Dear Friends,
For many of us, the holiday season means spending time with family and friends, wrapping presents, and eating way more than we should. But for the incarcerated and their loved ones, the holidays are a lonely and dispiriting time.
My 2023 Wishlist: Criminal Justice with Dignity highlights my belief that people are far more than the worst thing they’ve ever done. I truly believe that people can do great harm and, also, that people can be transformed. I believe that our criminal legal system can hold people accountable and still recognize their humanity.
Everything on this wishlist celebrates the idea that people — even people who perhaps have done terrible things — deserve to be treated with care and respect. Read on to see just a few of the areas in the criminal justice system where I believe dignity needs to be added to the equation, and steps you can take to bring a little more justice in 2023.
- End the death penalty, once and for all.
The death penalty is gruesome; you only need to look to the last two botched executions in Alabama (and the 7 total botched executions this year alone) to know that the government should not be in the killing business.
It’s also pointless. The death penalty doesn’t make people safer. In fact, death penalty states have higher murder rates than those without the death penalty. And the death penalty doesn’t heal the very real pain of murder victim families; in fact, it may prolong it.
Continue reading Criminal Justice with Dignity here.
As we celebrate the joy of the holiday season, let’s remember all people impacted by our criminal legal system. And let’s work to put justice into our criminal legal system.
Best holiday wishes to you and yours,
Jessica