DecARcerate and Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition Join Letter Calling for Effective Criminal Justice Reform

Zachary Crow, Director DecARcerate

(501) 367-7890

www.decarceratear.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 1/18/2023

DecARcerate and Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition Join Letter Calling for Effective Criminal Justice Reform

Little Rock, AR: Today, DecARcerate and Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition joined several

legal organizations, non-partisan policy organizations, and local criminal justice reform

advocates to call on Governor Sanders to invest our taxpayer’s dollars in modern, proven means to address the needs of our families and communities, rather than waste those taxpayer dollars on the same-old systems that simply do not work.

Zachary Crow, Executive Director of DecARcerate, said, “Despite voting in February to add an

additional 498 beds, there has already been talk of additional prison expansion during this

legislative session. Arkansas legislators have consistently turned to prison expansion in an

attempt to lower crime rates, address overcrowding in prisons and jails, and as a political ploy

to further their own ‘tough on crime’ agendas. Their lack of imagination further entrenches

Arkansas in an unsustainable and oppressive system of mass incarceration, which is incapable of addressing many of the underlying societal harms that lead to behavior lawmakers deemed criminal. Prison does nothing to address poverty, the mental health crisis, addictions, and systemic trauma. Together we must demand better of our elected officials, in pursuit of a more just and equitable Arkansas."

Sarah Moore, Executive Director of Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition, said, “During a

celebration of MLK Jr during the weekend in Fayetteville, Dr. Cornell West said that we get

"well adjusted to injustice" and "well adapted to indifference." Building more prison beds when

we know that we will disproportionately place poor, black and brown folks into these beds is the indifference we should push back against. When other states in the country are reducing

incarceration and turning to evidence-based approaches to drive their economy and to keep their families together, why would we do more of the same that only tears at the fabric of our families and more injustice? We can invest in community solutions that keep us safe, strengthens families, and create an Arkansas that works for all of us. Governor Sanders gets to decide what her legacy will be. More of the same or forging a new path of prosperity and well-being for Arkansas?”

About DecARcerate: DecARcerate is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Little Rock,

AR. Founded in 2015, DecARcerate works to affirm human dignity by confronting unjust

systems with and on behalf of people directly impacted by mass incarceration. Decarcerate

works to end mass incarceration through education, smart legislation, advocacy, and empowering the leadership of people directly impacted by the criminal injustice system. About Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition: Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition (AJRC) is a

501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Little Rock, AR. Founded in 2019, AJRC moves

forward policies and investments that will end mass incarceration led by the voice and power of the individuals and families impacted.