In this issue…
FreeThemNowCT and COVID-19 Pandemic
Connecticut Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call
Connecticut Community Organizer Position
#FreeThemNowCT and COVID-19 Pandemic
Over the weekend, Newsweek released a scathing article about incarcerated individuals in Connecticut passing away due to medical negligence from the Department of Corrections (DOC). The article highlights how “staff shortages, widespread mismanagement and poor quality of care” are the principal reasons for the medical neglect that has led to preventable deaths in the DOC. Connecticut is the only state in the country to run its own medical program, every other state uses a combination of external medical providers. This practice decreases the oversight of medical treatment since everything happens within the DOC.
This is particularly alarming as we are still in the midst of the greatest public health crisis of our lifetime and as research around the Delta variant is showing that it is 50% more contagious than the original COVID-19 virus. We know incarcerated people have far higher rates of contracting and passing away from COVID-19 than the general population — even with the undercounting of COVID-19 deaths in corrections facilities across the country. This only further emphasizes the necessity of a transparent and comprehensive pandemic plan for all Connecticut prisons and jails– today for COVID, tomorrow for the next virus.
This week, we were out flyering in different parts of the state, speaking with community members about our #FreeThemNowCT campaign and the need to develop a comprehensive COVID-19 plan for people detained in correctional facilities. To learn more about our #FreeThemNowCT campaign click here.
Join us and take action here to demand that Governor Lamont develop a comprehensive and transparent plan for state correctional facilities to protect our incarcerated loved ones from COVID-19!
Join us on Thursday September 2 for the next CT Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call
Our statewide calls are back next month! Join us for the next CT Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call is on Thursday, September 2 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon.
During the call, we will get a detailed lobbyist report about what happened at the capital over the summer and we will hear updates from organizers and advocates working to advance criminal justice reform in Connecticut. RSVP here!
The goals of the CT Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call are to:
- Highlight issues, campaigns, and projects that groups are working on to advance statewide reform;
- Identify ways to align, coordinate, and support each other in the work to end mass incarceration in Connecticut;
- Strengthen community organizing and advocacy organizations to build movement in Connecticut.
We’re hiring – CT Community Organizer Position
We’re hiring for a community organizer in Connecticut. This is a great opportunity for organizers who want to join a steller organizing team focused on building power and developing leaders! This position will work to build campaigns to end mass incarceration and mass criminalization in Connecticut. Click here to apply for the Connecticut Community Organizer Position!
We are organizing for equity, health, and justice for everyone and we envision a world where all communities have the resources and power to exercise self-determination. Following Black Radical Tradition, our multiracial team is rooted in anti-racist politics and Black leadership.
Please share this posting in your networks or with anyone you think may be interested. Details about the position, including salary range and how to apply, are here!
Sign up for the Katal New York Update
We announced in March that, after nearly 5 years, we’re ending the Katal Weekly Update, and moving to two separate email updates — one for Connecticut, another for New York. If you’d also like to keep up what we’re doing in New York, click here to sign up for the Katal New York Update!
Keep practicing social distancing, wear your mask, wash your hands, and check in on your neighbors. If you want to get involved, learn more about our work, or just connect, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Katal works to strengthen the people, policies, institutions, and movements that advance health, equity, and justice for everyone. Join us: web, Twitter, Facebook! Email: info@katalcenter.org. Phone: 646.875.8822.
