Jeremiah Prison Ministry Newsletter
JPM is an outreach of Martinsburg Christian Center, Martinsburg, WV
MAY 2014
Revs. Tom & Monica
OUR MISSION & VISION
Our Mission – to help men in
prison reach their fullest in the
Lord.
What we do – Ministering to their
spirit, soul and body, though one
on one mentoring as their spiritual
advisor and friend.
How we began – Jeremiah Prison
Ministry began on November 30,
1999, which was birth out of a
bond for a young man that made a
wrong choice in life..
Our Vision – to be able to go into
the prison chapels without the
inmates having to take us off their
visiting list. “We know with God
ALL things ARE Possible!
78 men have been released in 14
years. We still are ministering to
63 inmates in 6 states.
Please make sure to use
our new address when
sending a donation.
Celebrated 14 years of Prison Ministry in 2013
I WAS IN PRISON AND YOU VISITED ME – MATT. 25:36B
We are serving Him by serving them! His mercy endures forever. Psalm 106:1
VOLUME 14, ISSUE 06
MAY…. WHERE DID IT GO!
I got my flowers in my new flowers pots, recycled the dirt from the old pots. We got
vincas and zinnias that was an afternoon back killing adventure! Planted one
Shasta daisy in our flower bed and got one hanging basket. So we are set for now.
HEALTH UPDATE
Please be pro-active with your health. I say that to say this when you are able to get
the shingle vaccine please get it! Low and behold I got the shingles for the second
time, woke up on May 14th and said to myself I have the shingles on my R leg. I had
NO pain, just a rash (L15 root nerve)! I had a round of valtrex and now good as new.
Tom had to have Laser eye surgery, nothing serious, 40% of people that have
cataract surgery get a clouding on the film behind the IOL. So the vision in the R eye
wasn’t getting full light. On May 22nd his eye surgeon zapped away to let light the
in! We are having so much fun growing older, we are still young 65! Laugh with us!
CLARIFICATION ON OUR MINISTRY
We have been getting requests for aftercare and legal advice. We don’t do these
services but we can direct you and your family to other ministries that do aftercare
and offer legal advice. We are spiritual mentors doing one on one mentoring either
by visitation or by mail. Currently we are not taking on any other new inmates by
visitation only by mail. Our budget is limited so we are doing the best with the
funds God sends our way through donations.
LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE FOR JUVENILES
May 29, 2014 The California Supreme Court recently made it clear that statutes cannot have
a presumption in favor of life without parole for juvenile offenders.
In the wake of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Miller v. Alabama in June 2012,
banning mandatory juvenile life without parole sentences (JLWOP), Juvenile Law Center has
argued in cases across the country on behalf of inmates who were sentenced to mandatory
JLWOP before Miller was decided.
As kids, these inmates were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison, without any
consideration of their age, personal history, or other influences. There was no consideration
as to whether they were truly unable to be rehabilitated and to ever rejoin society—all
factors that Miller says courts must now consider before sentencing a kid to JLWOP.
The California Supreme Court’s decision earlier this month, in State v. Gutierrez and State v.
Moffett, opens the door for inmates sentenced to JLWOP before Miller to be eligible for new
sentencing hearings. The judges will now have to take into account the factors listed above
and as set forth in the United States Supreme opinion in Miller.
The California Supreme Court acknowledged that California courts have been routinely
handing down life without parole sentences to 16 and 17-year-olds convicted of murder,
without even considering the 25-years-to-life sentencing option.
Continued Page 2
Page 2
Keeping you informed
about the Courts to
change the sentencing
laws for juvenile offender
serving life without
parole. Keep praying it’s
not over yet!
PRAYER CORNER
~Pray for Harvey, Kevin, Mike,
Domingo, Michael, & Richard that
God blesses them financially.
~Pray for Larry, Ricky, Lewis, Corey,
Bob, Greg, Eric, Chris, Dan, Elwood &
Jeremiah to receive favor for
commutation, retrials & parole. God is
Faithful!
~Pray for continued healing for Bob &
Larry.
~Pray our granddaughter Leah she is
still having chronic migraines & will be
going to Thomas Jefferson Hospital
Headache Center. Leah is19 & still
CANCER FREE! PTL
~Pray for Andy our grandson is a
Senior @ DSU. He is Healed!
~Pray for all our families- spiritually,
physically and financially.
~Pray continue to for my brother,
Norman. Pray for Tom’s brother,
John, as he is on dialysis.
~Pray for the salvation of the world.
Pray for inmates and their families,
our Nation, our leaders, our military
and their families.
~Pray for prison reform in our nation.
~Pray for Bill our dear friend & his
wife Rose for good health.
~Pray for Dotty & her husband Stan
for good health.
