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National Prison Project
1875 Connecticut Ave. N.W. Suite 410
Washington, DC. 20009
Source: Prisoners' Self-help Litigation Manual
Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants ( CURE )
Charlie and Pauline Sullivan
PO Box 2310
Washington, DC. 20013
202-842-1650 ext. 320
Services: Organizes prisoners, their families and other concerned citizens to achieve reforms in the criminal justice system. CURE has a presence in 40 states. Write for addresses of state chapters. No individual cases.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums ( FAMM )
Julie Stewart
1001 Pennsylvania Ave.
N. W. #200 - South
Washington, DC. 20004
202-457-5790
fax- 202-457-8564
Services: Works to change mandatory sentencing laws. Provides information about the laws and how to change them. FAMM's local chapters hold rallies, meet with the media, give speeches, and distribute information so a wider audience will understand the need for alternative to incarceration and fair punishment. Offers free newsletter, FAMM-gram, 6 times a year, and FAMM Action- Kit, free by request.
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
Richard Burr
99 Hudson St. 16th Floor
New York, NY 10013
212-219-1900
Services: Handles a limited number of habeas cases for death-sentenced inmates.
National Prison Project of the ACLU
Alvin J. Bronstein
1875 Connecticut Ave. N.W.
Suite 410
Washington, DC. 20009
202-234-4830
Services: The Project handles class action suits involving prison conditions and related issues in state and federal institutions. Litigation is usually limited to cases involving major class actions challenging prison conditions or otherwise of national significance. The Project also provides advice and materials to other individuals or organizations involved in prison issues. It does not handle post-conviction cases or cases on behalf of individual prisoners. A number of publications are available from NPP including the quarterly NPP Journal, $2/yr prisoners, $30/yr. non-prisoners. U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division Section Chief
Special Litigation Section
Civil Rights Division
U.S. Department of Justice
Washington, DC. 20530
202-514-6255
Services: Enforcement of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act which authorizes the Attorney General to initiate suit against state or local officials who operate institutions in which a pattern or practice of flagrant or egregious conditions deprive residents of their constitutional rights. The Section also maintains enforcement responsibility for Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits race discrimination in public facilities. The Special Litigation section has been active in prisoners' rights cases. Hearing Wintley Phipps sing gospel music has brought tears to the eyes of presidents, celebrities, and even Mother Teresa. Now through the U.S. Dream Academy, Wintley is using the power of his voice to reach out to the children of prisoners and give them a chance to achieve their dreams.
"Our motto is a child with a dream is a child with a chance," says Wintley. "And the opposite is also true. A child without a dream does not stand a chance in this world."
Singing to Save the Next Generation Twenty years ago, a friend brought Wintley to a prison to sing to the inmates. Wintley was alarmed and haunted by the number of African Americans in prison. When he encountered his wife's pregnant niece in a prison, Wintley says he started to think about the children of people in prison and became very concerned about their future.
"All of my wife's seven brothers and sisters have either been in jail or incarcerated at some point in their lives," says Wintley. "Between 60 and 70% of children of prisoners will become prisoners themselves. I had to do something about it."
Academic Enrichment In 1998, he created a program to help break the cycle he had seen play out so many times in his own family life. Wintley formed the U.S. Dream Academy to give children who have had a family member behind bars mentoring, academic tutoring, and exposure to computers and the Internet. "Just the computers themselves are not going to transform the lives of these kids," Wintley says. "The most important part of our program is really the caring, loving adults who surround them."
Teaching Children to Dream Due to the fact that 80% of people in prison are high school dropouts, the program also focuses on at-risk children in grades two through five, to try to reach them when they are academically most vulnerable.
The Dream Academy's first priority is to raise these children's self esteem. The mentoring component gives many children the positive role models they are lacking. Mentors shower the children with love and positive reinforcement.
Wintley says, "I believe that I'm helping children to live out their own dreams, to find their own voice and their own path in life."
Aids Related
Prisoners With AIDS
Rights Advocacy Group ( PWA-RAG )
Sheila or James Magner
PO Box 2161
Jonesboro, GA. 30237
404-946-9346 ( no collect call )
Services: Advocates for prisoners' rights' offers free quarterly Newsline, referrals, registered lobbyists; action committee. Donations greatly appreciated. Write for free subscription to P.W.A.-R.A.G. Newsline.
