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On Tuesday, October 30, 2007 over 200 people from New Haven, Hartford, New Britain, Glastonbury, and West Hartford came out to meet with Department of Corrections Commissioner Theresa Lantz and several of her top staff. Clean Slate Committee members were successful at getting commitments on all three demands presented. The dialogue between the Commissioner and her staff and the community yielded powerful results and opened a an honest and direct dialogue that promises progressive systemic change in the Department of Corrections for years to come.

In short the meeting was a tremendous success.

This meeting came about as a result of meeting with Governor Jodi Rell’s office in September, 2007. At that meeting Clean Slate Committee representatives presented and shared personal stories of families whom have been negatively impacted by the Governor’s recent ban on parole and probation. Governor Rell’s response to that meeting was to ask DOC Commissioner Lantz to set up a meeting with the Clean Slate Committee. That meeting was held on October 30, 2007 at the United Methodist Church in Hartford.

The Clean Slate Committee’s commitment to ‘the rehabilitation of inmates through EDUCATION, VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND MANDATORY COUNSELING, IN ADDITION TO FAIR EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES for formerly incarcerated individuals’ was made clear from the beginning of the meeting and Commissioner Lantz committed to working with the Clean Slate Committee to accomplish our goal.

The community’s voice was finally heard by decision makers in the Department of Corrections. Members of allied groups like People Against injustice, Youth Rights Media, Spanish Speaking Center, HOPE Out Loud, the Connecticut Pardons Team, and the Hartford-Middletown Connection to name a few; stood with community residents in support of families and individuals throughout Connecticut and delivered a powerful message to Commissioner Lantz. Her response while tempered was direct an appeared to be genuine.

The Clean Slate Committee presented three demands to Commissioner Lantz which was sent to her in advance of the meeting. The demands were:

1. The Clean Slate Committee along with the community wants proper State of Connecticut Identification given to all newly released individuals by November 30 2007.
2. The Clean Slate Committee along with the community wants all re-evaluations and the release of all persons who qualify for parole and half-way houses by November 21, 2007.
3. The Clean Slate Committee along with the community want you (Commissioner Lantz) to help with establishing a commission which includes previously incarcerated people, their families, advocates, community organization, public officials, and other appointed individuals.

Commissioner Lantz agreed to meet all the demands of Clean Slate though she advised the group that she could not meet the deadlines for the first two demands. The Commissioner did commit to immediately meet the third demand and the Clean Slate Committee members will follow up with her to begin that process.

The meeting with Commissioner Lantz yielded another positive outcome though. Community residents from New Britain and Glastonbury Connecticut will be organizing Clean Slate Committee chapters in their town over the next two months and in New Haven the Clean Slate Committee will collaborate with Youth Rights Media and people Against Injustice to convene a “Community Conversation ” in mid November.

For more information on this meeting or to organize a Clean Slate Chapter in your city/town or please contact LaResse Harvey at 860-293-0626 or laresse_harvey@yahoo.com

Clean Slate Committee is an advocacy group for formerly incarcerated individuals and others reentering society.

*Legislative Priorities updated: Click here to read about current legislation.

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If you believe that the current "war on drugs" policies are as miscalculated and unjust as we do, then get involved.

Here are several ways you can get involved:

1. Sign up to receive action alerts and other informational e-mail from A Better Way Foundation Connecticut at The Alliance Connecticut website.
2. Educate yourself on the issue.
   Click the Legislative Priorities link to read more about medical marijuana, sentencing disparity and other issues here in Connecticut..
3. Let others know about the issue
   E-mail your friends, family and co-workers and let them know about this web site and ask them to sign up to get alerts.
4. Let us know what is going on.
   Although we might like to, we can't be everywhere to read every article or see every television show. If you read a newspaper article or listen to a television show, forward the article to us at ABWF or call to let us know what you heard on the television show.
5. Invite ABWF to speak to your school, Church, classroom, group, work place, professional network, and/or house meeting about "war on drugs" policies and ways to make a difference in Connecticut.
6. Tell your story.
   If you are negatively impacted by current war on drug policies, write your testimony and send it to us. Are you a patient who wants to use medical marijuana for medical purposes? Do you know someone in prison on an inflated drug charge? Can you not find a job because of your felony drug record?
7. Volunteer.
   Volunteer to make phone calls, write op-ed article to newspapers, help organize meetings and make presentations.

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