Legislative action to address criminal justice reforms.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION:
- Reform laws that criminalize poverty.
- Reform laws that criminalize the mentally ill.
- Reform laws that criminalize addiction.
- Reform laws that criminalize drug use.
- Reform laws that criminalize homelessness.
- Reform laws that criminalize people of color.
Demand a moratorium on new jails statewide.
The state of Ohio is spending $1 billion on new jails and no money on community alternatives to incarceration like mental health treatment, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and job training. We need a moratorium on all new jails statewide and use funding for meaningful criminal justice reforms that address the real problems in our communities.
We need to stop locking people up for misdemeanors, low level crimes and probation violations—especially when they are unable to pay court fines and fees (which are based on ability to pay). All debt-based incarceration must end immediately. It’s time for our elected officials at every level of government to shift from punishing poor people and communities of color, to focusing on rehabilitation and restorative justice.
The justice steering committee meeting to consider a location for the new jail will begin shortly and community members are calling on members to vote no. pic.twitter.com/NChA59j1Ub
— Kaitlin Durbin (@njKaitlinDurbin) April 5, 2022
The Green Party’s platform position under Criminal Justice states that our priorities must encourage and support positive approaches to punishment that build hope, responsibility and a sense of belonging. The No New Jails campaign(s) believe money spent on incarcerating people should be reinvested in black and brown communities that have historically been disproportionately incarcerated and affected by over-policing.
The National Black Caucus and the Ohio Green Party co-sponsored the proposal to endorse #NoNewJails before the party’s National Committee. https://www.gp.org/nonewjails_nationwide_say_greens
Broken Ground: Why America Keeps Building More Jails and What It Can Do Instead
https://www.vera.org/downloads/publications/broken-ground-jail-construction.pdf
Following the Money of Mass Incarceration
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/money.html