Prison Reform

No New Prisons - Reimagining Communities Through Collective Organizing 03/26/2024

From the Will Miller Social Justice Lecture Series:

In the US there are approximately 250,000 women in jails or prisons on any given day. Join us for a special panel discussion of what it would look like to shift investment away from incarceration and into true public safety, transformation, and healing.

Speakers include Andrea James, Sashi James, Mallory Hanora, and Jayna Ahsaf.

For more information visit: https://www.willmiller.org/

Heather Newcomb from Vermont Works for Women 12/13/2023

Mary Simons and Navarro Dodge interview Heather Newcomb from Vermont Works for Women.

FreeHer VT "From Incarceration to Education" Event 11/05/2023

From the organizers, FreeHer and the Education Justice Coalition:

Join FreeHer VT and the Education Justice Coalition for a march and panel event! Vermont Corrections general fund spending increased 335% between 1985 and 2017. By comparison, total general funding spending on education increased by just 57% over the same time period (Blueprint for Smart Justice VT). At this event we be march from the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility to a school to demonstrate our commitment to moving resources. Upon gathering we hear from FreeHer on their important campaign to stop the building of a new Women's Prison in Vermont.

For more information visit: www.freehercampaign.org/vermont

FreeHer VT Town Hall 02/06/2023

From the organizers:

Join FreeHer Vermont organizers and neighbors to learn how they're organizing to stop the construction of a new prison in Vermont, and how they plan to end the incarceration of women and girls in Vermont. They share about current campaigns and how Vermonters can get involved!

For more information visit: www.nationalcouncil.us

WILPF Conversation with Prison Reform Activists from Vermont and Beyond 08/08/2022

The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom holds a special session on ending mass incarceration and the death penalty with a focus on prison reform in Vermont.

More info: wilpf.org

Women's March Vermont: Panel on Prison Reform at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility 03/20/2019

From the Press Release:

The women in Chittenden Regional Corrections Facility (CRCF) in South Burlington, the state’s only prison for women, are housed in deplorable conditions. Despite high incidences of substance abuse disorder, mental health issues, and past sexual abuse, these women are denied basic services, treatment, and supports. Now CRCF is under increasing public scrutiny after a guard was arrested for sexual assault of a former inmate and the Department of Corrections blocked journalists from gaining access to records on the conditions and treatment of the women in CRCF.

Hear directly from formerly incarcerated women about their experience with poor conditions, inhumane treatment, and challenges they faced at CRCF when trying to access critical services, such as medical care. The conversation also features a representative from VT Digger, as well as advocates working for alternatives to incarceration and better outcomes for women and trans people entangled in the criminal legal system.

The event is sponsored by the ACLU’s Smart Justice Campaign (www.acluvt.org) and Women’s March Vermont (womensmarchvermont.com).

Education and Enrichment for Everyone: Prison Reform 03/01/2019

T.J. Donovan, Vermont Attorney General

Part of the Education and Enrichment for Everyone series in South Burlington, Vermont. For more information visit EEEVermont.org.

Featured Story

CCTV Receives NEH Grant to Support Community Archives

CCTV Center for Media & Democracy is pleased to announce receipt of a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Humanities Collections and Reference Resources grant alongside 32 peer archival institutions across the country. This $49,927 grant award will support efforts to preserve and expand access to audio/visual community history materials in the CCTV Archives. Read more about this opportunity here!