We are in the midst of a profound crisis in our nation’s correctional system. Prisons across the country are dangerously understaffed, overcrowded, and plagued by rapidly deteriorating conditions. As a result, our prisons are not conducive to rehabilitation and produce increasingly poor outcomes for corrections staff and incarcerated people, as well as our families and communities.
One Voice United (OVU) and FAMM, respectively, two of the leading organizations representing correctional staff and incarcerated people and their families, have joined together in a new campaign for safer prisons. For too long, our constituencies have been pitted against one another while the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, friends, and loved ones has suffered. While it may be surprising to some people that we would work together to draw attention to this crisis, we know our fates are intertwined and we have a shared goal of ensuring the health and safety of everyone who works and lives in prison.
Download our joint statement to learn more about our collective efforts to address the problems.
On February 28, One Voice United’s Stephen Walker spoke before the U.S. Senate subcommittee on criminal justice and counterterrorism to address the existential staffing crisis in America’s prisons and jails, in hopes of advancing a nationally sanctioned dialogue.
Watch the full hearing here.