The February edition of Building Bridges has been issued by the Prison Action Network.
Their brief summary is given below. Please see Building Bridges for full details and ways to help.
1. Legislation: update on the SAFE Parole Act; bills that were voted on by the NYS Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee at their meeting on February 6.
2. Parole News: a summary of 2012 releases. At the NYS Budget hearings on Public Safety on February 6, 2013 it was announced that Parole Board Chair Andrea Evans' term had expired. It is not clear whether she will stay on until her replacement is named and/or if she will be remaining as a Commissioner.
3. Veterans Day weekend conference, When Johnny Comes Marching Home...and Gets Arrested - From Honor to Dishonor and Back, will focus on the special needs of incarcerated War Veterans.
4. A Prison Is Not a Nursing Home: The Incarceration of the Elderly in New York State, a report by the New York State Prisoner Justice Network. The NYS Prisoner Justice Network calls on readers to build a strong movement with a clear message: people in prison, like those on the outside, deserve respect and decent care in their old age, and elders who pose no danger to the community should be released.
5. An invitation to join a group of advocates on March 2 to discuss the release of ageing people from prison.
6. Job opportunities for people with criminal histories and a good education.
7. Corey Parks is now working for Harlem SNUG, and shares with readers what SNUG is and does.
8. The Reentry Roundtable on February 20 will focus on legislative proposals that address barriers to effective reentry. Anita Marton and Kate Rubin will be the guest speakers.
9. An evening of film and theater on February 27 will make a case for providing access to higher education for people in prison.
10. Prison Voices Project, airing on WGXC, 90.7 FM, has a new time slot and a website. The producer is reaching out to incarcerated artists for a website logo.
11. Albany's Center for Law and Justice is presenting a ten week film series, starting on February 21, to present the story of the African American presence and experience in the Americas.
12. SAVE the dates! On April 5 and 6, Columbia University students will be presenting their third annual Criminal Justice Conference. Don't miss an event that gets better every year!
13. Visit the reentry.net/ny calendar for more events in your area.
