NATIONWIDE — Today, Worth Rises launched The Prison Industry: The Curriculum, a 15-week free, public, self-study course based on the organization’s December report, The Prison Industry: How it Started, How it Works, How it Harms.
As part of The Curriculum, Worth Rises will also kick off Punishment + Profit, a weekly webinar series hosted in collaboration with The Greene Space at New York Public Radio, on February 9th. Each week, the series will bring together advocates, journalists, academics, and attorneys, including directly impacted people, in a live event, which will be followed by a live discussion on Clubhouse. Worth Rises will be in residency with The Greene Space through Spring 2021.
“Today, more than 4,100 corporations are invested in the imprisonment of 2.1 million people and the surveillance of 4.4 million on probation or parole. But most people never consider who designs and builds the 6-by-8-foot cells where people languish for months and years, or who manufactures the shackles incarcerated women are forced to wear while giving birth.” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director for Worth Rises. “The Curriculum is a semester-long course that will give participants a strong understanding of the prison industry and a framework to imagine the world without it. We invite the public to join us weekly to delve deep into an industry that has thrived in the shadows for decades. We’ll expose those involved, reflect on the impact they have on communities, and highlight the advocates fighting back.”
This public education campaign helps unveil the prison industry once and for all. Weekly, The Curriculum syllabus consists of:
Reading assignments with discussion questions
Punishment + Profit webinar series on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. ET
The Curriculum: Study Group on Clubhouse on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET
Segment on The Brian Lehrer Show on NYPR on Mondays at 11:00 a.m. ET
5 Quick Facts About the Prison Industry video series
In an intentional effort to engage directly impacted community members, Worth Rises will host a small, paid learning group of directly impacted fellows who will be guided through The Curriculum and provided additional trainings. Worth Rises will also mail The Curriculum course materials to roughly 1,000 incarcerated people each week.
We invite all press to register for The Curriculum to receive the weekly course content here. Separate registration is required through The Greene Space for the Punishment + Profit webinar series here.
The Greene Space is the street-level broadcast studio and performance venue of WNYC and WQXR, channeling the collective genius in New York City to create forward-looking live art, theater, and journalism that sparks change. It brings audiences to the intersection of art and politics by leading courageous conversations and curating performances of intense beauty that are deeply rooted locally but relevant to audiences globally. For more information, visit thegreenespace.org.