James Webb Shows Leadership Regarding Prison Reform

My Husband Robert Blandford is going into his fifth year in prison for importing lobster tails from Honduras. (Violation Lacey Act). He was sentenced to eight years in jail . First time offense-Non Violent Crime.

Prosecution deemed lobster shipments illegal because lobsters were shipped in a wrong container (bag vs a box) ,so If importing lobsters in frozen bags instead of boxes was illegal ,planning it was conspiracy.

Prosecution determined that Importation was smuggling (even though lobster shipments cleared US customs/FDA ,and payments then became felony money laundering. Honduras stated no law was broken, so therefore no US laws were broken. So because of no law and a bag vs a box he get's eight years in jail Thank God, for Senators like Jim Webb.

My husband has filed an inmate Clemency Petition (His last resort for early release) from President Bush.

Sincerely

Dianne blandford

Very Proud of my Senator

Senator Jim Webb is and continues to be the most effective Freshman Senator in modern times. When he came into office he immediately introduced legislation which ultimately resulted in the Re-NEW G.I. Bill. Through persistence he overcame the "Block & Blame" Strategy of the Republican (Bush Rove McConnell) Senate which has obstructed every major Democratic party initiative for dogmatic partisan gain. In this corrosive environment Jim Webb has fought brilliantly for a re-ordering of our National Strategic vision and the necessary end of the Iraq occupation.

While Virginia veered hard right in the 1990s (electing dogmatic careerist Republicans as Governors - resulting in our lead as an EXECUTION state) ... the state has been turning Blue. Our more recent Democratic Party Governors have been far more pragmatic leaders. In short Virginia is Progressing. It is no surprise that Obama carried the state.

Jim Webb will follow through on this Prison Reform initiative as it is central to his Politics of Fairness & Accountability. He is NOT a Panda-Bear politician. He is not calculating on how to get elected the next time around. On that score he could careless about the ramifications of not being "politically correct" in a REDNECK state. Kind of Ironic since he's proud to be called one.

What you can count on is that Jim Webb will do the right thing. He is a Populist Leader with a life history and perspective very FEW in Washington share. Look for President elect Obama to promote this reform cause and others that Senator Webb might put forward. Senator Webb is a change agent .... that is if one thinks fairness, integrity and accountability are new things for our government to embrace. Yes Senator Webb is part of that "Change We Can Believe In".

Always Faithful,

Good luck, Mr. Webb

We need to execute quickly the offenders who commit habitually violent crimes (both outside prisons and inside them).

We need to shorten sentences for the others and get as many of them out as possible. This notion of running a big prison system with corruption and intimidation as the norm on the inside is an embarrassment to America. You cannot rehabilitate anyone that way. Neither is it "justice".

Get RID of the ones you can't fix and fix the rest. The advent of DNA evidence makes this both possible and politically acceptable.

An Open Letter to Senator Webb From a Prisoner's Wife

December 29, 2008

Senator Jim Webb

144 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Webb:

BRAVO ON YOUR VOICE FOR PRISON REFORM!!!

My husband, Michael G. Santos, federal prisoner #16377-004, is in his 22nd consecutive year of a 45-year sentence for a non-violent drug crime. He is a first-time offender and has been incarcerated in the federal prison system since 1987. He just passed his 22nd Christmas in the federal prison system.

My husband serves a lengthy sentence for a nonviolent drug offense. During more than 21 full years of imprisonment, he educated himself, earning an undergraduate degree from Mercer University and a graduate degree from Hofstra University. He has published several books on the prison experience that university professors from across the United States use to educate students on the subjects of criminal justice and corrections. He has maintained a clean disciplinary record and contributed to communities both inside and outside of prison boundaries. Most importantly, together we have built and nurtured a family that will assist his transition upon release. No other prisoner has accomplished even close to that which my husband has achieved. Those records of redemption should advance his candidacy for relief from his 45-year sentence. Yet under President Bush's administration, my husband's petition for commutation of his sentence has gathered dust since it was filed in 2003, along with thousands of others in the office of the Pardon Attorney.

With President-elect Obama, we are hopeful for meaningful prison reform. Rather than extinguishing hope, as President Bush so expertly did, President Obama inspires all Americans to reach their highest potential. Perhaps next year, some human beings, as well as turkeys, will receive acts of grace and compassion from our new President.

The time for change is now, and prison reform must be included in that change. Thank you for your efforts, your courage, your commitment, and your voice for this very important issue.

Sincerely,

Carole Santos

PrisonReformBlog.com