People who are incarcerated don’t have the right to vote in New York State. Their family and friends, along with formerly incarcerated people themselves, are also less likely to vote or engage in activities like community organizing. It can feel like one vote doesn’t matter, or be hard to know which elected officials support issues that matter to them. The result is a lack of representation of communities impacted by mass incarceration and the issues they care about.
CUP worked with the Alliance of Families for Justice and designers Karl Orozco and Tahnee Pantig to create a fold-out poster in English and Spanish called Our Values, Our Voice, Our Vote. The guide breaks down who the decision-makers at different levels of government are, and shares other civic engagement strategies, like voting and community organizing.
The guide illustrates how family members of people who are incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people can have an impact on legal system reform and ultimately end mass incarceration through voting and other forms of civic engagement. With this information, those most affected by mass incarceration will be able to play a more active role in determining policies that affect them and their loved ones.
Alliance of Families for Justice is distributing the guide to tens of thousands of people in New York State, including directly impacted family members visiting their loved ones in prisons upstate, local community-based organizations, and elected officials.
Get your copy here!