~Pray for us for strength and wisdom
in all we do, that we remain cancer
free and healthy to do God’s work, for
our cars to be mechanically sound.
You are an Extended Hand
and a vital part of this
ministry. Together we are
making a difference with
Jesus Christ, taking life to
a dark place! We go
because you send us.
Thank You so much!
We traveled 13,422 miles last year!
Jeremiah Prison Ministry
Revs. Tom & Monica Cohee
223 Cameo Dr.
Fayetteville, PA 17222
717-352-0080
Fax: 717-352-0392
info@jeremiahprisonministry.com
We’re on the Web!
www.jeremiahprisonministry.com
Your Editor: Rev. Monica Cohee
Pastor Tom’s Preaching Corner
DON’T LET FEAR STEAL YOUR DREAMS
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of
love and of a sound mind.
The Bible says that in the last days, men’s heart would fail them because of fear.
The root cause of discouragement is fear. The spirit of fear takes away your
courage. The spirit of fear believes nothing will work out.
Fear is a powerful spiritual force. Fear will cause people to walk in failure all of
their lives. Fear will stop the blessings of God. Fear opens the door to the enemy.
The thing you must remember is that fear is the enemy of faith. God commanded that His people walk
by faith and not by sight. Fear will come in and steal your dreams.
Remember this, without faith it is impossible to please God. But with fear it is possible to please the
enemy. When you see discouragement coming into your life, you must recognize its fear trying to come
in.
When fear comes against your mind, it causes you to be unstable in all your ways. Fear causes you to
make wrong decisions. Fear causes you to be discouraged. Fear will cause you to quit too soon.
Anytime fear rules someone’s life, it will steal their dreams. Remember that FEAR is False Evidence
Appearing Real. There’s a difference between evidence and truth. The evidence may say that you can’t
pay your bills, but the truth says, “My God shall meet all my needs.”
Anytime the Lord speaks to you, the enemy will challenge that word with fear. Job said, “The thing I
feared the most has come upon me.” He confessed his fears until the enemy came in and stole
everything he had. If you open the door to fear in your life, you won’t see your dreams come to pass.
You know the story of the parable of talents. The one, who was afraid of losing his money, lost
everything he had. Fear is trying to stop your dreams from coming to pass.
When discouragement comes against your mind say, “God is my refuge and my strength, He is an ever
present help in time of trouble, therefore I will not fear.” “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”
The Word from the Lord, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, and you are
Mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you. When you walk through the fire you will not
be burned.”
LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE FOR JUVENILES Continued from page 1
At issue in this case was the question of whether the Penal Code truly provides for discretion in
sentencing—i.e., whether Gutierrez and Moffett, and other teens in their situation, ever really had a
chance of not getting life without parole. The Court’s opinion states, “For two decades … [this section of
the Penal Code] has been construed by our Courts of Appeal and trial courts as creating a
presumption in favor of life without parole as the appropriate penalty for juveniles convicted of …
murder.”
In other words, the Court acknowledged that California courts have been routinely handing down life
without parole sentences to 16- and 17-year-olds convicted of murder, without even considering the 25-
years-to-life sentencing option—meaning that life without parole sentences have essentially been
mandatory for these teens.
In our amicus briefs to the California Supreme Court (State v. Moffett; State v. Gutierrez), Juvenile Law
Center argued that because California’s Penal Code imposes mandatory life without parole sentences
on teens—a sentence that Miller says is “cruel and unusual” and should be uncommon—it is
unconstitutional. We argued that Gutierrez and Moffett should receive new sentences that take into
account their histories, mitigating circumstances, and the specific nature of their crimes, as Miller
dictates.
The California Supreme Court agreed and specifically referenced the argument of Juvenile Law Center
Deputy Director and Chief Counsel Marsha Levick in its opinion; Marsha argued on behalf of amici
before the Court. The Supreme Court held that because the trial courts did not take into account the
Miller factors and did not consider issuing an alternative sentence, both Gutierrez and Moffett should be
resentenced. We applaud the California Supreme Court for this decision. We also congratulate
attorneys Joe Shipp and Jean Matulis, counsel for Moffett and Guttierez.
On May 2, 2014 Judge resentenced juvenile Qu'eed Batts to life without parole. Mercy for Mr. Batts will
have to come from God," Koury said before addressing the now 23-year-old directly. "May God have
mercy on your soul." The sentence, which condemns Batts to one day die in prison, caused his mother,
Shaniqua Batts, to collapse into screams in the courtroom. Defense attorney Philip Lauer vowed to
appeal, saying he believes a life term for a 14-year-old offender is an injustice. Lauer's law partner,
Joshua Fulmer, emerged from a conference room wiping tears from his eyes. (Continued next month)