Supporting our incarcerated & detained neighbors right now

Updated June 12, 2020

All classes within MA prisons and jails are currently suspended. And, at least 7 incarcerated individuals have died from COVID-19 in MA prisons. We're getting our ducks in a row so we're ready to meet our students in the prison yard as soon as its safe to do so. It's our eighth season. Wishing our whole wide community, on the inside and outside, wellness this spring. 

In these pandemic times, it’s uplifting to hear all the ways that folks around the country are working to protect incarcerated and detained neighbors. Lots of you have been asking what we can do!? 

• Here's The Justice Collaborative's rundown of actions nationwide.

• Here's the Vera Institute of Justice's succinct guidance for jails, prisons, immigration detention and youth facilities at this time.

In our home state, here are some important actions that you can take to support our incarcerated community.

• Families for Justice as Healing and the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls have put together comprehensive, weekly actions targeted at Governor Charlie Baker, Department of Corrections officials, Sheriffs, Parole Board, Probation Department, District Attorneys and elected officials at all levels of state government. Please call on these policymakers to demand release incarcerated and detained individuals, as well as top medical care, adequate sanitation supplies, extra showers, extra clothes and free phone calls for those who cannot be released. Visit tinyurl.com/maweekofaction for full contact information, demands and scripts to call, email and tweet. We have been taking these actions daily, and we will continue to do so.

• Black & Pink Boston and the Deeper than Water Coalition are leading the charge to raise money to send soap and cleaning supplies to Massachusetts prisons, as well as a pressure campaign on DOC and state officials to ensure that the much needed hygiene supplies are being supplied. To contribute to the fundraiser for soap and other ways to protect the health of staff and incarcerated individuals, visit https://deeperthanwater.org/2020/03/17/mass-incarceration-mutual-aid-and-covid-19/.

• Concord Prison Outreach is collecting fabric masks to distribute inside the prison. They are also offering to pick up the masks from you! For instructions on making masks and more info about this initiative, visit https://mailchi.mp/55a1256d75de/dust-off-those-sewing-machines-fabric-masks-needed?e=07adf7c99b.

• New Beginning's Reentry Services, led by Stacey Borden-Holliday, is opening Boston's only home for women getting out of prison or jail. Right now they are fundraising for a sprinkler system for their house so that they can receive an occupancy permit and open the doors! 

• Boston Release Network have their boots on the ground, meeting formerly-incarcerated people when they are released and helping them with housing, employment and other basic needs. Boston Release Network works exclusively with people who have been convicted of sexual offenses. They have a remarkably low, 1.26% recidivism rate for their clients. Pre-pandemic, this small organization worked with an average of 3 clients each month. During covid, they are working with 17+ clients each month. They are accepting donations and all funds are distributed directly to formerly incarcerated people getting their feet on the ground. 

What are other folks doing to support our incarcerated neighbors? What actions are already being taken to keep incarcerated and detained people safe that we can lift up and share?

If there are any actions that we should include on this blogpost please let us know in your comment, by email at info@thenewgardensociety.org, Facebook @thenewgardensociety or Twitter @TheNewGardenSoc.

Attend a National Conference on Prison Garden Work

UPDATE: Due to concerns around COVID-19 the conference has been postponed until 2021. Here's the full message from Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies:
With a commitment to the health and safety of our community, we have made the decision to postpone this week's conference on Social & Ecological Infrastructure for Recidivism Reduction. We are rescheduling the event for March 19-21, 2021. 
We will issue refunds now and hope that everyone can join us next year. We apologize for the inconvenience of rescheduling.
We are following Yale's instructions in response to the spread of COVID-19: "To prevent transmission of the virus, we are asking students, faculty, and staff to postpone, cancel, or adjust all Yale-hosted events, other than classes, that will have 100 or more participants... This recommendation applies to events taking place between March 9, 2020, and April 15, 2020."
We considered doing the event in a different format online, but ultimately decided that a major benefit of the conference was an opportunity for us to come together in the same space. Apologies that we did not come to this decision sooner, but this is a rapidly changing situation and we made decisions as soon as information, policy, and recommendations became available to us.  
We look forward to gathering with you next year!

When: Friday, March 13, 8:00 AM - Sunday, March 15, 2:00 PM || New Haven, CT

What: A Conference on Social and Ecological Infrastructure for Recidivism Reduction

TNGS is proud to be a sponsor of this conference, geared towards individuals and organizations that work at the intersection of horticulture and prisons. Coming at it from the lens of recidivism reduction, food systems, ecological and therapeutic impacts of these programs, this conference is overflowing with presenters at the forefront of the prison garden movement. A quick look at the program shows that it will be difficult to decide which sessions to choose.

Cost: The conference fee is $45 to $50 per person, plus the cost of accommodations, travel and dinners. Registration is currently open, and we encourage early registration as space is limited.

For more information: If you have questions about the event please contact the lead conference organizer, Matt DelSesto: delsesma@bc.edu.

Volunteer in a Prison Garden!

Have you been following us, and looking for the right time to join us in the gardens? Or did you just stumble across us? We invite everyone who is interested in learning about being a volunteer Educator and Guest Presenter to join us at the Open House!

Monday, February 3 from 5-8pm @ Haymarket People’s Fund, 42 Seaverns Ave, Boston, MA 02130.

You can meet other members of the team, while enjoying some light refreshments and good company. There will be short presentations by Educators at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30pm.

Share the event with your friends on Facebook as well! For any questions, please email info@thenewgardensociety.org.