HOW THE INTERNATIONAL MEN'S DAY "IMPARTIAL AND FAIR TREATMENT IN PAROLE" INITIATIVE IS BEING IMPLEMENTED....

Inaugurated on 29 August 2018 by International Men’s Day Founder, humanitarian, and Gender Issues Thought Leader Jerome Teelucksingh, Ph.D., the International Men’s Day “Impartial and Fair Treatment in Parole” Initiative advocates for and supports individuals, organizations, and institutions working to (A) educate the general public – particularly, family members  and loved ones of incarcerated individuals -- about the parole process; (B) “de-politicize” the parole process; and (C) ensure that Parole Boards are not acting as an appellate sentencing court.at parole hearings.

The United States International Men’s Day Team is implementing the International Men’s Day Impartial Fair Treatment and Parole Initiative in New York and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Here’s how:

New York

•  On behalf of a model prisoner incarcerated in New York State, we generated and submitted a four-page Letter in Support for Parole to the Chair of the New York  State Parole Board.
•     Contacted the New York State Department of Corrections and requested copies of the respective transcripts for the 29 August 2017 and 14 August 2019 parole hearing interviews conducted for the said model prisoner.
• ·      Upon learning that the recently elected New York District Attorney was formally requesting  the New York State Commissioner for Corrections to forward to the New York District Attorney’s office all files for incarcerated individuals scheduled for parole hearings no later than one (1) month in advance of their scheduled hearing dates, at the request of the incarcerated model prisoner, we generated and submitted correspondence to the New York District Attorney’s Office which (A) notified the District Attorney’s Office of the scheduled parole interview hearing date for the model prisoner; (B) advised (i) that the scheduled parole interview hearing date for the model prisoner is the second parole hearing interview and that the model prisoner was capriciously and arbitrarily denied parole  said incarcerated individual; and (ii) that the Commissioners on the New York State Parole Board who conducted the initial parole hearing interview transformed the hearing into an appellate sentencing court – which they are prohibited by law from doing; and (C) advocated for the parole of the said incarcerated model prisoner.
• ·         Reviewed and analyzed copies of the 29 August 2017 and 14 August 2019 parole hearing interviews for the said model prisoner.  Based on review and analysis, determined that the New York State Parole Board acted as an appellate sentencing court which is prohibited and that model prisoner had legal grounds for mounting an administrative appeal of the New York State Parole Board’s decision which denied parole.  
•        In view of the fact that the New York District Attorney created a Post Conviction Justice Bureau in support of parole for incarcerated souls who at time of their conviction and/or sentencing to prison were either 23 years of age or under 23 years of age, we generated and submitted correspondence to Deputy Bureau Chief of the Post Conviction Justice Bureau (i) advising that model prisoner who was denied parole twice was convicted and sentenced to prison prior to age 23; (ii) supporting parole for the model prisoner; and (iii) requesting that Post Conviction Justice Bureau (a) obtain and review the model prisoner’s file; and (b) support the model prisoner’s parole.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

•  At request of model prisoner who has been denied parole, the United States International Men’s Day Team is acting as his representative on matters of commutation.