Nationally we are seeing a boom in plans to expand county jails. In California alone 33 of 58 counties are planning to build new jails. I work with Nation Inside, a platform that connects and supports people who are building a movement to systematically challenge mass incarceration in the United States. Tomorrow we are partnering with Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB), to host a special webinar on fighting jail expansion. This event will be the launch of CURB’s new resource guide “How to Stop a Jail in Your Town,” for local organizing against jail expansion.
We are worried that this national jail expansion trend will be similar to the prison boom we experienced in the 1980s, when California built 23 prisons and only one public college. Unless we organize against these expansion plans this jail boom will only reap the same negative impacts prisons have had on education, human services, health services, and on our communities, please join this fight today.
RSVP for our “How to Fight a Jail in Your Town” Webinar
Tuesday, October 15th at 12:00pm (PST).
During the interactive webinar you will hear from Dana Kaplan, the Executive Director of the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana. She is an expert in organizing against jail expansion. Dana was also on staff at the Brooklyn-based Prison Moratorium Project, where her efforts helped stop the construction of a youth prison in upstate New York and two youth jail expansions in New York City. Dana will be covering factors around jail expansion, alternatives to jail expansion, environmental issues, and organizing strategies.
Diana Zuñiga, the Statewide Organizer for Californians United for a Responsible Budget will be presenting the Los Angeles fight against jail expansion. Los Angeles has proposed the largest jail expansion plan in California. This fight sets the stage for jail expansion plans throughout California. The Los Angeles case study will feature an overview of jail expansion plans, organizing strategies, and community engagement ideas that can be used in your town.
Join experts from across the country as we share experiences, lessons learned, and hear your stories about this issue.
In Solidarity,
Nick Szuberla
Executive Director, Nation Inside
