FRANKLIN, TN — Today, hours after faith leaders delivered an open letter and over 3,000 petitions from the public to Tennessee-based FDR Safety calling on the corporation to stop its involvement in the development of a new nitrogen hypoxia execution protocol for Alabama, FDR Safety has announced that it is withdrawing from its contract with the state. Signatories of the open letter include pastors from churches in Franklin, Nashville, and Memphis and other cities throughout the Tennessee. Working with Worth Rises, Pastor Kevin Riggs led the delivery, which comes on the heels of his op-ed in the Tennessean last week. This action was part of a campaign launched by Worth Rises in July 2021, when more than 70 organizations, investors, and business associations sent a joint letter to FDR Safety demanding their withdrawal from the Alabama contract.

MILWAUKEE, WI — Today, the Milwaukee Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to pass a resolution, as amended, to provide “free or ultra low cost” voice and video calls in the county’s jail and house of correction. The original resolution would have made voice and video calls free this year. The amendment, which passed 12-5, requires county administrators to report back to the Board by July 2022 with a plan to RFI and subsequently RFP jail telecom services with the intention of making voice and video calls “free or ultra low cost.” Advocates are disappointed that the Board punted the urgent need for free jail communication, but resolve to continue putting pressure on the Board to get to fully free voice and video calls in the near-term.

ALBANY, N.Y. — Today, Worth Rises Executive Director Bianca Tylek offered testimony at New York Inspector General Lang’s press conference, where the Office revealed findings from its comprehensive investigation into DOCCS’ Incarcerated Individual Drug Testing Program. The investigation reveals a partnership between DOCCS and Microgenics that led to horrific consequences for incarcerated people & their families. This comes after years of activism and research by Worth Rises exposing DOCCS' blatant disregard for incarcerated people’s basic constitutional rights. See below for full press release.

NATIONWIDE — Against the urging of people directly impacted by incarceration and criminal justice advocates to break ties with prison telecom giant Aventiv Technologies — parent of Securus Technologies and JPay — Grammy Award-winning Christian rapper Lecrae has decided to continue partnering with the predatory corporation for a hip hop contest. His team has confirmed Lecrae is being paid by Aventiv.

NATIONWIDE — Envestnet is leveraging Worth Rises' data for a new comprehensive investment screen for the prison industry. Based on Worth Rises’ biennial report The Prison Industry: Mapping Private Sector Players, the new screen will help financial advisors divest client portfolios from corporations involved in the prison industry.

OAKLAND, CA — As Alabama legislators scramble to fit in a special session to handle the future of the state’s prison system, CoreCivic, the private prison firm who would have been the builder and owner of a proposed massive project, announced the state of Alabama terminated the leases for the project during an earnings call. This disclosure follows a successful campaign organized by an unprecedented coalition of groups including Alabama grassroots organizations, national human rights organizations, impact investors, and business leaders who called on global financial institutions to refuse to purchase a $630 million taxable municipal bond offering by the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) that would fund this CoreCivic project. The following is a joint statement from Presente.org, Worth Rises, Communities Not Prisons, and Justice Capital:

NATIONWIDE — Today, advocates escalated pressure against Tennessee-based FDR Safety and Florida-based Clinical Pharmacology Services to stop developing a new death penalty protocol. Worth Rises and the Patriots Against Gas Executions urged professional associations, such as the National Safety Council, to remove the corporations from their membership. The escalation comes a week after more than 70 organizations, investors, and business associations, including the American Sustainable Business Council - Social Venture Circle, sent a joint letter to the corporations demanding they stop developing a nitrogen gas execution protocol for the Alabama Department of Corrections.

NATIONWIDE — Today, Worth Rises published an analysis of recently-released financial statements for Aventiv Technologies — parent company of Securus Technologies – revealing that the prison telecom corporation capitalized on the COVID-19 public health crisis to rake in massive gains at the expense of struggling families.

NATIONWIDE — Today, more than 70 national organizations sent a joint letter to Congress, addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, endorsing the recently introduced Abolition Amendment and urging immediate passage. The joint resolution (SJ Res 21, HJ Res 53) which reads, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude may be imposed as punishment for a crime,” was introduced last week by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Congresswoman Nikema Williams (D-GA-05) to remove the last vestige of slavery in the U.S. Constitution — the insidious exception clause in the Thirteenth Amendment that allows for slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime. They were joined by eight U.S. Senators and 16 U.S. Representatives, including Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism Cory Booker (D-NJ).

HARTFORD, CT — Today, Connecticut Governor Lamont signed Senate Bill 972, officially making Connecticut the first U.S. state to make prison phone calls free for incarcerated people and their loved ones. SB 972 passed the state Senate and House in bipartisan votes over the past two weeks and was fully funded in the budget. Connecticut joins a growing list of jurisdictions across the nation in making prison and jail phone calls free, including New York City, San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles.