Thursday, May 21, 2015

People Not Prisons: Utahns Need to Speak UpFor Our Neighbors Behind Bars

NAMI Utah hosted a press conference today to address the rhetoric surrounding prison relocation. NAMI Utah is part of People Not Prisons, a loose coalition of advocacy groups working on behalf of people with a mental health condition, people recovering from substance use disorders, and individuals trapped in Utah’s criminal justice system.


People Not Prisons (PNP) is concerned with ongoing rhetoric about correctional facilities and the people within them. We believe that the public and its elected officials should be focused on improving conditions, programs and policies that impact the human beings in our criminal justice system – rather than arguing about the location of the new prison.
 “About 95% of the people who are currently in Utah state prison beds will be released back into their communities.” Says ACLU of Utah Public Policy Advocate Anna Brower. “For our own safety, we need correctional facilities that work”.


The People Not Prisons Coalition includes:
ACLU Utah
NAMI Utah
Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (USARA)
Utah Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (UAATP)
Odyssey House
First Step House
Utah AFL-CIO
Disability Law Center
Utah Prison Support
New Roads Behavioral Health
Utah Prisoner Advocate Network (UPAN)
The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City
Utah Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (UAATP)



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