Below is the media advisory for the 3rd Annual Walk-A-Thon LWOP Walk for Life to raise awareness about Life Without Parole (LWOP) this upcoming Tuesday, September 29th at the State Capitol in Sacramento, CA. The Sacramento event is part of a week of action. From September 26 to October 3, 24+ prison yards throughout the state will participate in a powerful Week of Walks.
MEDIA ADVISORY
“Walk for Life” Brings Hundreds of Californians Together to Raise Awareness About Life Without Parole
Over two dozen prison yards scheduled to participate in walk for “healing and hope”
WHEN & WHERE:
- Tuesday, September 29, 2026
- 10:00 AM – Walk Begins @ Tower Bridge
- 11:00 AM – Press Conference at State Capitol
- 1:00 PM – Rally at State Capitol
WHAT:
- Rally, short speeches, art & visual displays made by incarcerated people
WHO:
- People impacted by LWOP, families, community leaders, etc.
The 3rd Annual Walk-A-Thon to raise awareness about Life Without Parole (LWOP) convenes at the State Capitol on Tuesday, September 29, bringing people together to uplift hope, healing, and the call for change.
The Sacramento event is part of a week of action. From September 26 to October 3, 24+ prison yards throughout the state will participate in a powerful Week of Walks to bring awareness to the redemptive work people serving LWOP are doing inside prisons to heal themselves and the families and communities they may have harmed. This week of walks was initiated and is led by incarcerated people serving LWOP sentences. Incarcerated people are walking to raise awareness about extreme sentencing and the potential of rehabilitation, and to raise funds for a variety of organizations dedicated to helping communities throughout California.
Advocates hope these events will urge Governor Newsom to take more action during his final period in office and help educate the public about LWOP. The United Nations has recommended that the United States halt the practice, calling these extreme sentences “death-by-incarceration” because “without the chance of parole, the rehabilitative function of the prison system is negated, reducing it to a tool of segregation and exploitation.”
More than 5,000 people in California are serving the sentence, making it one of the largest LWOP populations in the country and world. 68% of people sentenced to LWOP in California are Black and Latinx; 62% of people sentenced in California were 25 years or younger at the time of the offense; and 71% of people sentenced to LWOP were convicted for the first-time.
“For those sentenced to LWOP, the punishment often carries the painful message that they are beyond redemption,” said Joseph Bell, a coordinator for Drop LWOP who was formerly sentenced to LWOP. “This Walk for Life offers hope and raises awareness that transformation is possible.”
This event is co-sponsored by the Drop LWOP Coalition, Californians United for a Responsible Budget, ASAP (Anti-Violence, Safety & Accountability Project), Felony Murder Elimination Project, Families United to End LWOP, and the California Coalition for Women Prisoners.
