WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on "Overreach: An Examination of Federal Statutory and Regulatory Crimes” (video). Worth Rises Executive Director Bianca Tylek testified on the impact that federal overcriminalization has on the American people, both directly and through its influence on state policy. Her remarks touched on the disproportionate impact overcriminalization has on Black, brown, and low-income people, the role of the prison industry in overcriminalization, and its relation to the exception in the Thirteenth Amendment—raising questions from several Congressmembers. She called Congress to take decisive action to end the profit motive behind overcriminalization, starting with passing the Abolition Amendment to end the exception and abolish prison slavery.  

ANNAPOLIS, MD — This week, the Maryland Senate and House held hearings on Senate Bill 948 and House Bill 1366, which would make calls free across Maryland’s prisons, ahead of committee votes. Advocates and impacted community members testified on the impact that the bills would have on incarcerated people, their children and families, and public safety. The bills are sponsored by Senator Jeff Waldstreicher and Delegate Kent Roberson, respectively. If the bills pass, Maryland would become the next and sixth state to make prison calls free, following quickly on the heels of Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Colorado. California made prison calls free in 2022 and Connecticut in 2021.

NEW YORK — Worth Rises, a non-profit criminal justice advocacy organization, announced today the publication of a groundbreaking cost-benefit analysis independently conducted by leading economics firm Edgeworth Economics. The study, A Cost-Benefit Analysis: The Impact of Ending Slavery and Involuntary Servitude as Criminal Punishment and Paying Incarcerated Workers Fair Wages, presents an in-depth analysis of the fiscal costs and benefits of ending the exploitation of incarcerated workers through fair wage practices. The findings of this first-of-its-kind analysis show that doing so will immensely benefit not only incarcerated workers, but also their families, victims, and society at large.

NEW YORK and NIJMEGEN — Today, civil society groups Worth Rises, BankTrack, and the Coalition for Immigrant Freedom filed a complaint with the National Contact Points (NCPs) of Switzerland and the UK against Swiss-based banks UBS and Swiss National Bank and UK-based banks Barclays and HSBC. The complaint alleges that the banks’ financial involvement with private prison operators CoreCivic and GEO Group contravenes their responsibilities under the OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct. 

BOSTON, MA — Today, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed the FY24 budget with a provision that requires prison and jails across the state provide phone calls, video calls, and e-messaging to incarcerated people at no cost. The provision, which will go into effect December 1, 2023, was agreed to by the Senate and the House in conference committee and is estimated to save Massachusetts families over $25 million annually.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, #EndTheException joined Senators Jeff Merkley (OR) and Cory Booker (NJ) and Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-5) for the reintroduction of the Abolition Amendment, a joint resolution that would abolish slavery for all in the United States. The Abolition Amendment, which gained bipartisan support in the 117th Congress, seeks to end the exception in the 13th Amendment that still allows slavery and involuntary servitude to be used “as a punishment for crime.” Due to this exception, slavery is still legal and real for incarcerated people across the nation.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Today, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed SF 2909, the Judiciary and Public Safety budget bill, which the Minnesota House of Representatives voted 69-63 to pass on May 16. The bill includes language that makes calls free for people incarcerated in state prisons. The language was initially introduced by Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten in the Senate and Representative Esther Agbaje in the House. Minnesota follows Connecticut, California, and Colorado to become the fourth state in the country to make prison calls free

DENVER, CO — Today, the Colorado Senate voted 23-12 to pass HB23-1133, which makes calls free in state prisons across Colorado. The bill was sponsored by Representatives Judy Amabile and Mandy Lindsay in the House and Senators Julie Gonzales and Robert Rodriguez in the Senate and now moves to Governor Jared Polis’ desk to be signed. Colorado follows Connecticut and California to become the third state in the country to make prison calls free.

PRINCETON, NJ — Today, hundreds of Princeton Theological Seminary students and alumni delivered a demand letter to President Jonathan Walton demanding the removal of Michael Fisch from the Board of Trustees due to his role in the prison industry. Fisch’s private equity firm, American Securities, owns ViaPath (formerly GTL), a predatory prison telecom that rakes in more than $650 million annually charging incarcerated people and their families exorbitant rates to stay connected.

DENVER, CO — Today, the Colorado House Judiciary Committee voted 8 to 4 to advance HB23-1133. Sponsored by Representatives Judy Amabile and Mandy Lindsay, HB23-1133 would make prison communication free across Colorado. It now moves to the House Appropriations Committee for further consideration.