
When Governor Malloy visited a Hartford jail in July, he highlighted Connecticut's new "Second Chance" law. The same day President Obama became the first sitting president to visit a prison. While at the Reno Correctional Institution in Oklahoma, he expressed hopes that prison reform legislation would extend nation-wide. With these announcements, some people express opinions like, "Every dollar we spend on incarceration is worth it," or "If there's a second chance, how will the prison experience 'scare people straight'?"
On Thursday evening, September 17 from 7 - 8:30 pm, the Committees for Social Justice and Adult Faith Formation at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church in Hartford will host a presentation to help form responses to these and other questions and concerns about the effectiveness of the current criminal justice system. The evening event, a collaboration between the Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry and St. Patrick-St. Anthony, will offer guest speakers from the Malta Justice Initiative, including testimony by a former inmate.
Beyond responding to opinions and concerns, the presentation is designed to offer practical guidelines for sentencing and prison reform that conform to Catholic social teaching.