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)
