Reply To: Session #1: Key Takeaways

[aleenacontreras]

Hope is a Discipline: Mariame Kaba on Dismantling the Carceral State

-	Communities are educating themselves more and more, and I think because there are more demands from community members justice is slowly becoming more transparent
-	“Aha” moment: incarceration of individuals/enacting vengeance on those who create harm does not promote system change, society needs to focus on changing the root causes of injustice
-	Defunding police units as a consequence for causing harm to communities does not feel sufficient to some community members - instead punitive punishment/suffering is sought out. 
-	Procedural reforms are insufficient- there needs to be reduced contact between police and community members to ensure safety 
o	Not just taking money away- it’s taking power and legitimacy away

The Whole Pie 2020

-	I knew that many people who are not able to make bail are stuck imprisoned until their court date, but I had no idea it was on such a large scale, this was very shocking to me. 
-	A main point made when it comes to ending mass incarceration is that it requires the public to rethink the myths and sense of false safety that the prison system offers- I think this is the most challenging hurdle to overcome. 
-	It is shocking to know that our youth are being incarcerated or left with criminal records for behavioral issues, such as truancy or run away
-	“Aha moment”:
o	The worst crime that a person commits will be their offense category, there is no holistic approach so that the public looking at these statistics can understand what other factors might have led to the person committing this offense. 
o	Probation is an even bigger piece of the “pie”