Joshua Jones’ Post

Five years ago, a 6-year-old Black girl named Kaia Rolle was arrested in Orlando, FL, for having a tantrum in school. The viral bodycam video of her sobbing while being escorted to a police car forced questions about how we treat children caught up in the criminal legal system. Kaia deserved better then, just as Floridian children deserve better now. This latest installment of "Only Young Once" - SPLC's research on youth incarceration in the Deep South - focuses on Florida and how we can change policy to emphasize rehabilitation over punishment. It finds a correlation between employing law enforcement in schools and school arrest rates, an increase in the practice of involuntary detainment for mental health evaluation, and that Florida is a national leader in holding children in adult facilities. As the paper states, "We should not build policy on the premise that discipline methods often problematic for adults are ever appropriate for the youngest in our community." All children deserve their childhood. https://lnkd.in/g5e_WSVR

Second Chance Month: what is it? why do we need it? what does it have to do with OICA's work towards economic power and justice? Scroll to learn more about how mass incarceration impacts over 1 in 3 adults in America well after they have served their time and what OICA's Sullivan Training Network is doing about it:

Let's shift the conversation to felony reform policies. Overly punitive "tough on crime" policies have fueled mass incarceration, with a disproportionate impact on racially marginalized communities. Broad restrictions have often gone too far, becoming major barriers to ex-offenders successfully re-entering society and avoiding recidivism. This reduced access to employment, housing, education and basic rights, like voting, can trap ex-offenders in cycles of poverty and actually increase crime in the long run. What's good for the orange goose is good for the black/brown gander.

“A child should never be pushed out of school without due process, nor should their abuse support a profitable business model. Unfortunately, in Alabama we have both,” said Delvin Davis, SPLC senior policy analyst and author of the report. “It will take intentionality from state officials to correct policies that have harmed Alabama youth for years.” Alabama has a long history of incarcerating Black children. For generations, Black youth have been overly criminalized, pushed out of school without due process, and given harsher punishments than their white counterparts. However, today youth incarceration has evolved into a lucrative business in Alabama, as for-profit youth detention facilities maximize profit margins while subjecting children to abuse and harm. Our report, Only Young Once: Alabama’s Dilemma with School Pushout and For-Profit Youth Incarceration, details how a narrative of youth crime contributes to overly punitive school discipline, racial disparities, and an expensive youth legal system that is not designed for rehabilitation. https://lnkd.in/epi5TuKg

On the eve of #Juneteenth, a significant day honoring the abolition of slavery, we are calling attention to the #EndtheException campaign, which aims to end the exploitation of prison labor and the human rights violations endured by incarcerated people. Why on Juneteenth? The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is celebrated for abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude. However, to the surprise of many, the 13th Amendment includes an exception clause that has been understood throughout history to allow slavery and involuntary servitude to be used as punishment for crime. During Reconstruction, this understanding encouraged the criminalization, incarceration, and re-enslavement of Black people. Still today, more than 150 years later, people who are incarcerated and detained across our country are disproportionately Black and brown and forced to work under the threat of additional punitive measures, such as the loss of family visits and solitary confinement. According to Worth Rises, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to ending exploitation in the prison industry, 800,000 incarcerated people are working in dangerous conditions under the threat of punishment for pennies an hour or nothing at all. Learn more about how to #EndTheException: https://lnkd.in/gCHwXp4w

Recommended Reading: "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander is a compelling and thought-provoking examination of the systemic injustices within America's criminal justice system. Alexander meticulously outlines how mass incarceration disproportionately affects communities of color, perpetuating a modern-day caste system akin to the Jim Crow laws of the past. Through thorough research and analysis, she exposes the racial bias inherent in law enforcement practices, sentencing laws, and the prison-industrial complex. This book offers invaluable insights into the root causes of systemic inequality and prompts readers to confront the harsh realities of racial injustice in America. It serves as a crucial call to action for individuals to challenge and dismantle institutionalized racism, making it essential reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of social justice issues in the United States. For additional recommended readings on this topic, please visit bit.ly/3w92EfO #race #jimcrow #michellealexander #criminaljustice #prisionpipeline #racism #hbcu #degree #civilrights #civilrightsmovement #educate2endhate #jtmfoundation #educateyourself #scholarship #education

END, Incarceration of Black and Minority Youth: Locking up our adolescents does not lead to a safer and stronger community. When young people need support in their community, they will not find it behind locked doors. Seize the opportunity to advocate for our youth by reading End, Incarceration. Learn researched and effective ways to enhance the lives of youth and keep them out of the youth criminal justice system.

Orijin applauds the incredible efforts to improve visitation rights for incarcerated individuals and their families! Read this article to learn about legislative efforts aimed to make visitation more accessible, affordable, and humane, recognizing it as a critical component of rehabilitation and support for justice-impacted individuals. At Orijin™, we stand firm in our belief that justice-impacted individuals deserve free access to education and communication. Every step toward more humane visitation policies is a step toward a more just and compassionate system. We are inspired by the advocacy and resilience of families like the Suares, and we remain committed to supporting these essential reforms. #FamilyUnity #VisitationRights #CriminalJusticeReform #OrijinImpact

🚨 Alarming stat: Despite an overall decline in youth incarceration, racial disparities persist. Black young people are still 4 times more likely to be incarcerated than their white peers, according to The Sentencing Project. At MST, we're dedicated to addressing these disparities through culturally responsive, family-centered interventions. Every young person deserves a chance to thrive. Learn more about our approach: https://hubs.ly/Q02YN0760 #RacialEquity #JuvenileJusticeReform #FamilyIntervention #EBP #JuvenileJustice #MST

As a lawyer, it can be easy to start believing that legal advocacy is the most important tool for creating change. But organized and activated communities are the true driver of continued and sustainable change. Raj Jayadev at Silicon Valley Debug brought the principles of community organizing into courthouses and created the participatory defense model. Not only did he win a MacArthur 'genius' award for it, he has now written a book, Protect Your People: How Ordinary Families Are Using Participatory Defense to Challenge Mass Incarceration. This is a great way to learn more about the power of participatory defense. https://lnkd.in/gmVk39TM