1) Many individuals who are doing some of the most amazing work in the areas of employment and housing, still find the very specific challenges of those subject to registration outside of the scope of what they are able to help with.
2) This should tell policy makers what those of us who live with those impacts every day already know. There is no way to mitigate or control the collateral consequences of a system that insinuates that people on a list are so dangerous that their rights can be infringed upon.
3) Disclaimers that “no assessment of dangerousness has been made” do not work when the very nature of the “list” is a label meant to shame an isolate under the myth that this will create “public safety”. It’s circular logic that does not hold up.
4) There is a solution that will help these dedicated providers of services for employment and housing assistance to be able to work with this population, as well as help employers and landlords access an additional pool of applicants without the fear of shame to them.
ABOLISH the registry. This does not take a conviction away or take away the ability for background checks, it simply takes away the public’s ability to shame/harm those affected by the registry (including employers & landlords) away. This will create more public safety folks./end
1/ It’s time for some truth telling. In the state of CT, rather than promoting reentry and rehabilitation, we have statutes intended to make the community afraid & deputize neighbors against neighbors.
2/ When a person is released after serving their court-ordered sentence for a specific category of crimes that have very low re-offense rates, CT offers communities the option of holding a COMMUNITY meeting to discuss that person’s crime & their conditions of supervision
3/ The intent is to have the community on the look out for technical violations so they know where to report them if they are is standing in the wrong spot or consuming the wrong beverage on their porch. This is what we are telling ourselves is “public safety.”
A thread - We are so humbled & proud of the guests who shared a bit of their lives with the world on #Amplifiedvoices in Season 1.
As we gear up for Season 2, Catch up, comment, share & support! The more these voices are heard, the further change can go! #cjreform
@ThoughtasWeak was featured in the 1st full episode (3) She shared her thoughts on how her family was affected by both harm & the system, her search for answers, what they thought justice should look like, her spirituality, & journey to healing & advocacy. amplifiedvoices.buzzsprout.com/1213727/480560…
Episode 4 follows Iran Nazario, of @PeaceCenterofCT through his turbulent childhood, subsequent immersion in gang membership & entanglement in the cj system. His inspiring journey to repurpose himself as a proponent of peace & understanding makes an impact amplifiedvoices.buzzsprout.com/1213727/492725…
1/When my LO was incarcerated, people in my circle helped pay for phone calls for my kids. I have NEVER forgotten that kindness. The bill was often over over $500 per month & I was ashamed that I needed the help. During the winter I couldn’t afford the calls & heat too.
2/A group of great people pooled money for modest Christmas gifts so my kids could feel like their world wasn’t crumbling around them. This gesture gave the kids the opportunity to feel a sense of normalcy. The givers? They didn’t even celebrate Christmas, but cared that we did.
3/Her first time waiting at the prison for a visit, my daughter began to cry uncontrollably while standing “on the line” waiting for her dad to be brought out. An angel of a woman next to her reached over, touched her shoulder and told her she was gonna be ok. #cjreform
The attack on this politician is the most egregious use of fear-mongering politics I have ever seen. “New Jersey Dem Under Fire for Lobbying Against Sex Offender Registry” freebeacon.com/2020-election/…
The idea that the @NRCC - National Republican Congressional Committee would use this type of rhetoric in an ad with no regard to the fact that these policies actually PERPETUATE sexual harm for political gain is disgusting.
I am encouraged that NJ Faith Leaders are calling for the NRCC to recall this ad. All people of conscious who understand that this framing is harmful to survivors, families, communities & public safety- speak up. This is partisan politics at its worst. Shame on you @NRCC
1/ “It is important to note, that the people languishing on probation, on the registry, in mandated outpatient treatment, in rescue programs and other forms of out of prison confinement are considered to be ‘in the community’” @MayaSchenwar@LVikkiml#read4justicewithamber
2/ “This refrain raises the question of what it means to be part of a community. In the vocabulary of the prison nation, being in community simply means occupying the same physical space as others.” - @MayaSchenwar@LVikkiml
3/ “But community has a deeper meaning, a sense of mutual care and responsibility & it is this meaning that disintegrates in the face of constant surveillance and restrictions.” - Prison by Any other Name @MayaSchenwar@LVikkiml#read4justicewithamber
1/“Interestingly, some of the most ardent prison critics are not troubled by the carve-out to the mass incarceration critique for sexual misconduct...even though there is no such carve out for aggravated assault, drug dealing, or even murder.”-@ayagruber#endtheregistry#cjreform
2/ “The exception for sexual offenses is so taken for granted that few feel the need to mention it or stray from the presumption that sex offenders are just a small minority of those swept away in mass incarceration” - Feminist War on Crime @ayagruber#cjreform
3/ “Reality is that according to a BJS report on the US prison population is that so’s at 12.4%, constitute a higher percentage than burglars & nonsexual assaults & nearly as high a percentage as all drug offenders (15.7%)” Feminist War on Crime @ayagruber#read4justicewithamber