January 29, 2022 by V Leigh

The goal of the system is to oppress…

“The goal of the system is to oppress… There are better, more cost-effective, less racist ways to get to health and safety. That’s what want. And we’re doing it all wrong.”@ScottHech explains how being a public defender turned him into an abolitionisthttps://t.co/gY3pATipvM pic.twitter.com/Le8WQwSNw1
— AWKWORD (@AWKWORDrap) December 9, 2021

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Our organization has always advocated against over-incarceration.

But what #COVID19 uncovered is: our country’s obsession with locking people up in jails and prisons as a first response to everything is NOT a solution–it actually endangers us all.
THREAD
— Alliance for Safety and Justice (@SafeandJustUSA) April 9, 2020

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Today I’m filming a segment for a brilliant documentary on Rikers Island penitentiary.

🚨 The cost of incarceration there is a staggering $556,539 per year PER PERSON, or $1,525 a day. CRAZY!!

Tuition, room, and board at HARVARD is $75,891.

You get what you invest in.
— Shaun King (@shaunking) January 28, 2022

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I live across the street from this Days Inn and, unless someone’s learned something I haven’t, I don’t have the faintest idea what juvenile incarceration laws have to do with what happened. It’s beyond shameful to use a woman’s death to propagate unrelated—and harmful—policy https://t.co/OybdpwxPwr
— Elyssa Feder (@elyssafeder) January 27, 2022

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“Biden’s visit…is an opportunity for this nation’s leader to witness firsthand the horrendous conditions NYers endure each day on Rikers Island — conditions that should serve as a reminder of why incarceration is not a panacea for public safety concerns.”https://t.co/F4GGGAXQf3
— The Legal Aid Society (@LegalAidNYC) January 28, 2022

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February 17, 2021 by V Leigh

Inmates in St. Louis’ City Justice Center stage third uprising since December. In protest to unsafe conditions.

A man died from COVID in a Houston jail cell last week because he couldn’t afford the $100 bail. He died for the crime of being poor, awaiting trial for the alleged crime of stealing food.

His name was Preston Chaney.

Mass incarceration is a public health crisis.
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) February 9, 2021

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Brittany Kittrell died 4 days after being arrested and held on a $5000 bond. $5,000 and 4 days were the determining factors for Brittany’s life. Never Again. We demand an end to the money bail system. https://t.co/jOAIrPN6Kj #BrittanyKittrell #DurhamCountyJailKills #EndMoneyBail pic.twitter.com/L3UoIdaWol
— BYP100 (@byp100) January 27, 2021

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Sandra Bland should have turned 34 today. Instead, she died because she could not afford the $5,000 bail.

Unfortunately, this is far from unique. In 2016 there were over 800 deaths among those in lockup because they could not post bail. https://t.co/vY6qAclIME #BlackLivesMatter
— Boston Review (@BostonReview) February 7, 2021

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Oregon considers allowing people to vote in prison. Black people disproportionately incarcerated. But Secretary of State @Shemia_Fagan needs “to be persuaded on why it’s important to expand this civil right to everybody.” This is white supremacy in action. https://t.co/JCKVCFZsu4
— pdx law grrrl (@pdxlawgrrrl) February 12, 2021

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We should all be outraged that ppl sit in jail for years waiting for trial simply because they don’t have the money for bail. Think about what it is to spend 3 years in jail, go to trial + win. You don’t get that time or the life you had back. You don’t even get an apology.
— Olayemi Olurin (@msolurin) February 11, 2021

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This week, inmates at the City Justice Center in downtown St. Louis are once again protesting the jail’s inhumane holding conditions, weak COVID-19 precautions, and unconstitutional bail practices. Their demands must be heard and met! Follow @actionstl & @stlactivist pic.twitter.com/eemKn1bVKd
— Allied Media Projects (@Allied_Media) February 11, 2021

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Inmates in St. Louis’ City Justice Center stage third uprising since December. https://t.co/XSjaypwDXW
— Complex (@Complex) February 7, 2021

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Photos from the inmate uprising at the St. Louis City Justice Center jail have been circulating on here today. So I’d like to draw attention to one specific photo: this sign here which reads “what about Anthony Smith” (thread) pic.twitter.com/troB54vB8P
— sophie hurwitz (@sophiehurwitz) February 7, 2021

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JAIL UPRISING: Video shows dozens of inmates setting objects on fire and throwing items outside of windows at the St. Louis City Justice Center, with an officer also attacked. @elwynlopez reports as activists say the move was a protest against conditions. https://t.co/Kveze0ZFTb pic.twitter.com/zVfsOEC7mk
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) February 7, 2021

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December 27, 2020 by V Leigh

Since March, public health experts have warned about the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and recommended decarceration.

