Parishioners will be able to sign petition following messages of mercy
In support of the 2022 Good Time Ballot Initiative, statewide leadership from the Michigan faith-based community collaborated in the historic launch of the “2022 Redemption Project.” Rev. Kwame Kilpatrick and Rev. Keyon Payton are part of the interfaith coalition challenging Michigan residents to participate in “Redemption Sunday” on April 3.
“Detroiters, you are not alone,” said Rev. Kilpatrick. “You are not the only one fighting for your babies. This group, this community, is here to do the work.
The group plans to coordinate their messages to draw from the book of Isaiah and how it should inform the way we look at criminal justice in Michigan.
“After doing 29 years in prison I yearned for the day to come back into the community to serve,” said Elder Darryl Woods, the regional coordinator for Nation Outside.
“I had dedicated my life to Christ and to helping others,” Woods added. “I led the NAACP and raised over $100,000 for various causes. I started a Youth Program and was a part of the Peace movement. I did all this from prison . When God blessed me with my freedom. I came out serving , organizing, ministering and working. There are thousands who are in prison who would be a great asset to our community.”
Following Redemption Sunday services, parishioners will have the opportunity to sign the petition to put the Good Time Initiative on the ballot. If approved by voters in November, the proposed legislation would give incarcerated people the opportunity to reduce their sentences through productive activity prior to their release such as holding employment while in prison, attending college classes, a training program, anger management or rehabilitation from substance abuse. There would also be a credit for military veterans.
The 1998 “Truth in Sentencing” law requires people to serve 100% of their minimum sentence before the parole board has discretion to release them from prison,” said Rev. Dr. John Duckworth, pastor of Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church.
“The vast majority of other states have some version of a ‘sentencing credit system’ that allows imprisoned people to achieve early parole through good behavior,” Duckworth added. “Michigan is one of only six states with no policy for Good Time or Earned Time Credits and as such is out of step with the rest of the country. If we are to be true to our faith, we must open the bridge of reconciliation and redemption when one has seen the errors of their ways.”
Other speakers in the hybrid in-person/online press conference included Pastor Kenneth Pierce, Vice President of the Detroit NAACP, Dr. Robyn Moore, pastor at First Baptist Institutional Church and Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom. Returning residents like Machelle Pearson were also on hand to share their experiences and tell how the Good Time Initiative would have affected their lives.
Houses of worship that would like to participate can register at www.goodtimeinitiative.org today.
