Arkansans Organizing for Justice (AOJ) is a grassroots movement that wants to encourage fairness in sentencing and to focus on those serving life, life without parole, and "natural life" sentences who could safely be returned to their communities.

In the past three decades, the number of prisons in Arkansas has increased from three to more than twenty.  Many of those in prison are serving life terms.  According to a 2009 report by the Sentencing Project, over 13% or approx. 1,917  Arkansas inmates have life or life without parole.  Those numbers expand dramatically when considering inmates who are sentenced to a long term of years.

The increase in Arkansas’s prison population is a result of the “tough on crime” political rhetoric.  Policies such as the 70% law, restrictions on the use of good time allowance and a decrease in the use of parole and sentence commutation prove to be a problem, rather than a solution.

Unreasonable policies such as these, use valuable resources to warehouse inmates, many into old age, who could be safely returned to their communities.  The strain on the state’s budget in areas such education and infrastructure is becoming a major concern.  Currently the prison budget exceeds one-third (1/3) of a billion dollars.

Another concern is that the majority of these funds are needed for housing, clothing, food and medical costs of the inmate.  Resources are very limited with regard to rehabilitation of the prisoner while inside, as well as re-entry programs upon release such as career training, job placement and housing.

When viewed collectively, we simply do not believe that these policies/ practices are working or make us safer.  The numbers in re-arrests and recidivism are self-evident.