Recap: January Statewide Call
Thank you to everyone who joined our January Statewide call, kicking off the 2025 legislative session. During the call, our lobbyist walked us through the current legislative landscape in the state and shared important information about budgets and session deadlines. We were also joined by organizers, advocates, and community members who are leading campaigns around the state related to ending routine cavity searches, ending license suspension due to unpaid fees, removing barriers to housing for individuals with a criminal background, and more!
Our next CT Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call is on Thursday, February 20th, from 11:00 a.m. to noon. Register to join us!
If you have any questions or would like to present reach out to Taina at Taina@katalcenter.org
Probation Reform Now
We’re excited to share that state Rep. Joshua Hall has put in a bill on our behalf to reform probation in CT.. Proposed H.B. 6361 is an act eliminating incarceration as a sanction for a noncriminal technical probation violation and concerning other probation violations system reforms. This legislation would eliminate incarceration for noncriminal technical violations, introduce earned time credit and remove burdensome supervision fees in order to incentivize success, reduce caseloads and reduce the trauma of arrest.
In 2023 Katal released a report with the Prison Policy Initiative, “Excessive, unjust, and expensive: Fixing Connecticut’s probation and parole problems,” highlighting how the system of community supervision in Connecticut acts as a direct pathway to incarceration rather than the alternative it was intended to be. The bill proposal was informed by the research and suggestions included in this supervision report.
If you have any questions or would like to get involved feel free to contact our Policy Coordinator Taina at Taina@katalcenter.org.
Growing Power 2025
Growing Power is Chicks Ahoy Farm and Katal Center’s annual workshop conference where we grow skills, community, and power. Now in our third year, we feature workshops led by presenters who are farmers and growers in our FLOC (Farmers & Leaders of Color), our Pathways 2 Agriculture program, and our Cultivating Justice leadership. Growing Power is open to everyone, and centers BILPOC, justice-impacted, and low-income families. Entire families, from babies to elders are welcome! Come for some or all of the day!
The list of workshops and presenters is growing every day, and includes sessions on: Growing and Compost, Chicken Keeping, Freshwater Fishing, Beekeeping, Organizing, and more! Formal schedule coming soon, stay tuned! Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for updates!
Contact Diana at diana@katalcenter.org to learn more.
Katal Quotes of the Week
“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time” ― Angela Davis
“It is in collectivities that we find reservoirs of hope and optimism” – Angela Davis
We can’t do this without you. Please support our work to build leadership and organizing capacity in Connecticut, New York, and beyond.
Join us on Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin!
Email: info@katalcenter.org
Phone: 646.875.8822
