HARTFORD, CT — Today, the Connecticut House passed SB 972 in a 94-51 vote, sending the legislation on to the governor’s desk. If SB 972 is signed into law by Governor Ned Lamont, as advocates expect, Connecticut will become the first U.S. state to make prison communication free, following a growing number of counties that have adopted similar policies in their jails. Worth Rises joins the rest of the Connect Families Connecticut coalition in celebrating this historic move to bring prison phone justice to the state. Governor Lamont has five days to sign SB 972 into law or it becomes law by default.

NATIONWIDE — Today, Worth Rises Founder and Executive Director Bianca Tylek demystifies the prison industry and the opportunity we have to dismantle it in a new TED Talk: The multibillion-dollar US prison industry — and how to dismantle it. Tylek illustrates the expansive size of the prison industry and the remarkable harm it causes communities decimated by mass incarceration as well as broader society, but she also provides hope that change is possible. She uses prison telecom and the prison phone justice movement to illustrate the problem she recognized and the solution she devised when starting Worth Rises.

HARTFORD, CT — Today, the Connecticut Senate passed SB 972 in a 29-6 vote, sending the legislation on to the House for its final vote. Saving Connecticut families more than $12.2 million annually (before fees and taxes), SB 972 would reconnect struggling families and improve reentry outcomes by allowing incarcerated people to communicate with their support networks at no cost. Importantly, SB 972 would also protect prison visits from being replaced by new communication technology, as many have feared.

DETROIT — Yesterday, ahead of the Detroit Pistons home game against the Chicago Bulls, Worth Rises rallied with local advocates, formerly incarcerated people, and their families to protest for prison phone justice in honor of Mother’s Day. Advocates called on Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores to either finally divest from one of the nation’s largest and most predatory prison telecom corporations, Securus, or sell the NBA team.

“This Mother’s Day, countless mamas can’t speak to their children because they can't afford a prison or jail call. Prison profiteers like Tom Gores are to blame for this, plain and simple. He shouldn’t be allowed to profit from the pain of mass incarceration — to exploit the love between incarcerated people and their families. We demand free prison communication every day, but especially on a day like today, because incarcerated people deserve to be able to say ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ without breaking the bank,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “Tom can run, but he can’t hide. We’ve tried our hand at conversations, but his time is up. We got him kicked off the LACMA board, and we’ll keep raising hell at the NBA until he hears our demands — sell Securus or sell the Pistons. He can’t own both!”

CONNECTICUT — Yesterday, Connecticut's Appropriations Committee issued a joint favorable vote for Senate Bill 972, passing it out of the committee and sending it to the Senate floor for a full vote. Worth Rises joins incarcerated people, formerly incarcerated people, their families, and other advocates in celebrating this important step towards bringing prison phone justice to the state.

“It’s exciting to see the Connecticut legislature really get behind this bill to alleviate the financial burden that families with incarcerated loves ones are being forced to bear just to stay connected. We knew this should and would be a bipartisan effort and yesterday's overwhelming support confirmed that,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “The committee's vote and recent budget allocation are a clear sign that legislators have finally recognized the harm caused by exploitative prison phone rates and are ready to do something about it. We are looking forward to working with leadership in the Senate and House over the coming weeks to get SB 972 across the finish line. Families have been waiting too long.”

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.”