Stop a jail in your town

If you’re wondering whether your county really needs more jail cells – or if you’re already determined that it doesn’t, we have put together some resources to help you and your neighbors sort through what some of the key issues are, what the policy alternatives to jail expansion are and what you can do to move your county away from a disastrous jail expansion project.

RESOURCES

1 - Start here

Short and simple guides and fact-sheets from Community Alternatives to Jail Expansion (CAJE)

2 - Organizing Basics

A chapter from CPMP’s How to Stop a Prison in Your Town on organizing basics. 

3 - Toolkit

Sample tools from recent jail fights in California

4 - What to Read

Take a deeper dive into the talking points against new jails and jail expansion with these media pieces. 

  1. The People’s Plan for Prison Closure: CURB’s 2021 in-depth report (48 pg)
  2. What California Could Do With $500 Million, Instead of Build New Jails
  3. A Reflection on the No More Jails Campaign in Champaign County
  4. Audio file: No More Jails Champaign County Talk 2.21.14

Summary on how and why to abolish bail, the simplest way to reduce the ‘need’ for more jail cells:

Great overview of what’s wrong with jail expansion & what the alternatives are:

The human cost of holding people in jail because they can’t raise bail money:

Additional Articles & Resources