Bishops of the Atlanta province sign letter calling for gun reform legislation
On June 27, the bishops of the five dioceses of the Province of Atlanta came together to celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of Christ the King, and sign a letter to state and federal elected officials calling for legislation to curb gun violence.
Criminal Legal Reform
Ending Mass Incarceration
The United States incarcerates more people than any other country on the planet. More than 2 million people are currently incarcerated in our nation’s prisons and jails, with many millions more on probation and parole. Below are some resources for learning more about mass incarceration and ways to get involved in the work to end it.
- Unlocked Voices
Faith and community leaders are invited to engage in a unique training opportunity focused on changing the narrative about mass incarceration. This program is an initiative of the Multifaith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration. - Georgia Justice Project
Georgia Justice Project works to end mass incarceration in Georgia through offering legal services, advocating for policy reform and community engagement. Volunteer opportunities are available! - Equal Justice Initiative
Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, the Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the U.S., challenging racial and economic injustice and protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. - The New Jim Crow
Originally published in 2010, Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness is an account of the rebirth of a caste-like system in the United States, one that has resulted in millions of African Americans locked behind bars and then relegated to a permanent second-class status—denied the very rights supposedly won in the Civil Rights Movement. The New Jim Crow challenges the civil rights community—and all of us—to place mass incarceration at the forefront of a new movement for racial justice in America.
Solitary Confinement
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately 80,000 incarcerated people, both adults and juveniles, are held in solitary confinement on any given day. Contrary to popular belief, solitary confinement is not used to isolate violent individuals or to protect vulnerable people. It is often used on people with mental illness in the absence of access to mental healthcare. While the UN calls for an “absolute prohibition” on any solitary confinement beyond 15 days, incarcerated people in the U.S. prisons can find themselves held in solitary units for months, years and even decades. It is torture and we must end it.
Learn more and take action below:
