PENDULUMfoundation.com Newsletter

The Pendulum Foundation’s goal is to hold a Pendulum-sponsored concert in Summer 2009. A Pendulum friend and music industry insider is producing the concert, which will benefit Pendulum and the cause of all those juveniles serving life. If the concert evolves into being as big an event as we believe, we will expand awareness to all at-risk and troubled youth. If any of you are interested in helping with the concert, contact us at Maryellen@pendulumfoundation.com and I’ll put you in touch with the proper people.

We’ve administered our first Pendulum Scholarship money. Funding is limited to those young men and women who were convicted as juveniles. Education is key to low-risk prisoners inside and successful prisoners outside so we’re grateful we can help at least a few. So far we’ve had 10 men and women apply. The paperwork has been frustrating for us, but we were finally able to write our first check! Our special thanks goes to Nancy Jones, who has generously funded the scholarship in memory of her husband, Bob. Both Nancy and Bob became friends with one of our young men serving life. Out of that friendship emerged The Pendulum Scholarship Fund, which helps defray expenses for those attending college.

We have recently toured two Colorado prisons, Limon and Sterling. Limon has been on lockdown for more than a year and it appears will remain a closed facility. We are far more hopeful about Sterling, which ranges from a minimum to a maximum facility. Sterling’s warden, Kevin Milyard, seems committed to rewarding prisoners for good behavior rather than punishing all for the actions of a few. That strikes us as enlightened. Sterling is a potential candidate for The Pendulum Foundation’s programming goal, which is to gather all our young men serving life together in one pod so that they can receive intensive rehabilitation programming that will make them better candidates for clemency or commutation. Currently, our young LWOPs are denied the same educational opportunities as those who will someday have an opportunity to parole. HB-1315, which ended juvenile LWOP, mandates that our young prisoners get those same opportunities. We think the most cost effective way to do that is putting all our young men together in one pod. To that end, we’ve already presented cognitive behavior programs to DOC. Such programs would be privately administered and would not cost taxpayers anything. Our vision is to begin with our young LWOPS, as mandated by law, and ultimately include all prisoners. Cognitive behavior programs work. And we truly believe that our young men and women will never have a realistic chance at a pardon or commutation unless they receive actual rehabilitation.

So far no luck on implementing programs with DOC so we’re on to our second option. We will be filing a 1983 Civil Rights Suit mandating that these programs be administered. We’re doing the research and have now found an attorney. The lawsuit is just a matter of time.

Colorado’s Juvenile Clemency Board has denied its first two applicants. Six more have applied. We know that at least a couple are very strong candidates so we will be closely monitoring that process. Our hope is that we can work with Governor Ritter, DOC, and advocates on all sides to come up with programs inside and rehabilitation outside. Our primary goal is that some – not all — of our young prisoners actually have a second chance at life.

HR4300, a national bill that would give young men and women convicted as juveniles and serving life sentences a chance at parole, was heard on Sept. 11. (hr4300.com). Six supporters, including Human Rights Watch, a former juvenile offender, and an expert on the science of brain development, testified. Their testimony was well received by Representatives John Conyers, Maxine Waters, Rep. Bobby Scott and others. The hearing was more educational than adversarial. Any real movement will not occur until after the November election. The

The Pendulum Foundation strongly supports HR4300. If passed, the bill would effectively end the practice of sentencing children to life in prison. It’s not an automatic get-out-of-jail free card, but just offers a chance at parole in the first 15 years of incarceration.

Until next time,

Mary Ellen Johnson, Executive Director

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