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

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…

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.

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.

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

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

1/ If you are in NY, are affected by public registration, have a loved one who is, or fundamentally oppose registries as a matter of human rights & because they distract from strategies that actually reduce sexual harm - We must join those on the ground & expand our coalitions. 2/ If you find it difficult to understand why this matters, consider this. A full 32% of the NY Corrections Committee agenda today involves bills that demand further restrictions, sanctions & punitive actions towards individuals who are required to register. #endtheregistry

@ayagruber reflects - “How did the feminism anti-violence agenda become so tethered to the tough-on crime position? How come gender crime gets a carve out or even veto over #cjreform?...In many ways the feminist war on crime is a feminist civil war”#read4justicewithamber 2 / “It is natural to want to advocate for more crim. enforcement in the face of rape crisis stats & stories of abuser impunity. However, in the rush to punish bad apples we forget that the cj system is culturally ordered, technocratic & beholden to specific political forces.”

“We have to be more proactive than reactive.” - @Tamilbond4 On sexual harm & the state violence that is public registries. Part of recent virtual panel discussion with authors, @JudithLevine & Erica Meiners. Watch it here: bit.ly/AmpVoice1 #endtheregistry #endsexualharm “I am hopeful that there is an opening for partnerships between secular society & those who are in spiritual communities of one shape or another to move change forward.” - Andrew, lived-experience organizer and clergy member. #valueallhumans

1/ Official statement from @GovNedLamont re: settlement reached with ACLU on COVID response in prisons, “This settlement affirms the approach that the DOC has been taking since the beginning of this pandemic. The department will continue to act in this responsible manner....” 2/Commissioner Cook said, “....Unity and collaboration will always prevail In fact, I believe Connecticut will be viewed as the balanced, compassionate and collaborative example to follow during such crisis in the future.”

1/ Imagine that you were not allowed to access the internet or your would be sent to jail. There is a pandemic & most communications (zoom town halls, Facebook live briefings, smart tv’s, etc) were happening online or your job or school went to online meetings. #cjreform 2/ Imagine that the probation office didn’t inform you, but you tried to report & it was locked up tight. You can’t get a hold of your officer. Imagine the panic you start to feel. You slip a note under the door and leave a message hoping you’ll be okay.

My friends over at the Center for Rational Justice Studies @CFRJustice have just established a twitter presence. Please give them a follow. They advocate for proportional justice, restoration for all & an end to public registration practices. #SORegistry #CJreform #valueallhumans Thank you for RT @JohnCar123411!

1/ Thread illustrating that the system does not “listen to the victims”...2 years ago, our family was victimized when my elderly “auntie-mom” who had Alzheimer’s was financially exploited & left for dead by someone who posed as a friend and caregiver. You can read the story here:

https://twitter.com/amberspeaksup/status/1217234735761674240

2/ In Feb., the victim advocate called to say that the sentencing would take place in May, but that the defense was asking for a continuance to allow the convicted to have knee surgery before he served time. She tried to guide our impact statements to ensure that he was denied.

1/ Advocates & advocacy groups - please LISTEN! You can call for immeadiate action without making the violent/nonviolent distinction. I know it’s well-meaning, but it can do A LOT of damage to the criminal justice reform narrative. #COVID19 #cjreform 2/ You can say “release the elderly/sick” without saying “leave the juveniles”. You can say “release people” without saying “leave the violent offenders to die”. You can say “release those awaiting trial” without throwing those jailed for tech violations or who are convicted away

1/ 97.1% The number of people, convicted of a sexual offenses who were NOT convicted of a new offense within 5 years of release in CT (OPM). Evidence is not the reason for exclusion from relief. We must continue to educate, advocate and liberate. #cleanslatect 2/ Erasure is not about relieving someone who has been already held accountable from responsibility. It is about allowing all citizens, including those who have been convicted and those who have been harmed to live in a place of real (not merely perceived) safety. #nocarveouts

1/ Classic question in public hearing on bill that would restore voting rights to individuals on parole in CT. "What about the victims?" This is horrible framing that perpetuates the "us vs. them" culture. Victims & perpetrators are often one & the same. 2/ Communities that are disproportionately affected by our unjust criminal legal system, are subsequently disenfranchised on a massive scale AND they contain both victims and perpetrators. Aside from that, voting is a RIGHT, not a privilege. #votingisaright #restorethevote

1/ Look, I understand why people immediately jump to the “What about rapists?” question when we talk about clean slate. Please inform yourself. Harm is contextual - trauma often perpetuates trauma. Those who harm should be held accountable in a way that RESTORES. 2/ Convictions are disproportionate for many populations, charges often trumped up & mislabeled. Creating hopelessness & asking people to live in a world with no ability to function in the world will not create safety. Shame & oppression will not make someone be a better person.

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.

1/ Sometimes it is very necessary to speak truth to power, even when people discourage you. Individuals assert that people will not hear, or that their “hands are tied”. Feelings do not negate FACTS. 2/ We must hold leaders accountable to do what they can, when they can and pledge to take steps to get there even when it will take time, work, public education and planning. They should be committed to truth and overall societal benefit. #wearehuman #cjreform

Thread- We must amplify and uplift more individuals who are directly impacted by bad laws and policies to be part of conversations, especially difficult ones. Our law makers need to hear from individuals with LIVED experience. #valueallhumans 2/ If we don’t speak, it is too easy for those in power to analyze, theorize, rationalize and dehumanize. This is particularly true when it comes to criminal justice policies. False narratives run rampant if there are no voices to counteract them. #cjreform #peoplenotprisons

1/So, today I must share something unrelated but very related to what I often tweet about. The harm of our criminal justice system. This is very raw and emotional for me, so please give me grace as I share. 2/ First you must know that my mother passed away when I was 16 years old, creating a very difficult time in my life. It was then that my aunt took me under her wing. We always joked that she was my “auntie-mom.”