How to Write and Submit a Letter to the Editor 

Thank you for volunteering to write a Letter to the Editor regarding the overcrowding at the jail and importance of diversion. This is one way to keep our issue in the news and on people’s minds as we approach the Nehemiah Action Assembly on May 1st. To facilitate ease of submission and make sure we are submitting letters regularly through May 1st, we are asking you to submit your letters to us at Justice in Action and we will submit on your behalf. 

Consider writing on the following topics: 

  • Importance of expanded diversion

  • Cost of jail to taxpayers

  • The County Attorney’s role in jail alternatives/expanding diversion/responding to voters

  • Why it’s important to invest in diversion instead of jail 

  • Personal testimony - if you or a loved one have experienced incarceration, please include your story in the letter. It makes a huge impact to hear from real people impacted by the problem. 

  • Not sure what to write?

    • Draft a letter and send it to Olivia (olivia@justice-in-action.org) or share it with one of our other Adult PreTrial Diversion steering committee members: Pastor Tobi White (lincolnpastor.oslc@gmail.com), Rachel Mulcahy (rachel.mulcahy@outlook.com), or Lisa Kort-Butler(lkortbutler@gmail.com) for their thoughts! 

    • Set up a meeting with Olivia (https://calendly.com/olivia-justiceinaction/1-1) to talk it through or meet with any one of the steering committee members! 

    • Check out our webpage with facts about the jail: justice-in-action.org/jailfacts for inspiration.

Justice in Action will submit this letter on your behalf sometime before the Nehemiah Action. The Lincoln Journal Star may call or email you to verify the letter. We will let you know when it is submitted. The editors may edit and condense letters; the suggested length limit is 200 words. Due to the volume of letters they receive, they can’t publish them all, though they do work hard to get as many in as possible. 

When you are ready, click the button above or below to submit your letter.

These are example of letters to the editor written by Team Leaders, Bill Wehrbein and Chuck Hibberd in 2023. While these letters were more specific to Justice in Action as a whole, we are specifically requesting letters focusing on Adult PreTrial Diversion and criminal justice reform in Lancaster County.