WEBINAR: Fighting Jail Expansion: Lessons from the Front Lines

Learn how advocates are responding to shifting arguments for new jail construction.

by Emmett Sanders

For decades, calls for new jail construction were largely accompanied by “Tough on Crime” rhetoric that ignored the fact that jails often house the most precariously situated members of our society. While these dehumanizing narratives persist, in many places jail construction has taken a carceral humanist turn that depicts cages as places of care and compassion and the jail as a service provider for those with mental health or substance use support needs.

This is just one of the ways in which arguments for new jail construction have evolved over time, leading communities to spend millions and sometimes even billions of dollars on new jail construction, even as public safety initiatives are being viciously defunded. Fortunately, those on the frontlines who oppose new jail construction have evolved their own arguments and have developed new strategies to push back.

Join Prison Policy Initiative on June 11, 2025 at 2 PM EST, as we bring together a panel of activists who have pushed back against jail expansion in communities from Atlanta, Georgia, to Sacramento, California, all the way to Oahu, Hawai’i. We’ll discuss how arguments for new jail construction have shifted over time, go over some useful strategies and tools for responding to these arguments, and talk about how our advocacy department can help support efforts to challenge new jail construction in your area.

Panelists will include:

• Carrie Ann Shirota: Policy Director, ACLU-HI with the Reimagining Public Safety in Hawai’i Coalition
• Liz Blum-Gutierrez: Co-founder Decarcerate Sacramento
• Michael Collins: Senior Director of Government Affairs, Color of Change with the Communities Over Cages Coalition

Register here

We hope you’ll join us as we explore strategies communities can use to resist jail expansion.