emi.odyssey-impact.orgEnding Mass Incarceration | Faith Communities Working to Transform

Justice SIGN UP CONVENERS REGIONS METRO NEW YORK GEORGIA ARKANSAS WISCONSIN TEXAS CALIFORNIA ABOUT THE MOVEMENT COORDINATORS VIDEOS CONFERENCE CONTACT US Select Page [rev_slider alias="EMI-Home"][/rev_slider] [rev_slider alias="EMI-Home-Tablet"][/rev_slider] [rev_slider alias="EMI-Home-Mobile"][/rev_slider] Mission The Multifaith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration (EMI) leverages the power of U.S. faith leaders and communities to emphatically demand and act for an end to mass incarceration on the local and national level. Goals We engage congregations and their leaders to educate their communities and move them towards actions that end mass incarceration. We offer models and training toward changing the narrative of incarceration, lifting up theologies of forgiveness, compassion, and justice. We lead faith communities in advocating for substantive change to public policy. Vision EMI organizes an effective moral witness against the laws, policies, and policing practices that contribute to mass incarceration, drawing upon ancient traditions, moral vocabulary, and institutional strength to address the depth of this human rights catastrophe. We employ these strengths to seed an alternative system rooted in love, mercy, atonement, restoration, and transformation that promotes human thriving equitably for all. The Conveners Regions EMI is currently focused in transformative work in six American regions: the New York City metropolitan area ; Georgia with a base in Atlanta; Arkansas with a base in Little Rock; Wisconsin with a base in Milwaukee; Texas with a base in Dallas; and Southern California with a base in Los Angeles. EMI has strong local faith and non-profit partners in these regions, along with philanthropic connections. [SUPER-INTERACTIVE-MAP ID=1] Can we add you to our mailing list to contact you about future EMI/Odyssey Impact campaigns and work? First Last Email Address * CAPTCHA SUBMIT About the multifaith movement to End Mass Incarceration The historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and The Temple in Atlanta Georgia, along with Odyssey Impact and other multifaith partners are collaborating on a national initiative that leverages the spiritual, people, and resource power of the U.S. faith community to end mass incarceration in the United States. The Multifaith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration (EMI) is focused on catalyzing a faith-rooted response to this issue in a way that adds value to existing work and furthers coherence in faith-rooted efforts. Our vision is for multifaith communities to exercise and amplify their calls and actions for eliminating mass incarceration in a dedicated, savvy, and impactful manner. In no area of American society are the legacies of slavery and racism more evident than in the criminal legal system. Despite making up only 12% of the U.S. population, Black people make up 50% of the country’s prison population. Both Black and Latinx people are more than twice as likely as others to be held in detention prior to trial, which increases the likelihood of prison sentences after trial and for longer periods of time. While racial bias plays a key role, excessive sentencing laws and widespread socioeconomic inequality are also primary factors. The cash bail system penalizes those without wealth, and crowded jails dehumanize people who exist on the margins of the economy. The system incarcerates people simply for being poor. Even after the trauma and stigmatization of incarceration, those who have been released face penalties including discrimination in housing and employment, inability to vote, and exclusion from public benefits, student loans, and some professional licenses. Those who serve time in America’s prisons or plead guilty in exchange for little or no actual prison time are stigmatized and legally barred from full citizenship, which compound the complexities of reintegration into society. The multifaith community is uniquely positioned to draw upon ancient traditions, moral vocabulary and the institutional strength of collective witness to address the depth of this human rights catastrophe. A number of ministries and congregations actively support those who are presently or formerly incarcerated, but religious communities have yet to speak in a clear and coherent theological voice about the systems that perpetuate mass incarceration. Faith communities can play a critical role in organizing an effective moral witness against the laws, policies, and policing practices that contribute to the continuing evolution of mass incarceration. The concerns around mass incarceration are shared by a wide variety of constituencies. As a result, this issue has great bridge-building potential across theological, political, geographic and ideological differences. We continue to actively involve the voices and leadership of the formerly incarcerated, along with their families, in the planning and implementation of our work. We are committed to ensuring such leadership remains at the center of our efforts. Moving forward, the three main foci for the EMI Initiative are congregational engagement , narrative change and public policy education . Congregational Engagement We plan to convene, train, and equip leaders of faith and moral courage and their communities using practical tools to facilitate local work on the issue of mass incarceration. For some, it may be an expansion of existing work. For others, it will be the first time engaging with the issue. Our main tool will be the Faith Toolkit. Created in partnership with Public Square Media, along with many other faith-rooted and secular partners, this guide provides practical, user-friendly resources that can help congregations engage in strategies that are manageable, doable and organic for each community. Topics include the sealing” or erasing” of a legal record of an arrest or criminal conviction, known as an expungement; bail outs” that highlight the unfairness of the cash bail system; and promotion of restorative justice practices. Priorities for this area of work includes: hiring a director for the Initiative enhancing administrative support based at Ebenezer Baptist Church developing resources to scale the number of faith communities utilizing the Faith Toolkit traveling to various sites to assist with Toolkit implementation supporting consultants who provide implementation assistance continue development of the Faith Toolkit Narrative Change We know that stories can have a significant impact in shaping public perceptions. The stories of those who have been directly and indirectly impacted by the criminal legal system are compelling and illustrate the multiple levels at which the current system is biased and unfair. Our intention is to: Priorities for this area of work includes: conduct research and collect anecdotes around compelling stories create accessible and inclusive theological messages educate and train leaders of faith and moral courage in using these messages to effect change develop and implement a story-based strategy rooted in faith, love and inclusion Public Policy Education There is a need for public policy education in order to support efforts by leaders of faith and moral courage in educating policy makers and shapers at state and federal levels. We plan to convene faith-rooted justice leaders at national and local levels to encourage their engagement in public policy education. The primary policy focus for the next year will be related to expungements and clean slates.” Priorities for this area of work includes: holding Federal policy briefings via in-person convenings and video calls partnering with existing federal, faith-rooted public policy efforts already underway supporting new and existing faith-rooted, state-focused policy education efforts About the 2019 Let My People Go” Conference From June 17-19, 2019, in Atlanta, Georgia, the Multifaith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration held our first conference, Let My People Go: Ending Mass...