PRISON: Open Forum & Discussion

February 9, 2012 - 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

What’s wrong with New York’s prison system and what can we do about it?

– Approximately 87,000 people are behind bars in New York’s prisons and jails
– More than 75% are African American or Latino
– Parole denials can keep people in prison decades past their minimum sentences, even with a clean record
– New York’s rate of prisoners in 23-hour-a-day lockdown is more than twice the national average
– It costs nearly $55,000 per year to house one person in a New York State prison
– Prisons do not solve the problem of violence because they are part of the cycle of violence

Join a discussion to build a statewide voice for change. Help develop a vision of community-based, compassionate, reintegrative, public health models for solving social problems – instead of mass incarceration. Change the dominant narrative – remember that prisoners are people, not faceless demons. Challenge the policymakers.

Sponsored by Syracuse Peace Council, Center for Community Alternatives and NYS Prisoner Justice Network

Free to the Public