How would returning citizens transform reentry services, policies, and perceptions?
The People’s Paper Co-op (PPC) is an ongoing initiative by the Village of Arts and Humanities that connects formerly incarcerated individuals together with artists, civil rights lawyers, and many others to run a multitude of programs and initiatives. Through a highly collaborative and multidisciplinary process, the PPC and an incredible array of city-wide partners, work with individuals directly impacted by the criminal justice system to develop the tools, skills, and networks to advocate for themselves, their families, and residents across the city.
REENTRY THINK TANK
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WOMEN IN REENTRY
INTERNSHIP / CO-OP |
PEOPLE'S
EXPUNGEMENT CLINICS |
The Village on Vimeo.
The project was instigated by Courtney Bowles and Mark Strandquist as part of the SPACES
residency program at the Village of Arts and Humanities.
residency program at the Village of Arts and Humanities.
WHY WE ACT
“These records hold us back, they hold us down.
Like a tail they keep tripping us up;
as we try to move our lives forward, they come back to haunt us. ”
- Karon, 28, expungement clinic participant
In the United States, there are more than 70 million people with criminal records (more than the entire population of France). People of color are arrested at alarmingly higher rates than their white counterparts and African Americans are more likely to be arrested than any other racial group. In Philadelphia, where we work, African Americans are stopped, frisked, and arrested at higher rates than any other group, and 1 of every 5 residents has a criminal record. These records create obstacles to employment, housing, education, healthcare, and social mobility, while stigmatizing and shackling people to their past.
While upwards of 700,000 U.S. prisoners are released each year, nearly 70% of them will end up back in the system within 3 years. The struggle to end mass incarceration cannot be separated from the efforts to support those in reentry, and to truly support those in reentry, our communities need innovative programing and services that are co-designed and led by former prisoners.
“These records hold us back, they hold us down.
Like a tail they keep tripping us up;
as we try to move our lives forward, they come back to haunt us. ”
- Karon, 28, expungement clinic participant
In the United States, there are more than 70 million people with criminal records (more than the entire population of France). People of color are arrested at alarmingly higher rates than their white counterparts and African Americans are more likely to be arrested than any other racial group. In Philadelphia, where we work, African Americans are stopped, frisked, and arrested at higher rates than any other group, and 1 of every 5 residents has a criminal record. These records create obstacles to employment, housing, education, healthcare, and social mobility, while stigmatizing and shackling people to their past.
While upwards of 700,000 U.S. prisoners are released each year, nearly 70% of them will end up back in the system within 3 years. The struggle to end mass incarceration cannot be separated from the efforts to support those in reentry, and to truly support those in reentry, our communities need innovative programing and services that are co-designed and led by former prisoners.
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THE PEOPLE'S PAPER CO-OP IS AN ART AND ACTIVISM PROJECT BASED AT THE VILLAGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES.