Since March, public health experts have warned about the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and recommended decarceration.

Now, the COVID-19 case rate in prisons is four times higher than outside, and the death rate is twice as high. This was preventable. https://t.co/womkImIYrD
— Thurgood Marshall Institute (@TMI_LDF) December 22, 2020

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100/100 – Justice for #AndreaCircleBear the first woman (indigenous) to die from #covid19 in a federal prison on April 28, 2020. She was a pregnant mother of 5 who was denied home confinement to prevent spread. She died after giving birth. #justiceforourlives pic.twitter.com/AgvGixJO4K
— Oree Originol (@OreeOriginol) December 20, 2020

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This is serious: COVID-19 is out of control in our prisons, and accreditors like @ACAinfo have done nothing to stop it. Read my new report on why @TheJusticeDept and @DHSgov must overhaul this ineffective, dangerous, and wasteful accreditation system. https://t.co/m5xqqWTttT
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 14, 2020

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As of Friday, more than three-fourths of the inmates at Iowa’s state prison had tested positive for coronavirus. Other facilities in the state have infection rates as high as 90%. @IowaPublicRadio https://t.co/gjoxZKXyCR
— NPR (@NPR) November 21, 2020

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“There’s no way to escape Covid-19 or the coronavirus in prison. Absolutely no way.”

Correctional facilities have been COVID-19 hotspots. But some reforms may have a lasting impact beyond the pandemic.@isagutierreznbc reports: https://t.co/U4UZMHn7bF pic.twitter.com/cuUibQt8Hl
— NBC News NOW (@NBCNewsNow) December 2, 2020

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December 11, 2020 by V Leigh

Mass Incarceration: This is a moral outrage

In New York, Black people are 5 times more likely than whites to be incarcerated for technical violations.

That’s incarceration for noncriminal behaviors that violate (often onerous and overly burdensome) probation/parole rules. https://t.co/1kOHNd4NCs
— Prison Policy Init. (@PrisonPolicy) September 15, 2020

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The whistleblowing complaints of medical neglect, further findings, & a new @Kare11 investigation has led to the director of the Minnesota’s Department of Corrections (DOC) Inspection and Enforcement Unit being placed on administrative leave.

New Report: https://t.co/lY6YAAh0zW pic.twitter.com/4IvVEedhaS
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) September 29, 2020

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Most of the 700,000 people in jail are still eligible to vote, because they are in pretrial detention or serving sentences for minor offenses. But few can actually do so. “The de facto disenfranchisement of jailed citizens is a democratic failure.” https://t.co/7qhmD7Ltag
— The Appeal (@theappeal) October 24, 2020

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80 percent of those who died of Covid-19 in Texas county jails were never convicted of a crime, a new report finds https://t.co/EjLpTPPQ4E
— Vox (@voxdotcom) November 12, 2020

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“80 percent of those who died of Covid-19 in Texas county jails were never convicted of a crime”

This is a moral outrage. https://t.co/rJMEpSxSsj
— Robert Greenwald (@robertgreenwald) November 16, 2020

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New Orleans voters just elected a district attorney who has committed to ending mass incarceration.

Local elections matter. https://t.co/bksYgf6xTN
— ACLU (@ACLU) December 6, 2020

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Defund the police isn’t just a slogan.

It’s a demand to shift resources from incarceration and criminalization to education and emancipation.

It might not be good politics right now — but neither was abolition for decades before the civil war. Movements shift public opinion.
— Max Berger (@maxberger) December 2, 2020

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March 3, 2020 by V Leigh

Harvard University “continues to benefit from its historical ties to slavery through its investments in the prison-industrial complex.”

