Crime survivors in support of jail depopulation
Many crime survivors support bills for jail depopulation because they feel the system is not working to protect them or repair the harm they have suffered.
Dana Steiner
“I’m a queer and trans person, and a survivor of rape and intimate partner violence. When I was in an abusive relationship, there were many things that could have protected me, but locking up more of my neighbors for low-level offenses isn't one of them. Jailing people is an extremely traumatizing and violent response to crime. It doesn’t make sense to me as a survivor why we would perpetuate such violence against people for minor offenses.”
Sharletta Evans
“I have experienced the worst pain possible for any mother: The loss of my 3- year-old son through an act of violence. Even as I am a survivor of a devastating crime, I do not think that the solution to crime is to invest more of our resources into mass incarceration. Filling our jails with people whose “crimes” are missing a court date or failing a technical parole condition does not help survivors of crime and only causes more harm. We must stop investing millions in jailing people for low-level offenses and use that money to help our communities.”
Anna Ramirez Crawford
“I am a representative of the Women’s Lobby of Colorado, a survivor of rape and a member of a sexual assault survivor advocacy group, the Colorado 16. It is a misconception that all survivors of violent crimes feel well-served by the current system of mass incarceration. This is simply not true. There is still work to be done to address issues such as homelessness, addiction, and mental illness in our state, but unnecessary jail time is not the answer, especially when that harms low-income folks, communities of color and families.”
Natalia Marshall
“My uncle, Michael, was a joyous person who loved my grandma, Elvis and Jesus. He called the police on himself as he was going through a psychotic episode. Instead of giving him help, he was sent to jail. It killed him. Jail should be for people who are dangerous to others, but far too many are in jail because they are homeless, have mental illness, are addicted to drugs, missed a court date or just can’t afford the bond. It’s time for change.”
We’re building a coalition.
We are stronger together. Let’s work together to protect our most vulnerable neighbors in Colorado from the harms of the criminal INjustice system.