Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration (CAAMI) seeks to challenge and dismantle mass incarceration and the systems of oppression that sustain it. We do this through coordinated actions and by opening the dialogue about mass incarceration and the criminal injustice system in a way that is empowering to all individuals and communities affected by them. CAAMI defines “mass incarceration” as both the excessive quantity of people caught in the criminal justice system, and the racially discriminatory and cruel quality of the current punitive model of social control. Police brutality, racially disparate sentencing, and post-prison discrimination function as a self-reinforcing system that damages communities.

We are all impacted by mass incarceration. It does not affect only those in prison and those who have a loved one in prison. It devastates all our communities and diminishes quality of life and basic human rights for everyone. However, not all communities are affected equally. Communities of color, the poor, the LGBT community, and those with disabilities suffer disproportionately at all stages of the system.

The process of dismantling mass incarceration can only begin by bringing passionate people together to share ideas, spread awareness, and take action. CAAMI seeks to do just that while building a strong and proactive local movement.