July 25th Call in Day to Governor Patrick for CORI Reform

Please call on July 25th and forward....

CALL-IN DAY FOR CORI REFORM

HOLD GOVERNOR PATRICK ACCOUNTABLE!

Wednesday July 25th, 2007
9 a.m.-5 p.m.

- There is currently a CORI reform bill at the state house ~ it is called House Bill 1416 (The Public Safety Act)
- The governor is planning on coming out with his own CORI proposal, which may fall short of the reforms we need
- We must ensure that his CORI reform proposal includes changes to the sealing laws and adds anti-discrimination protections for job seekers.

Governor Deval Patrick promised reforms to the CORI system. The time for change is now!

On Wed. July 25th, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. call the Governor's Office and make your voices heard.

Please voice the two demands below.

Demand:

1) Lower the waiting period for sealing a CORI to 3 years for a misdemeanor and 7 years for a felony. The current law requires a 10-15 years waiting period to seal a record. These long waiting periods prevent us from moving on with our lives and securing decent employment.

2) Demand an "anti-discrimination" law that only allows employers to check a CORI after they decide that the applicant is qualified for the job. Employers that ask about a criminal record on job applications generally weed out job seekers before they even consider our resumes or qualifications.

Please make two calls on Wednesday, July 25 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Governor Deval Patrick's Office, (617) 725-4005

Mary Beth Heffernan's Office, (617) 727-7775
Under Secretary of Criminal Justice
*This is Deval's point person on CORI*

Any CORI Bill that doesn't include these two demands is not real CORI reform. We need meaningful changes now.

------

This call-in was brought to you by the Union of Minority Neighborhoods, Jobs With Justice, Partakers, Inc., Ex-Prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA) and the Boston Workers Alliance.

For more info, call Makis at UMN at 617-980-2313.