Decarcerate PA is a grassroots organization working to end mass incarceration in Pennsylvania. We’ve been around for about six years and are completely volunteer run by members inside and outside of prison. Currently we are focused on two campaigns, one to end death by incarceration (aka life without parole) in PA and the other to end cash bail and stop the expansion of the Philadelphia jails.
We are at a crossroads. Over the last couple years, we have focused on building these two campaigns, sometimes at the expense of maintaining a strong, healthy core within DPA itself. The “Planning Committee,” which is DPA’s primary decision-making body outside of prison (we also have an Inside Advisory Board) currently has about seven regular members. Moving forward, we need to grow the capacity of the planning committee or else disband the organization.
We believe that now — perhaps more than ever — grassroots organizations fighting incarceration and repression are essential. To sustain DPA’s work, we are hoping to add six new members to this Planning Committee in 2017! We are looking for people who are willing to devote a substantial amount of time and energy to Decarcerate PA in the coming year. New members will be paired with existing members and will “shadow” that member to learn and participate in their work. This is a serious commitment. DPA members often volunteer 3-8+ unpaid hours per week.
The Planning Committee is just one way to get involved (or stay involved) in DPA. We know that many people are not able to make the kind of time commitment we are asking for in joining the planning committee. This application process and intensive time commitment is a short-term effort to rebuild our capacity–not a long-term plan for bringing people into the organization. If you are interested in learning about other ways to get involved in DPA or our campaigns, please reach out to us!
If you are interested in potentially making this commitment, please read on for more background information and our application and orientation process.
DPA’s current status:
Our current Planning Committee is comprised of around seven people. Right now, a majority of these people are white folks of various genders and class backgrounds, many of whom identify as queer. A couple members of the Planning Committee have experienced incarceration, and all Planning Committee members are dedicated to organizing in deep collaboration and coalition with people who are currently incarcerated or have been directly impacted by incarceration (see below for descriptions our campaign work and inside-outside organizing model).
What we’re looking for—You should consider joining the planning committee if you:
- Believe that the fight to end mass incarceration is deeply connected to the fight to end racism and white supremacy, classism, gender and queer oppression, and imperialism in its various forms, and are in agreement with our Points of Unity.
- Are someone who has been directly impacted by incarceration or are someone who wants to fight to end mass incarceration as an ally or accomplice in that struggle. People of color and formerly incarcerated people and their families especially encouraged to apply.
- Are willing to commit 3-8 volunteer hours of work weekly (depending on the week) and are committed to living in and deepening relationships in the Philadelphia area for the foreseeable future.
If you join the DPA planning committee, some areas of work you might be trained on and participate in collectively could include:
- Coordinating correspondence and engaging in relationship building and strategic planning with inside members and contacts
- Making reminder and check-in phone calls to outside members who are part of our campaigns, as well as canvassing to grow the campaigns
- Joining the finance committee and helping manage our funds & resources — most of which support our campaign work and correspondence with inside members
- Helping plan and execute committee work, actions, and legislative visits for various campaign-related work
- Participating in statewide organizing in support of CADBI that makes the connections between death by incarceration, anti-Black racism, and the fight for racial justice
- Building community power to push local policy makers to end cash bail in Philadelphia
- Corresponding with and being a liaison for a member of our Inside Advisory Board
- Creating media by writing op-eds and creating social media campaigns
- Co-writing our periodic newsletter
- Responding to email, voicemails, and coordinating engagements
How to Apply!
Great, so you got to the end of this document and you still want to be part of DPA Planning Committee! We are very excited about this.
Please fill out our application by March 22nd. You can access the online version of the application here.
If we think it’s a good fit we’ll have a one-one conversation with you. Then we will have a welcome dinner and orientation for everyone who has agreed to be a new member.
Unfortunately, right now we only have the capacity to take on a limited number of people. This is because of our own limited capacity to train new members, and our desire to provide adequate support for new people coming into the organization. Even if we aren’t able to take you on as a planning committee member at this time, we still hope that you will be involved in our work and look forward to collaborating in other ways!
If you’re interested in getting involved in DPA but aren’t able to make such a substantial commitment at this time, there are lots of other ways to get involved. Please reach out to us to learn more! You can contact us by email at decarceratepa@gmail.com, or by phone at 267-217-3372.
Some background on Decarcerate PA
What is Decarcerate PA?
Decarcerate PA was founded in 2011 when a group of individuals and organizations came together to oppose a $685 million expansion of Pennsylvania’s state prison system at the same time as millions were being slashed from the education budget. We unified under a three point platform of 1) no new prisons, 2) decarceration, and 3) community reinvestment. Our first campaign centered on stopping the construction of two new prisons being built in Montgomery County called Phoenix I & II. While the Phoenix I & II campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, the effort brought together individuals and organizations who are committed to fighting mass incarceration for the long haul.
During the final phases of the effort to stop Phoenix I & II, we decided to focus our energies on strategic campaign work in coalition with organizations led by individuals who are directly impacted by mass incarceration. This led to the development of what became the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration and the #No215Jail campaign. We also began “formalizing” our relationships with our comrades inside of prison by creating an Inside Advisory Board.
Right now, Decarcerate PA’s work centers around three major areas:
- Supporting our campaigns. Decarcerate PA is part of two coalitional campaigns, the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration and #No215Jail. We provide material resources, labor power, and analysis to both of these efforts.
- Building public support for ending mass incarceration. Decarcerate PA works to both popularize and deepen a commitment to ending mass incarceration and directing resources towards strengthening communities rather than tearing them apart. We use mainstream and social media, engage in creative direct action, cosponsor events, and support partner organizations to lift up a message that systemic change is necessary.
- Inside-outside movement building. We believe that building a movement across prison walls is essential to ending mass incarceration, therefore providing the infrastructure for this is a critical part of our work. We host monthly letter writing events, collaborate with our Inside Advisory Board, and include people in prison in the campaigns and events in which we participate.
As we look to the future, we hope to grow our base, deepen our collective analysis, and support other organizing–nationally and locally. Additionally, we plan to expand our ability to support new people coming into the movement.
Decarcerate PA is a grassroots campaign working to end mass incarceration in Pennsylvania. We demand that PA stop building prisons, reduce the prison population, and reinvest money in our communities.
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