Jail fences

The U.S. has got the look at these guys incarceration rate that is highest of any nation on the planet, with more than 2.4 million individuals presently behind pubs. The indegent and individuals of color are incarcerated at greatly disproportionate prices. Numerous prisoners take place in solitary confinement or rejected sufficient care that is medical academic possibilities, and few resources are committed to reentry or community programs.

AFSC actively works to end mass incarceration, enhance conditions for those who come in prison, stop jail privatization, and promote a reconciliation and healing way of unlawful justice dilemmas.

AFSC Friends Relations, in an attempt to produce a far more significant amount of engagement between Friends and AFSC, is piloting a course called Quaker personal Change Ministry to guide and facilitate Spirit-led, social justice work with Quaker meetings/churches. The program is dependant on the job of Kelly Dignan, Kierstin Homblette, and Deborah Holder, three Unitarian Ministers into the Denver area whom created this model to aid congregations doing effective social modification ministry.

Please fill an interest form out for more information on this system.

1. Teach yourselves about mass incarceration

About the problem of mass incarceration whether you have direct experience or not, get background information, and educate yourselves.

- begin a brand new Jim Crow reading group utilizing this research guide

- begin a Beyond Prisons study team making use of the research guide

- pay attention to Laura Magnani, Director of AFSC’s Bay region Healing Justice Program in California, describe her experiences in the mediation group for hunger strikers at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, California and just why Quakers have to take a working part in closing mass incarceration. You are able to pay attention to the recording that is full of Call for Spirited Action by clicking right right here.

- pay attention to Dominque Stevenson, Program Director for AFSC’s buddy of a pal system, describe the task of buddy of a buddy and just how that system is handling the requirements of predominantly black colored communities in Baltimore which are greatly relying on mass incarceration, hunger, and poverty. You are able to pay attention to the complete recording with this Call for Spirited Action by clicking right here.

- Watch just exactly How Quakers Can Really Help End Mass Incarceration, a QuakerSpeak movie, and share it along with your sites.

2. Get the congregation within the jail walls

Learning and working with those most influenced by the justice that is criminal can change you. You can easily volunteer at a prison that is federal Prisoner and Visitation help.

Take part in Alternatives to Violence programs in prisons. They all are on the nation and many Quakers congregations are included. Find out more right here.

Write regularly to an incarcerated person. Pen pals is a vital link for those under correctional control. Write a Prisoner has listings of incarcerated people through the entire usa pen that is seeking. Human Rights Pen Pals links community people with individuals in longterm isolation.

As soon as your meeting/church has generated experience of people in jail, you can start to inquire about some questions that are specific what sort of training, help, volunteer/prisoner-run programs they need help arranging in.

To have your program off the ground, recruit volunteers that are invested in having an everyday, devoted existence in.

Your congregation can perhaps work on having system curriculum in coordination with people living in, or beginning a worship team inside if individuals inside demand one. In the event that you show advanced schooling, have a go at Inside Out.

Michigan and ny staff could offer guidance predicated on state experience that is specific you’ll need help.

3. Lift up mass incarceration concerns in your community

You will become an outside monitor of prison conditions and problems as you bear witness to prison conditions and realities. Ultimately, your congregation can build using this experience to build up techniques to manage these problems. In case your congregation is working together with multiple or a couple, you may find out styles in issues.

It is critical to develop relationships with legislators, ombudspeople, and modifications administrators whom could probably stop the dilemmas before they escalate.

We have been very happy to consult on how best to deal with prisoner liberties situations which will surface (access to health that is appropriate, psychological state care, usage of parole, usage of development and training, use of visits, over-classification like the utilization of solitary confinement, food quality, and so forth).

4. Offer support to prisoners’ families and individuals coming back from jail

As being a mentor into the son or daughter of the person residing in jail or a helper to some body reentering your community from jail, you might:

- Meet for a regular or monthly meal

- Provide transportation to college or work

- assistance with college applications/enrollment

- help with employment search

- Rent an area (lease may be several things—house work and/or money exchanged)

See healingcommunitiesusa.org for any other resources that could be useful in working together with people re-entering town.

5. Challenge key people—including your legislators

All the above are governmental actions, you could be straight connected to ongoing promotions in communities through the country.

Anti-privatization of prisons work with Arizona and brand New Hampshire.

Anti-solitary confinement work with different states through the national nation: Illinois, nj-new jersey, Ca, ny Arizona, Maine, and Michigan.

Follow Solitary Watch for up-to-date information.

Get your annually Meeting or Quarterly fulfilling to build up a statement or moment against jail and detention center privatization, solitary confinement and torture, and/or other unlawful justice associated problems.

Your congregation can also find out about the Doctrine of Christian Discovery (DOCD), that will be the number of documents that underpinned genocide of Native People in america, enslavement of blacks, the Law of Nations, Manifest Destiny, therefore the post-Civil War building associated with system that is carceral which is the backbone of Federal Indian Law.

You are able to learn toward prospective repudiation of DOCD. brand New England Yearly Meeting and AFSC staff in Maine can respond to inquiries concerning this.