Virginia Prison Reform Rally
If you are interested in transportation, contact and we will try to connect you with other attendees.
We hold the rally by the Bell Tower, in the SW corner of Capitol Square, which is at the corner of 9th and Bank Streets. Then those who are able (and willing), will march once around the Square, on the sidewalk.
Our prison system is broken. As the General Assembly is meeting, it’s time for legislators to listen to their constituents and support legislation that will result in a more just, safer and more cost-effective criminal justice system. The United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. People of color are incarcerated at an unmistakably higher rate than white people and a vast majority of prisoners are there for low-level, nonviolent offenses. The other victims of incarceration are the children and families of prisoners and the psychological distress and economic toll of losing a loved one to prison is too often ignored. Children are left absent one parent and are more likely to get into trouble themselves and must bear the stigma of having an incarcerated parent.
Mass incarceration affects us all. The average per-inmate cost to taxpayers to jail an inmate in Virginia is $79.28 per day but, more importantly, there is a moral imperative to end mass incarceration as the idea of putting more people in prison as a way to bring security and social order to American cities has largely run its course, and prison, for the first time in decades, is now seen by a vast number of Americans as being a social problem in and of itself.
The depth of oppression in prisons is staggering and although Blacks have borne the brunt of mass incarceration, oppression takes place along multiple, intersecting axis such as gender, class, nationality, and ability. Mass incarceration is also an environmental justice issue as environmental degradation due to the damage of sewage and industrial waste from overpopulated and underregulated prisons into the water ways; threats to listed species by the ongoing construction and operation of prisons in remote, environmentally-sensitive rural areas; and the environmental justice concerns regarding prisoners, staff and surrounding communities.
It’s time to rally for prison reform in Virginia. Support common sense legislation for fair sentencing, for ending mandatory minimum sentencing, for reinstating parole, and for decreasing the number of incarcerated youth and increasing community based alternatives to youth prisons. We also need to do more for offenders seeking reentry into the community by strengthening employment and educational opportunities. Together, we can create change in our state. Please join us as we rally for prison reform.
Sponsored by VAPOC (Virginia Prisoner of Conscience)
Endorsed by: ABU Unity Foundation, ACLU of Virginia, Coalition for Justice, Defenders for Freedom, Justice, and Equality, Democratic Socialists of America (Charlottesville Branch), Democratic Socialists of America (Richmond Branch), Family of Jermaine Doss, wrongfully incarcerated prisoner from Norfolk, A Firm Foundation, Inc., Interfaith Action for Human Rights, IWW (Richmond, VA Branch), Leaders of the New South, New Virginia Majority, Raise Up VA, RIHD, Roanoke People’s Power Network, Stephanie Younger, Angela Davis’ Black Girl Coalition, Togetherrva (Together We Will RVA), VAPAC (Virginia Prisoners Accountability Committee), Yes First Alliance Consulting Group LLC, Young Virginia Votes Center
Parking: Unless otherwise marked, there is no charge for parking on city streets on Saturdays.
