Events: Arizona - Phoenix - Scottsdale

WHAT: Locked In Solidarity: Arizona Faith Leaders for Criminal Justice Reform

WHO: African American Pastors, Neighborhood Ministries, Surge Network and Others

WHERE: Arizona State Capitol Rose Garden

1700 West Washington St.

Phoenix, AZ 85007

WHEN: Wednesday, February 6, 2019 from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm MST

RSVP: Eventbrite

CONTACT: Alec Warren | 720-757-8144 | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

DETAILS:

On February 6, 2018 Arizona pastors and faith leaders will host a luncheon: “Locked in Solidarity,” to call for key reforms in the criminal justice system.  “Justice is not a political issue, it is not an issue of liberal or conservative, but it is a Biblical imperative”, said Dr. Warren H. Stewart, Sr. Chair of the African American Christian Clergy Coalition. “As faith leaders, God calls us to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before our God, and the system in Arizona is ripe for change.”

Some positive reforms supported by faith leaders include:

• Reduction of sentences for nonviolent crimes based on good behavior;

• Expungement of records once a person has done their time; and

• Greater support for and expansion of low-cost re-entry programs so ex-offenders can rebuild their lives and become productive taxpaying members of society.

Recent research has shed light on the fact that the state of Arizona is in the midst of an imprisonment crisis. Considering the shocking number of people Arizona imprisons, the class and racial disparities evident in the system, and the resultant ineffective use of taxpayer dollars, there is no way to ignore this crisis.  For example:

• Arizona has harsh sentencing laws that trigger mandatory minimum sentences.

• Options for participation in rehabilitation and re-entry programs are limited.

• Arizona has the 4th highest incarceration rate in the country impacting people of color at higher rates.

• Disparities also exist for women of all races, resulting in some children being placed in the state’s care.

• The racial, ethnic and gender disparities persist across the state, where people of color have been admitted into prisons disproportionately in 14 counties.

• Arizona spends more on prisons than it does on higher education.

Members of the faith community cannot be silent on this issue. Mass incarceration and the racial, ethnic and gender disparities found within Arizona’s criminal justice system is a stain on our collective conscience. We must remove ourselves from a system that incentivizes incarceration and return to the impartial scales of justice. According to Kit Danley, President, Neighborhood Ministries, “In order for Arizona to survive and thrive, the state legislature needs to pass reforms that work to promote values of justice, fairness and reconciliation. It’s time for Arizona to come into the 21st century and make these needed reforms.”