Death Penalty
ACLU Capital Punishment Project
Diann Rust-Tierney
122 Maryland Ave. N.E.
Washington, DC. 20002
202-675-2321
Amnesty International
322 Eighth Ave.
New York, NY. 10001
212-807-8400
Services: Amnesty International is an independent world-wide movement working for the international protection of human rights. Among its many services, it works to abolish the death penalty and publishes death penalty reports.
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
Richard Burr
99 Hudson St., 16th Floor
New York, NY. 10013
212-219-1900
Services: Handles a limited number of habeas cases for death-sentenced inmates.
Southern Center for Human Rights
Stephen B. Bright, Director
83 Poplar St. N.W.
Atlanta, GA. 30303-2122
404-688-1202
Services: Civil rights actions affecting conditions in prisons and jails throughout the South; representation of persons facing the death penalty and assistance to attorney in jail; prison and death penalty cases.
Juveniles
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
Ellen Barry
1535 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA. 94103
415-255-7036
fax- 415-552-31580
Services: Legal assistance to incarcerated parents, their children, families of prisoners, attorneys and other prisoners' rights advocates. Currently focusing on test case litigation, legislative reform and administrative advocacy on behalf of incarcerated parents and their children, particularly in the areas of prenatal medical care
for pregnant women prisoners, foster care and termination of parental rights issues, and alternatives to incarceration. Does not currently have funding to provide individual legal assistance to prisoners, but does respond to hundreds of inquiries each m month, and provides information and referrals to incarcerated parents.
Youth Law Center
Mamie Yee
114 Sansome St. Ste. 950
San Francisco, CA. 94104
415-543-3379
Services: Handles major institutional and class action case on behalf of juveniles only. Cannot assist individuals.
Veterans/Military
Members Opposed to Maltreatment of Service Members
( MOMS )
Carolyn Duck
8285 Black Haw Court
Fredrick, MD. 21701
301-694-3668
Services: Assists prisoners sentenced by court martial only. Offers factual information on appeals, prison conditions and programs, and how the military justice and parole systems functions' provides referrals to military law attorneys. Offers support for families and prisoners via newsletters, volunteer state representatives. Newsletters free to prisoners. Lobbies Congress and advocates for change in the military justice system. Membership. $20/ year, includes a manual, position papers, and member newsletter. Manual includes
information on parole, appeals, lobbying Congress, military addresses, etc. Lawyer referrals free.
National Veterans Legal Services Project Intake Section
2001 S. Street, N.W. Suite 610
Washington, DC. 20009
202-265-8305
Services: Information on benefit issues for veterans of all eras. Free self-help guides on veterans benefits issues for members of the Agent Orange plaintiff class ( includes veterans who served between 1961 and 1972 and who were injured while in or near Vietnam by exposure to Agent Orange or other phenoxy herbicides ): other publications available at nominal cost for self-help groups. Publishes the Veterans Benefits Manual, a comprehensive, 1300 - page guide to veterans law ( 2 vols., $45 for incarcerated veterans organizations. $125 for libraries ); and The Veterans Advocate, a newsletter of veterans law and advocacy ( $30/year for incarcerated veterans organizations: $50/ year for lawyers, government ).
Veterans Education Project
PO Box 42130
Washington, DC. 20015
202-547-8387
Service: This Project's services are limited to providing the following publications. Self -Help Guide on Discharge Upgrading and Self-Help Guide to Court of Veterans Appeals, $5/ each.
Women
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
Ellen Barry
1535 Mission St
San Francisco, CA. 94103
415-255-7036
fax 415-552-3150
Services: Legal assistance to incarcerated parents, their children, families of prisoners, attorneys and other prisoners' rights advocates. Currently focusing on test case litigation, legislative reform, and administrative advocacy on behalf of incarcerated parents and their children, particularly in the areas of prenatal medical care for pregnant women prisoners, foster care and termination of parental rights issues, and alternative to incarceration. Does not currently have funding to provide individual legal assistance to prisoners, but does respond to hundreds of inquiries each month, and provides information and referrals to incarcerated parents.
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Spanish organisations that care 
