The urgent importance of unlawful justice reform

Alabama’s criminal justice system is broken plus in hopeless need of fix. The state’s prisons are violent and dangerously overcrowded. Excessive court fines and costs enforce hefty burdens on tens and thousands of families every taking a disproportionate toll on communities of color and families who are already struggling to make ends meet year. And Alabama’s asset that is civil policies allow legislation enforcement seize people’s home regardless of if they aren’t faced with a criminal activity.

Arise continues to seek required reforms in those areas into the approaching year. The corporation will also benefit repeal for the Habitual Felony Offender Act (HFOA), the state’s “three-strikes” law. The HFOA is definitely a driver that is unjust of disparities and jail overcrowding in Alabama. What the law states lengthens sentences for a felony conviction following a felony that is prior, even if the last offense ended up being nonviolent. A huge selection of people in Alabama are serving life sentences for non-homicide crimes as a result of the HFOA. Thousands more have experienced their sentences increased as an effect. Repealing what the law states would reduce jail overcrowding and end some of Alabama’s most sentencing that is abusive.

Universal broadband access would assist struggling Alabamians stay linked

The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the fundamental part that the web plays in contemporary life. Today remote work, education, health care and shopping are a reality for millions in our state. But too many Alabamians, particularly in rural areas, can’t access the high-speed broadband that these services need. These access challenges additionally expose a racial disparity: About 10percent all of Ebony and Latino households do not have internet membership, in comparison to 6% of white households.

Policy solutions can facilitate the investments had a need to guarantee all Alabamians can stay linked. Lawmakers can really help by guaranteeing that every communities have actually the ability to obtain, run or deploy their particular broadband services. The Legislature can also enact targeted and tax that is transparent to market broadband for underserved populations.

Town Hall Tuesdays: that which we heard from Arise supporters

Listening is frequently a skill that is underdeveloped yet it is important for shared understanding and working together for significant modification. That’s why Arise is dedicated to paying attention to your users, to your allies & most notably, to those straight impacted by the ongoing work we do together. We rely on everything we hear away from you to steer our problem work and our techniques.

This year’s COVID-19 pandemic challenged us to be imaginative to locate methods to pay attention. Rather than our typical face-to-face conferences round the state, we hosted a number of six statewide on line Town Hall Tuesdays. We held activities every fourteen days, beginning in June and closing Sept. 1. We averaged 65 attendees at each and every session. Here’s several of everything we heard from people and supporters:

• Affirmation for Medicaid expansion, untaxing groceries as well as other arise that is current as necessary for attaining shared success.
• Empathy for many who had been currently located in susceptible circumstances further strained by the pandemic.
• Concern about ongoing, deliberate obstacles to voting, particularly through the pandemic.
• Want to see more resources to satisfy the requirements of our immigrant next-door neighbors.
• Alarm about title and payday financing and its particular effect on people’s everyday lives and our communities.
• Passion and concern about a number of other dilemmas, including housing; residing wages and pay equity; jail and sentencing reform; weapon security; juvenile justice reform; defunding the authorities; the Census; ecological justice; quality and capital of general public training; and meals insecurity and nourishment.
• Willingness to take informed actions to produce a significant difference into the policies that effect people’s life.
• Hope that Alabama may be a significantly better destination for several our next-door next-door neighbors to call home despite systemic dilemmas and ongoing challenges.