grievances regarding important issues (inmates)
WHAT WILL THE VIGIL DO?:
Encourage legislation to endorse the return of meritorious good time / parole, retroactively
Encourage alternative Sentencing for non-violent offenders
Encourage the enactment a step-down program
Improve cost effectiveness of transportation, phone and commissary needs to relieve family burden
Encourage improvement of re-entry programming
Encourage improvement of job-placement
Participate from the comforts of your own home; wherever you are,
Or join us at a Vigil Event (tbd)
SEND US YOUR AIM
What else should we add to the Vigil goals?
E-mail questions, concerns or suggestions to:
VigilforTrueJustice@gmail.comPLEDGE
Send an e-mail subject heading: “PLEDGE” to:
VigilforTrueJustice@gmail.com Include your name, address and (if applicable) the name and address of the inmate that you frequently contact or visit
Include your phone number and cell phone carrier for quick text updates
We will add that person to our list serve and to our cell phone text tree
Be Vigilant. Between April 1st through April 31st, stay committed to your pledge! -- Simple.
TRUE JUSTICE IS:
Public Safety
Effective, Responsible and Efficient allocation of tax dollars
Restorative Justice
Rehabilitation to useful citizenship
Successful reentry and lower recidivism
Comprehensive and effective sentencing
ILLINOIS PRISON LOCKDOWN STATUS: 
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