Wanted: Drivers for rides to Prison

If you have a valid driver’s license and a spare chunk of time, please consider giving someone a ride to prison.

It’s easy and important. All you have to do is sign up for the email requests for rides and offer to drive when you can. You’ll get the details of whom to pick up and when, and you can get reimbursed for gas.

This is important because people often have difficulty getting transportation to visit friends and family in prison. It makes a big difference to the visitors and those on the inside. It also helps with re-entry into the community.

Get Rideshare information here.

Read a printable PDF, Bar None Handbook here.

Read about Bar None Winnipeg here.

Here’s a note from the organizers about funding:

How are we funded? This project is volunteer-run. We have received grants to cover gas money from the Daniel McIntyre/St. Matthews Community Association and the West Broadway Community Organization, as well as organized our own fundraisers. We also accept donations though we are not a registered charity and cannot issue a tax receipt.

Finally, what does “abolitionist” or “prison abolition” mean? Organizers describe it like this (a summary):

Prisons haven’t been around forever, and we don’t think they will be. The current justice system is failing…. Prisons don’t work, because they don’t actually reduce crime. They are racist … classist … cruel and ineffective…. Reformers try to make prisons more sensitive to the needs of different groups – unfortunately evidence shows that this often leads to more people imprisoned and more families divided…. Prison abolition means we need to stop thinking that way, and start thinking about what might work better. There are more humane and effective forms of justice than prisons and we need to start practicing them. – Read the unabridged statement here.

If you are new to the Geez readership, then you may not know we just did an entire issue on the theme of prisons. In particular, we explored abolitionist perspectives.

See the editorial by Miriam Meinders and John K. Samson here, Prison Abolition is a Fantasy Worth Pursuing

See the rest of the issue here, Geez Issue 44, Winter 2016, The Prison Issue.

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