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Texas Prison Bid'ness:Welcoming new Texas Prison Bid'ness blogger, Jake Crowther

September 27, 2016

ke Crowther is the Young Adult Volunteer at Grassroots Leadership and our newest Texas Prison Bid'ness blogger. Originally from Clemson South Carolina, Jake studied Spanish and International Health at Clemson University. During this time, he gained a great appreciation for community development, and the desire to work with individuals who have been marginalized by our society. While at Clemson, he began to explore and learn more of the pain and issues that U.S. policy had caused both in Latin America and among Latino communities in the U.S.

Before coming to Austin, Jake spent a year interning in Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. While living on the border, he worked with Frontera de Cristo, a bi-national border ministry. Their hope is to educate people about U.S. border/immigration policy, its impacts, and the many ways that we can respond to help those directly impacted by these policies. While there, Jake delved deeper into the connection between a broken immigration system and the private prison industry. The more he learned, the more he knew that he wanted to work to change these systems.

Formerly incarcerated people, criminal justice reform advocates call on Travis County to lower jail population, address mass incarceration crisis

(AUSTIN, Texas) — Today, formerly incarcerated people, their loved ones, and criminal justice reform advocates called on the Travis County Commissioners Court to address rising incarceration rates at the Travis County Jail. Read more about Formerly incarcerated people, criminal justice reform advocates call on Travis County to lower jail population, address mass incarceration crisis

FRIDAY: Formerly incarcerated people, criminal justice reform advocates to call on Travis County to lower jail population

WHAT: Press conference and testimony in front of Travis County Commissioners Court

WHO: Texas Advocates for Justice, formerly incarcerated residents, and criminal justice reform advocates

WHEN: Friday, September 23rd — Press conference at 8:30 a.m. and testimony begins at 9:00 a.m.

WHERE: Travis County Commissioners Court, 700 Lavaca St., Austin, TX, 78701. Read more about FRIDAY: Formerly incarcerated people, criminal justice reform advocates to call on Travis County to lower jail population

Dept. of Justice urged to investigate ADA violations in Karnes family detention center

(AUSTIN, Texas) — An Austin-based immigration attorney has urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate why the school inside an immigrant family prison is inaccessible to students or others with mobility impairments. Read more about Dept. of Justice urged to investigate ADA violations in Karnes family detention center

Texas Prison Bid'ness:Dept. of Justice urged to investigate ADA violations in Karnes family detention center

September 19, 2016

Grassroots Leadership reports that an Austin-based immigration attorney has urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate why the school inside of the Karnes Family Detention Center is inaccessible to students or others with mobility impairments.

In a September 19 press release, Grassroots Leadership writes:

"Attorney Virginia Raymond, in a September 17 letter to the DOJ Civil Rights Division, described how one of her child clients, who had broken her leg while in detention and uses crutches, was unable to attend the charter school at the Karnes facility due to it being on the second story. There is no elevator at the for-profit detention facility.
The letter goes on to explain that the charter school for the children detained in the facility has been operated by the John H. Wood, Jr. Public Charter School District, but it is unclear if the company still operates it.