CONNECTICUT — Worth Rises joins incarcerated people, formerly incarcerated people, their families, and other advocates in celebrating the Connecticut Appropriations Committee on releasing a state budget yesterday evening that fully funds free communication for incarcerated people. The bill that these budget line items support, Senate Bill 972, is a Judiciary Committee bill that would allow Connecticut residents to communicate with their incarcerated loved ones at no cost, prohibit the state from taking kickbacks from its prison telecom vendor, and protect visits for Connecticut residents with incarcerated loved ones.

The budget allocates $11.4 million to the issue (see pages 78, 249, and 256 of the budget) with $2.2 million going to cover the Connecticut Criminal Justice Information System, $6.0 million to the Connecticut Department of Correction, and $3.2 million to the Connecticut Judicial Department. This allocation covers the fiscal note for SB 972 by allocating funds to both address the cost of service and the gap in revenue that would be created by the bill.

CONNECTICUT — Yesterday, Worth Rises joined incarcerated people, formerly incarcerated people, their families, and other advocates in testifying in support of Senate Bill 972, a Judiciary Committee bill which would allow Connecticut residents to communicate with their incarcerated loved ones at no cost, prohibit the state from taking kickbacks from its prison telecom vendor, and protect visits for Connecticut residents with incarcerated loved ones.

“We've been fighting to pass this bill for two years, and we're tried of being asked to wait. Yesterday, people directly impacted by incarceration showed up powerfully to call on the legislature to act immediately to stop the state and private corporations from continuing to exploit the love between incarcerated people and their families,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director for Worth Rises. “Connecticut has an opportunity to pass historic legislation and become the first state to make prison phone calls free. But more importantly, in the middle of a pandemic, families desperately need this relief and they can’t be made to wait any longer.”

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.

NATIONWIDE — Today, criminal justice advocacy organization Worth Rises called on the National Basketball Association (NBA) Board of Governors to force the sale of the Detroit Pistons by owner Tom Gores unless he divests from one of the nation’s largest and most predatory prison telecom corporations, Securus.

In a full-page ad in the sports section of The New York Times this morning – addressed to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and team owners – Worth Rises asks: “If Black Lives Matter, what are you doing about Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores?” The call comes on the heels of Tom Gores’ forced resignation from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) board in October and days ahead of the NBA season opener on Tuesday, December 22nd. The ad also includes the URL www.pistonsdeservebetter.com, which points to a public petition echoing demands for a forced sale of the Detroit Pistons and removal of Tom Gores from the NBA Board of Governors.

NATIONWIDE — Today, criminal justice advocacy organization Worth Rises released its newest report: The Prison Industry: How It Started, How It Works, How It Harms. The most comprehensive resource published about the prison industry to date, the report is a deep foray into the history, business, and impact of the prison industry and all its corporate players.

“This report was designed to be an educational resource about the true scope of the prison industry. It’s tailored to advocates, our community, and our allies in the fight to dismantle the prison industry and build toward abolition,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director for Worth Rises. “The prison industry has managed to persist and thrive in large part because it remains shrouded in obscurity. This report breaks down the prison industry in layman’s terms. It illuminates the role of the private sector in mass incarceration, so it can’t hide anymore. We hope this report will inspire and be a tool for advocacy going forward.”

NATIONWIDE — Billionaire and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores stepped down from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Board of Trustees last night after just one month of pressure from artists and activists to do so due to his role in the prison industry.

“We’re glad that the museum board stood on the right side of this issue and made a decision quickly to have Tom step down. While today’s win will not bring relief to the families he preys on, it’s a clear sign that people are done with his excuses and rejecting the predatory state of the prison industry. Yet, Tom continues to prey on families across the country fighting to stay in touch with their incarcerated loved ones,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “As he rakes in millions off of marginalized people, Tom once told me ‘progress needs patience.’ Well, three years into his ownership of Securus, his time has run out. We won’t stop until he does what’s right: meets advocacy demands for reform — not his own — and gets out of this predatory business once and for all. Tom and his wife sit on other boards, and they’re all at risk until he does.”

NATIONWIDE — Today, the art community redelivered its letter with 112 additional signatures, calling on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Board of Trustees to remove Tom Gores. Now totaling 215 signatures, today’s letter echoes the advocacy demands posed by Worth Rises and Color Of Change in a letter delivered to the museum earlier this month (September 9, 2020).

Signatories on the new letter now include 15 major LACMA donors and 28 artists who have exhibited at the museum, including Monica Majoli, John Houck, EJ Hill, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Sam Durant, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, among others. Citing his role in the exploitation of Black, Brown, and economically-distressed communities, these letters come after months of fruitless dialogue and disappointment with Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores, whose private equity firm owns Securus, the largest and most predatory prison telecom corporation in the U.S. Securus rakes in more than $700 million annually charging families — disproportionately from Black, Brown, and economically distressed communities — for phone calls from prisons, jails, and immigrant detention centers.

NATIONWIDE — Today, 20 advocacy organizations delivered a joint letter to leadership of the Connecticut state legislature demanding that lawmakers pass measures for prison phone justice in the next emergency session expected this month. In the most recent effort, advocates have been pushing the Connecticut state legislature to address the high rates of prison phone calls since last year.

“Last year, we received a commitment from the Connecticut legislature to prioritize prison phone justice in 2020. The pandemic is no excuse for inaction, in fact, it has exacerbated the need for action. We’re calling on the legislature to keep its promise,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “No more delays and no more stalling — families with incarcerated loved ones need immediate relief from the burden of exploitative prison call rates. Now is the time for the Connecticut legislature to act.”

NATIONWIDE — Today, 103 artists, collectors, curators, journalists, educators, and other members of the art community sent a letter urging the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Board of Trustees to remove Tom Gores from the board, echoing the advocacy demands posed by Worth Rises and Color Of Change in a letter delivered to the museum last week (September 9, 2020).

Citing his role in the exploitation of Black, Brown, and economically-distressed communities, these letters come after months of fruitless dialogue and disappointment with Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores, whose private equity firm owns Securus, the largest and most predatory prison telecom corporation in the U.S. Securus rakes in more than $700 million annually charging families — disproportionately from Black, Brown, and economically distressed communities — for phone calls from prisons, jails, and immigrant detention centers.

NATIONWIDE — Today, 373 advocacy organizations, foundations, and faith-based groups delivered an urgent letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, calling on Congress to enact prison phone justice by including the prison phone justice in the next relief bill expected at the end of September.

“We are in the throes of an unprecedented pandemic, and families with incarcerated loved ones are being forced to choose between talking to their loved one and putting food on the table more than ever. Families shouldn’t have to struggle like this while predatory corporations fleece them with ridiculous call rates,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “We are looking to the Senate to finish what the House started — we need prison phone justice in the next stimulus bill. Families simply can’t wait any longer.”