Ed Epping
Aug 2, 20192 min
Updated: Aug 7, 2019
We are all fortunate to have several social justice organizations working on behalf of change to the policies governing overcriminalization and mass incarceration. Each of them contributes to the questions and the answers that are required.
This particular installment links the reader to several important social justice issues and the resources offered by the following:
The Prison Policy Initiative
Equal Justice Initiative
The Marshall Project
Vera Institute of Justice
Following the Money of Mass Incarceration
#privateprisons, #prisonprofiteers
"The cost of imprisonment — including who benefits and who pays — is a major part of the national discussion around criminal justice policy. But prisons and jails are just one piece of the criminal justice system, and the amount of media and policy attention that the various players get is not necessarily proportional to their influence."
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/money.html
Segregation in America
#racerelations, #whitesupremacy
"America's history of racial inequality continues to haunt us. The genocide of Native people, 250-year enslavement of black people, adoption of "racial integrity laws" that demonized ethnic immigrants and people of color, and enforcement of policies and practices designed to perpetuate white supremacy are all part of our difficult past. This country has witnessed great triumph, innovation, and progress, but we are burdened by a painful history that we have yet to adequately acknowledge."
Beyond One-Liners: A Guide to the Democratic Debate on Criminal Justice
#criminaljustice, #democraticdebates
"Wednesday night's debate saw the first extended discussion of criminal justice issues as the Democratic presidential candidates jockey in a crowded and competitive field. Several candidates teed off those issues to score political points and jab at opponents. While their exchanges covered a wide range of topics, there were also critical issues that no one even mentioned. Here's a guide, curated by our experts here at The Marshall Project, to what's behind the one-liners and talking points—and what was left out. We include suggestions for further reading for those who want to delve deeper."
Ending Mass Incarceration
#massincarceration, #socialjustice
"America is at a tipping point. In a country that continues to lead the world in locking up its own people, mass incarceration has emerged in recent years as a defining civil rights issue. A movement has blossomed in which formerly incarcerated people lead alongside diverse and influential allies, powerfully capturing what's at stake: that runaway use of incarceration dehumanizes poor people and people of color, damages already marginalized communities, does not advance public safety, and siphons public resources with no social benefit."
www.vera.org/ending-mass-incarceration?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIscn7lu_k4wIVxYCfCh3RQgHREAAYASACEgI7mvD_BwE