AT PROMISE SUMMIT AIMS TO END PRISON TO PIPELINE CRISIS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Tracie Hunter (513) 607-2992

AT PROMISE SUMMIT AIMS TO END PRISON TO PIPELINE CRISIS

A 2008 report conducted by the Ohio Justice and Policy Center (OJPC) found that more than 90% of Hamilton County's jail population is male, 70% are black, over 50% lack a high school diploma and nearly half are unemployed. Over 59% of Cincinnati’s homicide victims are black males. Overall, Black men are twice as likely to be unemployed than whites or Hispanics, making up 40% of the prison population, but only 14% of the population in the United States. Having identified a direct link between economic status, education and prison, these numbers will only get worse. 

Recognizing this crisis, The Race and Justice Project of the Ohio Justice and Policy Center (OJPC), in conjunction with the Black Male Initiative of Cincinnati State Technical and Community College will hold its second At Promise summit on Thursday, April 9 from 10 AM until 3:30 PM in the Conference Center at Cincinnati State.  The At Promise Summit will discuss solutions to the problems identified in OJPC's report and will tackle the local school to prison pipeline epidemic, which leads more black males to prison than to college.

Criminal justice is the theme for this one day event.  Judges, police, attorneys, social workers, educators, legislators and faith-based leaders will collaborate on identifying and implementing policies and procedures to overcome the disparities that cause African-American males to be most at risk for having sustained contact with Ohio's legal systems.  

According to Cincinnati State President and Educator John Henderson,  “The reclamation of African American males continues to be one of the most important challenges for our society in the 21st century, as statistics still attest.’’ He believes that educational institutions must intentionally collaborate.  “Knowing the positive impact education and training can have on these numbers, Cincinnati State is committed to making a difference by more aggressively recruiting and graduating African American males,’’ he said, “but turning these statistics around will require more than what Cincinnati State can do alone.’’

Interactive workshops and panel discussions led by legal experts and impacted facilitators will explore topics including: indigent defense; employment and education for ex-offenders; and the factors behind disproportionate minority contact with the system. At Promise Organizers recognize a team effort is critical to change.

“Addressing the disproportionate number of African American males ending up in our local criminal justice system requires a community-wide, coordinated effort to find, and then change, the roots of this disparity," said Angelina N. Jackson, director of the Race and Justice Project for OJPC, a non-partisan legal agency that advocates for criminal justice reform. "The goal of the At Promise initiative is to begin this coordinated effort-first with community conversation, then with community action.” The Race and Justice Project is dedicated to addressing racial disparities in the criminal justice system and analyzing the link between substandard public education and the criminal justice system.

For more information, contact Angie Jackson at (513) 421-1108 or (513) 543-9614.

xxxxxx