Reading costs 5
cents a minute and the prisoners earn 30 cents an hour. Reading a 330
page book costs them about $20. Prisons are designed to destroy
people’s humanity. https://t.co/yiWu2Eeid2

—
Joseph Hill (@jaceyhill) February
16, 2020

▪️ The US is the largest incarcerator in the world

▪️1 out of 3 Black boys can expect to go to prison in his lifetime

▪️50% of people in prison have some indicator of a mental health disorder

The prosecutorial system needs to change. https://t.co/0KmONR8L9X

— ACLU (@ACLU) February 23, 2020

Five Harvard students are suing the university's president, a senior fellow of Harvard Corporation, and Harvard's endowment manager over the university's investments in what they call the "prison-industrial complex." https://t.co/HkrKz3erBg

— CNN (@CNN) February 21, 2020

Harvard University “continues to benefit from its historical ties to slavery through its investments in the prison-industrial complex." https://t.co/CcUk72eUmN

— Black Enterprise (@blackenterprise) February 25, 2020

January 9, 2020 by V Leigh

76% of people currently incarcerated in America’s jails have not been convicted of a crime and most are there because they cannot afford bail.

61 year old Stephen Wayne Cole is the third person to die at the Bexar County jail in 12 months after being booked on a trespassing charge. Cole was held at the Texas jail because he couldn’t afford a $40 bond. https://t.co/lvSnZwqFZN

— Ethan Brown (@ethanbrown72) December 28, 2019

All Mississippi prisons remain locked down after five inmates violently died in state prisons in one week https://t.co/qIG7tDIn39 pic.twitter.com/a50yk8YYvm

— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 4, 2020

Meanwhile people who are homeless and charged with trespassing on non-residential property – as opposed to police officers committing home invasions – are dying in jail sometimes after being held for months because they cannot afford bonds of under $100. https://t.co/pXAnZemMxT

— Rebecca Kavanagh (@DrRJKavanagh) January 2, 2020

BREAKING: After Fairfax County’s new prosecutor announces plan to drop prosecutions for pot possession, judge denies motion to dismiss first case. Says cases need to be evaluated on individual basis.

— justin jouvenal (@jjouvenal) January 2, 2020

At least five people have died in Mississippi prisons in the past week and it’s the result of longstanding issues that have been ignored for far too long — including chronic understaffing and failure to protect incarcerated individuals from harm. https://t.co/DmmDsb892d

— Real Justice (@RealJusticePAC) January 8, 2020

Greetings from today's contentious Metro Council meeting. Still on the agenda: presentation from CorrectHealth, the firm overseeing jail medical care, which has come under fire for an inmate death rate more than twice the national average. Background here: https://t.co/XzSp5f16ME

— Lea Skene (@lea_skene) January 8, 2020

Texas executes man whose trial featured false testimony https://t.co/wR9cfkraEr

— Shaun King (@shaunking) December 12, 2019

76% of people currently incarcerated in America’s jails have not been convicted of a crime and most are there because they cannot afford bail. https://t.co/dwyq4ULBnC https://t.co/Kp3XtNpe3n

— Samuel Sinyangwe (@samswey) December 28, 2019

December 11, 2018 by V Leigh

We must end the absurdity of the United States having more people in jail than any other country on Earth

Black youth only account for about 20% of the total youth population in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania—but they were 20X more likely than their white peers to be arrested and charged as adults in 2016 & 2017. via @theappeal https://t.co/JxCF3mYbii

— Sentencing Project (@SentencingProj) November 27, 2018

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Because of the use of a notoriously unreliable roadside drug test, a Georgia woman endured arrest, a million-dollar bond, and months of jail—over "meth" that was actually cotton candy.@laurenk_gill via @theappeal https://t.co/hBwIzThYCP pic.twitter.com/MAqAkl8R4e

— Inst. Policy Studies (@IPS_DC) November 27, 2018

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Reform of the criminal justice system must include a nuanced approach to the prosecution and sentencing of all crimes. Larry Krasner is one of the only DAs in the country that doesn't limit his reform to the prosecution of nonviolent crimes. https://t.co/GStcWahbi6 by @abgutman

— The Appeal (@theappeal) November 20, 2018

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For framing innocent Black men, a Florida police chief gets three years in prison. Raimundo Atesiano, the former Biscayne Park police chief, directed his officers to frame innocent men for a series of unsolved burglaries. https://t.co/6lqspz71Fn

— The Appeal (@theappeal) November 27, 2018

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We must end the absurdity of the United States having more people in jail than any other country on Earth. We have a racist criminal justice system that must be fundamentally transformed.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) November 25, 2018

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“I know what I did was wrong, and I had to pay the price for my actions… But this is the most extreme price there is.”

