Decarcerating our State: Thinking Beyond Prisons Toward an Abolitionist Future

Decarcerating our State: Thinking Beyond Prisons Toward an Abolitionist Future

Virtual Lecture

Wednesday April 13, 7pm

Xelba Gutierrez and Jennifer Black from Straight Ahead 

What does our prison system have to do with science, reason and humanist values, and what can we do about it?

• Incarceration perpetuates racism and inequality, destroying the hope and dignity of Black, Brown, and poor individuals, families, and communities
• Imprisonment is expensive and inefficient; there is no evidence that our prison system helps those who are incarcerated have more productive lives or that it keeps the public safer
• Our carceral system erodes the dignity of people in its control, people in its employ, and the taxpayers who fund it.

Our speakers will address what we can do to understand the issues, to advocate for change based on evidence, not myths and prejudice, to reduce the harm it causes, and to build a system that works to protect and promote public safety.