HOT OFF THE PRESS

Check out this new, incredibly powerful op-ed Releases, Not Transfers, Must Be at the Center of Prison Closure Plans in Truthout by Mathew Witecki and Ryan Brennan, two imprisoned advocates who connected with CURB prior to the closure of the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC), in Norco CA. 

This piece recounts both of their experiences during the closure process of CRC, which as of today is empty and sits in “warm shutdown” mode costing the state millions. 

This op-ed threads the needle between the urgent need for prison closure and concrete ways the state can take action to prevent punishment in the closure process by prioritizing releases. Reducing reliance on a toxic prison system and preventing harm are not at odds; in fact, they must go hand in hand. 

While CDCr uses transfers, overcrowding and long program waitlists to justify its massive budgets & attempted expansion—Mathew and Ryan make it clear that these CDCr-manufactured issues are preventable and that more prisons can never be the antidote to the devastation they cause in the first place.

Read more in the full op-ed here!