There's more than one family separation crisis in this country. https://t.co/nz2X3OZefp

— Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) December 5, 2018

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BREAKING: An Illinois appeals court upheld a decision to sentence a man to 10 years in prison for stealing $33 worth of underwear from a Family Dollar store. https://t.co/7hQstxIFFQ

— Injustice Watch (@injusticewatch) December 5, 2018

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Bail was created to ensure that people show up to their court date, but instead it’s just used to punish poor people. @jduffyrice pic.twitter.com/kDEYAVysgP

— Liz Plank (@feministabulous) November 30, 2018

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Delaware prisoners say they were beaten, stripped and tortured for months after a February uprising, w/ guards physically and verbally abusing them to this day. https://t.co/MYsk5sKdT6

— Matt Ferner (@matthewferner) November 30, 2018

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Fred Clay was arrested for murder when he was 16, found guilty, and then spent nearly 38 years in prison in Massachusetts before he was exonerated. Clay has been out of prison for over a year but has yet to see any compensation from the state. https://t.co/rrTa616JFe

— The Appeal (@theappeal) December 3, 2018

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“I’m not trying to escape, I just wanted to cut myself,” Molly, who has a severe mental illness, told Illinois corrections officers. She used the razor wire from the fence to cut her arm. The prison responded with pepper spray and punishment. https://t.co/zqcw10QdNh

— The Appeal (@theappeal) December 5, 2018

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Life imprisonment has little effect on crimes rates, yet there are more than 200,000 lifers in prison. Watch our full video on the real impact of life sentences here: https://t.co/4nFkdPOvx3

Learn more at: https://t.co/pENPanaahG #EndLifeImprisonment #20YearsisEnough pic.twitter.com/YXiVMkmQ94

— Brave New Films (@bravenewfilms) December 5, 2018

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Where is the justice? A Tennessee court ruled that Cyntoia Brown, a #SexTrafficking survivor, must serve 51 years in prison before she is eligible for parole https://t.co/0JaprhGtgH pic.twitter.com/x4XiOEixNk

— Blavity News (@Blavity) December 7, 2018

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"Cyntoia [Brown] never described herself as a child sex slave, a term that is now being used to characterize her experience. … Such sensationalist language … obscures the complexities inherent in the experiences of young people in the sex trade.” https://t.co/CJH489IwzF

— The Appeal (@theappeal) December 11, 2018

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October 13, 2018 by V Leigh

Caging human beings is not benefiting our communities

Right now, a single parent can be held in jail for a nonviolent offense awaiting trial for weeks, months, or even years. Why? Simply because they cannot afford to pay bail. That’s just wrong.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 9, 2018

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"Placing women and minors (or anyone…) in jail exposes them to violence and misery. It exposes their families and neighborhoods to loss of income, stability, and the everyday companionship of a parent, spouse, sister, brother, neighbor, or coworker." https://t.co/3yQJRLzHfz

— Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) October 5, 2018

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An Oregon sheriff releases videos a deputy made of Bryan Perry, who was in a padded jail cell, flailing around uncontrollably from a drug overdose. Deputies stood by and laughed at Perry. He died 5 hours after he was booked into jail. https://t.co/X2U0xBZZwj

— The Appeal (@theappeal) October 5, 2018

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Caging human beings is not benefiting our communities, creating a better word for future generations, or protecting the most vulnerable members of our community. We can invest our tax dollars in a better way. Follow @MassBailOut for live updates. #MassBailOut #EndMoneyBail pic.twitter.com/OhkGK8LuWZ

— Kerry Kennedy (@KerryKennedyRFK) October 3, 2018

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Debora Lyons, who suffered from mental illness, stole $155 worth of items from Walmart. It appears she was stealing out of necessity. She was arrested & her bail was set at $1,500. But she couldn’t afford to purchase her release. She hanged herself & died. https://t.co/jO4veGLUfr

— The Appeal (@theappeal) October 12, 2018

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BREAKING: The Washington Supreme Court just struck down the death penalty, citing racial bias.

