More than two million people live as prisoners in jails and prisons in the United States, a 500% increase from just forty years ago. Aside from the alarming increase in the size of the prison population, justice issues - from racial biases in arrest and sentencing, wrongful conviction, and inhumane conditions inside penitentiaries - raise concerns about the system as a whole, which has become more punitive and less humane in recent decades. Florida, which has the third largest prison population in the country, also has some of the harshest sentencing laws in the nation.

To understand these concerns, FIU’s CHUE, in collaboration with Exchange for Change and the FIU Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is curating a special three-day event from March 28-30, 2023 entitled “Truly Free? Mass Incarceration, Prison Education and Carceral Justice.”

On March 28, 2023, we will be hosting a webinar titled "Truly Free? Mass Incarceration, Prison Education, and Carceral Justice: A Teach-In" at 2 PM EST via zoom.

Our speakers on day 1 include:

Liz Fox, University of Massachusetts Amherst
“Teaching Shakespeare in Women’s Prisons”

Kathie Klarriech, Exchange for Change
“Education is a Human Right”

Darren Tinker, Public Speaker
“DCU (Department of Corrections University) – My Story”

Heather Thompson, University of Michigan
“Causes and Consequences of Mass Incarceration”

Moderator: Bryan Dewsbury, Florida International University

Join us on zoom: https://go.fiu.edu/PrisonEducation

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Day 2 (March 29, 2023) features a roundtable discussion and Q&A with FIU Faculty teaching in prisons in South Florida.

Event Name:  Teaching in the System: A Roundtable Discussion on Prison Education
Date: March 29, 2023
Time: 1 - 2:30 PM EST
Location: Student Academic Success Center SASC 100.

Panelists include:

Paul Feigenbaum, Florida International University
Glenn Hutcheson, Florida International University
Nick Vagnoni, Florida International University
Tania Lopez, Florida International University

Moderated by: Ana Luszczynska, Florida International University

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On the last day of the program, public speaker Darren Tinker tells the story of his wrongful conviction, with additional remarks from Wakan Blake and Oscar Williams.

Event Name:  Wrongfully Convicted
Date: March 30, 2023
Time: 4 - 4:50 PM EST
Location: FIU Ryder Business Building RB 140

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All events are free and open to the public. 

Florida Cares Charity created a replica of a typical Florida jail cell. Florida jail cells are not air-conditioned. Viewers are invited to visit the cell replica and partake in the 'beat the heat' challenge. 

The Cell will be located in the parking lot immediately next to the MANGO (Management and New Growth Opportunities) building by the closest sidewalk.

The replica will be available for visits from Tuesday, March 28^th, 9:00 AM  - Thursday, March 30^th, 4:00 PM 

How is that? The charity has a website where they describe it. https://floridacarescharity.org/beat-the-heat-challenge