On tuesday my group had the pleasure of attending a speaker event hosted by our school on mass incarceration. There was a rather distinguished panel at the event; Francis Greenburger, founder of the Greenburger Center and numerous other non-profit organizations. Ann Jacobs, director, Prison Reentry Institute at John Jay College, JoAnne Page, president and CEO, The Fortune Society, Gabriel Sayegh, managing director of policy and campaigns, Drug Policy Alliance. During the event our distinguished panel discussed the past and present situation of our justice system. We learned many rather disturbing facts, for example: our country is 5% of the world population but 25% of the worlds incarcerated. Another example: from 1770 to 1981 the state of New York has build 31 prisons, but from 1981 to 2000 we have build 38 maximum security facilities, and around 5 universities. The system is even worse on those with mental conditions, there were once 550,000 beds in secure mental hospitals, now there are 40,000. It is true they the hospitals were de-institutionalize because hey had terrible conditions, but at least the inmates had medication. After they were closed the patients were let out onto the streets, unmedicated, to be arrested. However it is not all bad, everyone on this panel is doing something to help conditions. The Fortune Society educates inmates, the Greenburger Center helps people with mental illnesses. All working to improve our country, because we certainly need to.

The poster image for the mass incarceration event