Institutional Racism: Mass Incarceration

The crisis of COVID-19’s impact on incarcerated populations has brought back into focus the explosion of incarceration rates in our country over the past half-century and the stark evidence of institutionalized racism driving who gets sent to prison. Join us for a conversation about what steps Washington can take to get serious about ending mass incarceration.

This series of virtual conversations moderated by Enrique Cerna will explore the racial disparities and inequities in Washington’s public health and policing systems highlighted by COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement. State lawmakers are currently in legislative session where these issues, and the budget, are top priorities. Join us to learn how to put equity front and center in the Olympia debates.

Moderated by broadcast journalist Enrique Cerna.
Featuring:

• Dr. Katherine Beckett, University of Washington S. Frank Miyamoto Professor of Sociology and Chair, Department of Law, Societies and Justice; author of ACLU-WA report, About Time: How Long and Life Sentences Fuel Mass Incarceration in Washington State
• Carmen Pacheco Jones, Director of Health and Justice Recovery Alliance/Co Founder of Implicit Equity Consulting; former African American Health Initiative Specialist; Spokane Regional Health District and Suicide Prevention/Mental Health Promotion Stigma Reduction Coordinator with Washington State University; Community Representative Spokane Regional Law and Justice Council
• Christopher Poulos, Executive Director of the Washington Statewide Reentry Council
• Jeffery Robinson, ACLU Deputy Legal Director and Director of the Trone Center for Justice and Equality