On Tuesday, the League hosted a panel concerning the national issue of incarceration and how it is increasingly becoming a local issue for many states.
In fact, in our Champaign community, there are plans to completely renovate the Champaign jail, which is roughly only about 30 years old. There is a debate about whether the jail needs to be renovated and what the $20 million dollars can be really used towards in the community.
Our speakers for the night focused on ways of preventing future mass incarceration in our community, with the focus of Doctor Ginbsurg's and Sister Carol Amon's talks on the education and the link to a lower incarceration. Doctor Ginsburg is the director of the Educational Justice Program, which is a program that facilitates the earning of degrees by inmates in the Danville correctional facility.
Sister Carol Amons focused on the issue of the Champaign jail and in particular the monetary aspects of the jail.
League member Joan Miller gave a thorough description of the Court-Watching project and how it is still going strong in the community (now in its ninth year!)
For more info about the Champaign jail issue and EJP, please click on the links below:
EJP : http://www.educationjustice.net/home/
Champaign Jail Issue:
http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext?nxd_id=334872
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts-police-and-fire/2012-03-07/champaign-county-board-request-proposals-jails-study.html
In fact, in our Champaign community, there are plans to completely renovate the Champaign jail, which is roughly only about 30 years old. There is a debate about whether the jail needs to be renovated and what the $20 million dollars can be really used towards in the community.
Our speakers for the night focused on ways of preventing future mass incarceration in our community, with the focus of Doctor Ginbsurg's and Sister Carol Amon's talks on the education and the link to a lower incarceration. Doctor Ginsburg is the director of the Educational Justice Program, which is a program that facilitates the earning of degrees by inmates in the Danville correctional facility.
Sister Carol Amons focused on the issue of the Champaign jail and in particular the monetary aspects of the jail.
League member Joan Miller gave a thorough description of the Court-Watching project and how it is still going strong in the community (now in its ninth year!)
For more info about the Champaign jail issue and EJP, please click on the links below:
EJP : http://www.educationjustice.net/home/
Champaign Jail Issue:
http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext?nxd_id=334872
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts-police-and-fire/2012-03-07/champaign-county-board-request-proposals-jails-study.html