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JS Blog Post July 27, 2020

CBS Reports on Prison & Jails in the time of the Coronavirus

Riley Hewko, Esq.

As our blog discussed on March 23, 2020, we realize at this moment many families will be impacted even more intensely by the barriers in communication and the already negligent health care services in our U.S. carceral facilities. We wanted a highlight the video done by CBS News with the "Sunday Morning" Special Contributor Ted Koppel where he notes in particular how jails and prisons are toxic breeding grounds for COVID-19. With confinement and social distancing impossible, he interviews former inmates and social justice advocates about addressing the pandemic crisis inside the nation's correctional facilities. Featuring an interview with Piper Kerman, Orange is the New Black author, speaking to the call for early releases for people inside prisons to speaking with Earlonne Woods from Ear Hustle, a podcast from San Quentin.

JS Blog Post July 26, 2020

Repost: We Are Not Collateral Consequences: Children of Incarcerated Parents

Isabel Coronado

Justice Strategies is excited to cross post and share links to articles by Isabel Coronado, a policy entrepreneur at Next100 and a citizen of the Mvskoke (Creek) Nation. Isabel has been working with Justice Strategies on federal changes to support families facing parental incarceration. We will be reposting excerpts and links to her full posts that can be enjoyed in full on Next100's website HERE. Read more »

JS Blog Post June 20, 2020

Celebrate Juneteenth and Father's Day with Abolition Now!

Riley Hewko, Esq.

Image Description: Written words “Let this Radicalize You Rather Than Lead you to Despair,” a quote by prison abolitionist and Black Leader Mariame Kaba, founder of Project Nia. Image by @melegirma.

  Read more »

JS Blog Post May 22, 2020

Virtual Roundtable on COVID-19 in Prisons & Jails

Riley Hewko, Esq.

Repost from: https://judiciary.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=2959

Democratic Virtual Roundtable on COVID-19 in Prisons & Jails Read more »

News Article Queens Daily Eagle April 6, 2020

Illness spreads with little scrutiny in Queens' private jail

Judith Greene is quoted in this article about the lack of COVID testing in the, private for-profit, eight-unit dormitory-style prison warehouse facility located in Springfield Gardens, Queens run by GEO under contract with the US Marshalls Service where inmates are getting sick, and an entire unit refused food provided them by unmasked, ungloved staff.  Inmates also report Warden William Zerrillo has told them they could not be tested for COVID-19 and would have to "let the virus take its course."

JS Blog Post April 21, 2020

The First COVID-19 Death of a Father in Federal Prison Highlights the Ongoing Struggle for Incarcerated Parents and Their Families

Riley Hewko, Esq.

Image: NBC News Headline.

On April 5th, 2020, NBC news reported on the first death of an individual housed in federal prison— Patrick Jones, a father serving time for a non-violent drug charge. The article reports that Patrick had not seen his youngest son, now 16, since the boy was a toddler. This is common as Bureau of Justice Statistics research shows that over half of parents in prison never get visits from their children while incarcerated. This is often due to common barriers that create family separation including distance and cost. Most parents are placed in federal prisons across numerous state lines and costs associated with in-person, phone, and video visitation make it nearly impossible to stay in touch. Read more »

JS Blog Post March 23, 2020

Resources & Activities for Children of Incarcerated Parents During COVID-19 Quarantine

Riley Hewko, Esq.

For those families that still have a means of communication with incarcerated parents during COVID-19 quarantine, we complied some helpful resources we have shared before all in one place so families can easily find games and activities that can be adapted for phone calls or email and some books that can be read at home or along with parents by phone/video.

 

RESOURCES

  • book list and other resources for children.

 

 

  Read more »

News Article Politico March 3, 2020

Bloomberg's record on Rikers complicates prison reform rhetoric

Justice Strategies' Executive Director, Judith Greene and others, discuss conditions at Rikers during former mayor and presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg's tenure, and his claim that it was his policies that reduced the number of those incarcerated in the notoriously violent island prison complex.

JS Blog Post October 30, 2019

New California Bill to Create Pretrial Parental Diversion Courts

R.B.H.

 

In recognizing the impact of parental incarceration on children in the United States, legislators are listening to those directly impacted by incarceration in order to find solutions to prevent the separation of children from their parents. SB 394, the Primary Caregiver Pretrial Diversion Act, is a new bill signed into law on October 8, 2019 by Governor Gavin Newson and sponsored by Senator Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley. The new law will give counties the option to establish a pretrial diversion program for parents and caregivers charged with a misdemeanor or a nonserious, nonviolent felony who:  Read more »

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