Trinity Commons Speaker Series with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
Jessica Mingus, Director of Programs for the Lineage Project, moderated a conversation for the Trinity Commons Speakers Series on May 13th with world-renowned trauma expert Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, author of the bestseller The Body Keeps the Score. In their hour together, they spoke about trauma, healing, and the impacts of the pandemic on mental health. […]
Research Roundup: Incarceration can cause lasting damage to mental health
Thanks to the Prison Policy Institute for this article with links to all the supporting research. We often think of incarceration as something people live through and from which they can ultimately be released. But the reality is that time spent in prisons and jails can create a host of collateral consequences that haunt individuals even […]
Ben & Jerry’s on the PIC (Prison Industrial Complex)
Hi Friends! Ben & Jerry’s published a powerful and concise article on the PIC (Prison Industrial Complex). In it, they link to some well-researched and useful resources. Unfortunately, they’re not feeling the love in the comments. I’m not suggesting we respond to the negative comments, but perhaps we can let the folks at Ben and […]
Words Matter
The language we use shapes our perception and can significantly influence how we engage with the world and our impact on it. We must choose our words carefully when speaking about people who are incarcerated. Much of the language used currently is inherently dehumanizing and freezes the person in time rather than allow for personal […]
“Incarcerated and Infected: How the Virus Tore Through the U.S. Prison System” – NYT
This article from the New York Times is an excellent piece of journalism. It provides a high-level perspective, as well as a heartbreakingly intimate look at the experience of the pandemic for people incarcerated in the U.S. A must-read. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/04/10/us/covid-prison-outbreak.html
New Mexico Governor Signs Historic Legislation to End Qualified Immunity
This is a welcome sign of progress. “When a police officer acting in an official government capacity violates a citizen’s constitutional rights, qualified immunity protects them from liability. The New Mexico Civil Rights Act finally fixes this injustice.”
Empathy training for parole officers reduces recidivism by 13%
Heavy caseloads, job stress and biases can strain relations between parole and probation officers and their clients, upping offenders’ likelihood of landing back behind bars. On a more hopeful note, a new UC Berkeley study suggests that nonjudgmental empathy training helps court-appointed supervision officers feel more emotionally connected to their clients and, arguably, better able […]
Just 0.1% of the former US administration’s COVID farm relief went to Black farmers
These are the type of systemic inequities that perpetuate the economic harm of racial inequity and are the precursors to incarceration. “We saw 99 percent of the money going to White farmers and 1 percent going to socially disadvantaged farmers and if you break that down to how much went to Black farmers, it’s 0.1 […]
Red-lining, depression, and tree inequity
An interesting look at the connection between red-lining and mental health. In many cities, a map of urban tree cover reflects the geography of race and income…where 97% of residents are African American. This holds true across Baltimore, which still bears the scars of redlining, policies that denied mortgages and other financial services to entire […]
