PARKWAY LVW TAKES ON PRISON REFORM

Parkway resident members of the Boston League of Women Voters are
stewing over their next position which may make its way into their charter.

League veteran Ila Cooper said that members are attending meetings,
including one last night (Wednesday), to hear from experts and
scholars about prison reform. She said for now, the League itself
does not have a stand. But, as with many issues, when members begin
to suspect something needs a change, it's time to study up. Cooper
has been a League member for more than 80 years.

Cooper herself does have a stand, so far. Other Parkway residents
include Mary Tamer, new Superintendent Search Committee and LWV
director, as well as Jane Ferguson and Amy Gitlin.

"We think our jails are overfilled, and I personally suspect that our
war on drugs has been a disaster," said Cooper, as she prepared for a
forum on the topic in Jamaica Plain. "The war on drugs is a war on
people, and a war on young people. We've gone overboard in society
and made a mess."

She said with those inklings, it's why she helped organize the
meeting so she could hear from experts.

Discussions are opportunities to look at the issue and take
preliminary steps on the road to forming an official position.
Following the meeting, the League will embark on a one-to five-year study.

"Other leagues in other states have taken stands on this, but in
Boston, we have not done this," she said.

In February, Boston League members will meet with city councilors at
City Hall, an annual event. And, she said, regulars make sure to
cover meetings, such as the school committee.

"There are many problems," she said, and so the group asks, "Is it
something the League can lend something to?"

In her 80 years as a member, Cooper said she looks to projects in the
city that have taken place, such as the Orange Line on the MBTA as
well as the Commuter Rail, and sees the League's influence marked there.

"You can do things to make society better," she said. "You can't
change the world completely, but you can play one kind of a role in
it. That's why I stay with a group like this."