Decarcerate MA Prisons as COVID-10 Continues, and Pause New Prison Construction
Families for Justice as Healing and the Building Up People Not Prisons Coalition need our urgent help during this crucial week of state congressional budgeting:
The MA Senate will be considering two budget amendments the week of May 24th championed by formerly incarcerated Black women to reduce the harm of incarceration. Email your state senator today to co-sponsor amendment #669 to fully fund the Decarceration Ombuds Office and #367 to support a one-year prison and jail construction moratorium. Details and script below.
Ombuds Office Background
Last session, we fought for and won the creation of an independent ombuds office to ensure the MA Department of Correction decarcerates its prisons to protect people on both sides of the wall from the risk of COVID-19. We now need to pressure the state to staff and fund this office to ensure our loved ones return to our communities. COVID-19 outbreaks are still happening in MA prisons and decarceration is the gold standard for public health in prisons.
Moratorium Background
As part of the campaign for our prison construction moratorium bill, we are also supporting a budget amendment to pause prison and jail construction for one year. As we continue to experience the economic fallout from the pandemic, pausing prison design construction gives the Commonwealth a chance to focus spending and debt-financing on recovery and healing for the hardest hit communities. This urgent one year pause will be a major help while our five-year moratorium bill works its way through the legislative process.
The People Not Prisons Coalition meets every Saturday from 1-3pm. If you are interested in giving your time to end the incarceration of women and girls and would like more info about meetings, please contact mhanora@justiceashealing.org.
#FREEHER
#FREEOURFAMILIES
#CLEMENCYWORKS
COVID-19 Fact Sheets to mail to your incarcerated loved ones: https://tinyurl.com/COVIDvaxMA
https://deeperthanwater.org/2021/01/13/covid-19-faqs/
Summary of our COVID-19 work here.
Contact us for more information:
@justicehealing
@pplnotprisons
https://www.facebook.com/familiesforjusticeashealing
