Straight Ahead Organization

The Straight Ahead Organization (formed on october 9, 2020) is a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation that will be undertaking a statewide campaign to pass legislation that will offer parole opportunities for more than 1,100 people serving life-without-parole (lwop) sentences for felony murder convictions, and for the 10,000 elderly incarcerated people serving long or life sentences that will likely end with their death in prison without parole reform. This program will allow us to pass legislation that will contribute substantially toward shifting the criminal justice system in Pennsylvania from a punitive to a restorative paradigm, by: 1) introducing legislation and keeping a permantent presence in the state capitol of harrisburg; 2) creating a statewide strategic communications campaign that will change the narrative around lwop, long-term incarceration, violent offenses, and parole eligibility; and 3) organizing impacted communities and allied organizations across the state to train them as advocates and build legislative support, with an emphasis on directly impacted people, progressive organizations, faith groups, and activists across the state to change narratives around crime, violence, and incarceration.