This makes Washington the 20th state in the nation to outlaw the death penalty. We won't stop fighting until it's struck down everywhere in America.

— ACLU (@ACLU) October 11, 2018

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🚨🚨🚨HUGE news: Washington Supreme Court declares death penalty unlawful under the state constitution, converts ALL death sentences to life imprisonment. Capital punishment is over in Washington. https://t.co/Wv70eeVfQa

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) October 11, 2018

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This is a huge deal not only because it brings the number of states without the death penalty to 20, but its one of the only times abolition was explicitly tied to the racial disparities that @NAACP_LDF, @ACLU, and others have tried to highlight. https://t.co/ubt2pS37So

— Maurice Chammah (@MauriceChammah) October 11, 2018

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September 19, 2018 by V Leigh

Locked Up and Released in a Vicious Cycle

“Without sentencing justice, people—primarily poor people and people of color—will continue to be locked up and released in a vicious cycle that fails to address the root causes of systemic issues such as trauma, poverty, and racism.” @bravenewfilms

https://t.co/e10YhvqfBl

— ~P~ (@ItsMsPortia) September 6, 2018

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THREE YEARS AND NOT GUILTY. https://t.co/NXJNWo4kgM

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) September 6, 2018

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Opinion: Report says wrongful convictions have stolen at least 20,000 years from innocent defendants https://t.co/X40hdzrHvr

— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 10, 2018

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Kalief Browder was in Rikers for 3 years as a teen without a trial. He endured beatings & solitary—where he attempted suicide. After his release, he took his life. In a recent debate, a Queens prosecutor tried to minimize the role Rikers had in his death. https://t.co/LPYBOIxoI7

— The Appeal (@theappeal) September 10, 2018

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July 16, 2018 by V Leigh

It’s sickening to witness people endure so much suffering

We have a racist criminal justice system that costs us billions of dollars, ruins lives and allows private prisons to profit off of human misery. It's time for real criminal justice reform. pic.twitter.com/XmjgwAvSna

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) June 12, 2018

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Cop asks my juvie client: “are you in a gang?”
He says no
“Hang out with gang members?”
He says no
“Know any gang members?”
Kid says yeah, my cousin is a Hoover crip
Cop lists my kid as “affiliated with the Hoover Crips” https://t.co/FvwllM5pUe

— you used to commie on my cell phone (@acekatana) June 12, 2018

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Mentally ill and incarcerated: In this Louisiana jail, inmate deaths mount as pleas are unheeded https://t.co/1DdaivYvLw via @faresmelissa @levinsonc pic.twitter.com/bKKPVmnLMh

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) May 31, 2018

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The mentally ill continue to be kept in extreme isolation in AL's prisons, a situation that is driving a steep rise in suicides. It’s sickening to witness people endure so much suffering while the state stalls and makes excuses.https://t.co/SEMBfaeD7Z

— Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) June 20, 2018

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Oppression Monitor Daily

A Community Village Site

Prison Industrial Complex

The goal of the system is to oppress…

Like this:

Inmates in St. Louis’ City Justice Center stage third uprising since December. In protest to unsafe conditions.

Like this:

Since March, public health experts have warned about the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and recommended decarceration.

Like this:

Mass Incarceration: This is a moral outrage

Like this:

Harvard University “continues to benefit from its historical ties to slavery through its investments in the prison-industrial complex.”

Like this:

76% of people currently incarcerated in America’s jails have not been convicted of a crime and most are there because they cannot afford bail.

Like this:

We must end the absurdity of the United States having more people in jail than any other country on Earth

Like this:

Caging human beings is not benefiting our communities

Like this:

Locked Up and Released in a Vicious Cycle

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It’s sickening to witness people endure so much suffering

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