A slew of states have made progress towards ending felony disenfranchisement implementing universal suffrage for all adult citizens residing in their state. The following have bills proposed with exciting congressional updates. In some states an amendment to the constitution is required in order to reverse the injustice of felony disenfranchisment. For example, in New York, […]
Fall 2019 the movement to repeal TIS laws was reinvigorated by congressional failure to get another criminal justice reform across the finish line. In 2018, I received a prison phone call out of Gus Harrison that a bipartisian HB 5666 was introduced in the House of Representatives in order to revive an earned time system […]
In Illinois, there are just under 30,000 people incarcerated in state prisons who are restricted from voting, but yet are still impacted by the decisions of those elected officials that they cannot vote for. Advocates at Chicago Votes have identified this as a critical error in state government after observing an off-putting intersection in those […]
This was the first time I’ve ever felt unhinged excitement entering a county jail, here’s why: October 24th 2022 at 10:00am, six candidates running on the ballot in Michigan this November, accepted the invitation to speak directly to jailed voters in-person. After a round of introductions participants, including media and outside community members like myself, […]
“Money bond is ransom!” That’s what community members plastered on posters in protest as they advocated for a world where people’s freedom didn’t depend on their bank account balance. The assumption that those who can afford an arbitrarily assigned bond amount are less likely to be guilty is absurd. The assumption that pretrial incarceration determined […]
This past weekend All of Us or None Publishing hosted a book release event at Rutgers University’s Center for Law and Justice in celebration of Rutger’s alma mater, Tia Ryans and Karen Kaplan’s new book Your Journey Behind the Cell: Pre-Release Manual for People Incarcerated in New Jersey. This manual consolidates the stories of several […]
Over this past year Michigan United (MU) took on the heavy lift of hosting an initiative campaign. According to the board of canvassers, the minimum number of valid signatures required for each petition is based on the total number of votes cast for the most recent gubernatorial election. This past year, after more than 4 […]
Two methods for replacing outdated laws in Michigan are being employed in order to address massive overcrowding in the state prisons. For the past decade the legislature has been heavily resistant to passing criminal justice reforms, like HB 5666, claiming it’s “too controversial” to touch. The majority of Michigan law makers are seemingly more comfortable […]
Michigan has taken on the challenge of redrawing its congressional district lines across the entire state under the leadership of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC). The commissioners include thirteen Michiganders from all parts of the state with varying backgrounds, including a woman from Wayne County. The process began with a the introduction of […]