Good morning/afternoon/evening!
I am writing to inform you of a group of advocacy organizations fighting to end the for-profit management of prisons in Virginia and to invite you to join us in our fight. This group includes Social Action Linking Together (SALT), a faith-based advocacy organization with about 1300 members across the state. SALT targets legislative reform to make the Commonwealth a more just place for all Virginians. This has included fighting for ending private prisons, increased TANF benefits, increased ID access for incarcerated Virginians, and more.
SALT is honored to be joined in the fight against private prisons by Bridging the Gap in Virginia, The Humanization Project, and Virginia CURE. Each of these groups has a wealth of experience and is an invaluable partner in this effort. But we need more help!
For the past year, we have been working to end the for-profit prison industry in Virginia and transfer Lawrenceville Correctional Center, the state's only private prison, back to public management. Last session, we worked with Sen. Adam Ebbin to sponsor a bill that would responsibly transfer Lawrenceville back to VADOC management, but it was defeated after the GEO Group donated $35,000 to certain key legislators.
This year, GEO has already donated $10,000 to legislators, which indicates that Virginia remains high on their priority list. GEO may be able to use their money to their advantage, but we are not giving up. We remain determined to end the use of for-profit prisons in Virginia and are looking for other organizations to join us in the push!
Fortunately, there are multiple pathways to achieving our goal. Currently, we are focused on lobbying Terry McAuliffe to take executive action and cancel the contract that allows the GEO Group to manage Lawrenceville Correctional Center.
To demonstrate how important this issue is to Virginians, we are contacting advocacy groups across the Commonwealth to join our coalition. Each group that joins will be included in the policy planning process and be added to the list of supporting organizations provided to McAuliffe’s staff. We need your input, experience, and expertise to help end the private management of prisons in Virginia!
Given your strong advocacy track record and common interest in reforming Virginia's criminal justice system, we think that there is a strong opportunity for coordination between our two organizations.
We are moving rapidly on this issue, so if you wish to join our coalition please respond by July 23, 2021.
If you have any additional questions or concerns please reach out to me via this email or give me a call at (804)-339-5108.
Thank you for your time and your excellent work!
CHUCK MEIRE IS YOUR SALT CONTACT FOR CONFIRMING YOUR INTENT TO JOIN THE COALITION IN OPPOSING THE FOR-PROFIT PRISON INDUSTRY. PLEASE LET CHUCK KNOW HOW YOU WISH YOUR ORGANIZATION TO BE LISTED ON THE COALITION MEMBERSHIP LIST.