8 VIRGINIA CLERGY JOIN CALL FOR CLINTON TO RELEASE NONVIOLENT DRUG OFFENDERS

Eight Virginia religious leaders are among 525 clergy throughout the
nation urging President Clinton to commute the sentences of low-level,
nonviolent drug offenders.

``This could be a great legacy for him as an outgoing gesture of real
statesmanship and understanding,'' said the Rev. Gordon Woolard of
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg. ``My hope is that
this could be something where he could rise above certain political
pressures.''

In a letter to be delivered to the president Monday, the clergy seek
the release of federal low-level, nonviolent drug prisoners who have
served at least five years of a lengthy sentence. The letter urges
that the released inmates be placed on supervised parole.

A 1994 U.S. Justice Department study found more than 16,000 low-level
drug violators without violence in their records. The issue is not
innocence, but fair punishment, the clergy argue.

``Scores of Americans are serving unconscionable long sentences for
drug offenses -- in some cases 20 years or more -- which are grossly
out of proportion to the nature and severity of their crimes,'' the
clergy wrote.

No religious leaders from South Hampton Roads signed the
letter.

Virginia clergy signing the letter are Rabbi Jonathon Biatch of Beth
El Hebrew Congregation in Alexandria; the Rev. Cynthia S. Mazur of
United Church of Christ in Alexandria; the Rev. George H. Booth of
United Church of Christ in Arlington; the Rev. Walter Clark (retired)
of Episcopal Church in Maurertown; professor Dawn A. DeVries of Union
Seminary in Richmond; the Rev. Kathryn Forest Talley of Skipwith
United Methodist Church; and the Rev. Dr. Hunter P. Mabry of Methodist
Federation for Social Action in Waynesboro.

Woolard said he signed the letter after the tough federal sentences
hit home.

``I`ve seen it personally in our own church, where we had a guy
sentenced to 17 years,'' he said Friday. ``The whole thing was such a
mess. So that's why I became sympathetic with this particular cause.''

The man, who is engaged to one of Woolard's church members, is serving
time about 600 to 700 miles away for growing marijuana for his
personal use. The man is in his mid-40s, Woolard said, adding that he
doesn't condone the use of drugs.

``We've taken him out for 17 years,'' Woolard said. ``So he
contributes nothing to society, and on top of that, his fiancee and
little daughter are denied the support he could provide them.''

The religious leaders call themselves the Coalition for Jubilee
Clemency. The year 2000 has been proclaimed by many religious
denominations as a ``jubilee year,'' in which debts and people are to
be forgiven. In the Old Testament book of Leviticus, God tells Moses
to announce a jubilee every 50 years.

The coalition believes freeing nonviolent drug offenders entails
political risk. The president, at the end of his term, would be free
of such risk.

``It is unlikely that the opportunity to free significant numbers of
deserving prisoners will arise again for four or eight years,'' said
Chad Thevenot, coalition coordinator.

View the full text of the letter and the names of clergy who signed it
at www.cjpf.org/clemency (http://www.cjpf.org/clemency).