Letters to the Parole Board for Jalil's 2009 Hearing

From:    "Political Prisoner News" <ppnews@freedomarchives.org>
Date:    Wed, September 2, 2009

Jalil's 2009 Parole Hearing

Jalil is asking that we write letters supporting his September 2009
parole. Please address the letter to the Parole Commissioners (Re:
Parole application of Anthony Jalil Bottom #77A4283) but send to:

NYC Jericho, PO Box 1272, New York, NY 10013

The more personal and individual your letter is, the better. You can
write about visiting or communicating with Jalil, or if you haven't
been in direct touch with him, you can write about the articles
you've read by him or any other knowledge you have of his activities
while in prison. Please say that you are aware of the case for which
he is serving his sentence. You can also talk about your own
perspective - for example, if you are a teacher, you know how
valuable it is that Jalil has counseled young prisoners. Any
particular slant you can give to your assertion that he will be an
excellent candidate for release can give the letter more force.

Some of Jalil's achievements while incarcerated:

In 1986, Mr. Bottom drafted a legislative bill for New York State
prisoners to obtain good time off their sentence. The bill was
submitted and introduced into the New York State Assembly - Committee
on Corrections by former Assemblyman Arthur O. Eve.

In 1994, while incarcerated at Shawangunk Correctional Facility, Mr.
Bottom established the first Men's Council in the United States
prison. His efforts were featured on television in Japan and written
about in the NY Times. During this period, he also graduated from
SUNY New Paltz with a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Sociology.
Instead of resting on his success, he taught African Studies to a
group of prisoners.

On two occasions, he received commendations from prison officials for
quelling potential prison riots, one in the mess hall at Great Meadow
Correctional Facility and another time in the auditorium at
Greenhaven Correctional Facility.

 From 1996 to 1999, Mr. Bottom was the office manager of the prison
computer lab at Eastern Correctional Facility. His duties consisted
of teaching prisoners keyboarding skills and how to use computer
software programs. Despite his busy schedule, he found the time to
raise money from inmate accounts to support the charitable Children's Funds.

In 1999, in Auburn Correctional Facility, Mr. Bottom established
sociology, poetry, and legal research and discussion classes under
the auspices of the Lifer's Committee that he chaired.

Mr. Bottom co-sponsored the Victory Gardens Project, a program in
which farmers in Maine grew tons of fresh produce for distribution to
poor urban communities in New York, New Jersey and Boston,
Massachusetts. In the four years of its existence, the Project
distributed nearly 10,000 pounds of fresh produce in urban centers.

In response to the tragedy of September 11, 2001, while in Auburn
Correctional Facility, Mr. Bottom proposed raising funds from inmates
to donate to the American Red Cross. Former Deputy Superintendent of
Programs, R. Nelson acknowledged Anthony's efforts in a memorandum.

While in Auburn Correctional Facility he worked as a Pre-GED
Teacher's Assistant, earned a vocational certificate for
Architectural Drafting. Mr. Bottom has proposed and gained the
approval for a Life Skills Program for inmates.

Mr. Bottom is a published poet and essayist; his writings are found
in several University sponsored books of compilations of prison
writers. He has also written an unpublished novel and teleplay.

To read about Jalil's parole release plans, go to
<http://www.freejalil.com>www.freejalil.com



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