Lawrence advocacy group Justice Matters invites community members to an educational meeting about a study that highlighted stark racial disparities in incarceration and found that most bookings into the Douglas County jail are for minor, nonviolent charges, among other conclusions.
The Vera Institute of Justice, a national research and policy organization, recently completed the study examining incarceration in Douglas County. Read more about the study and see the full report in this article from December.
“The report sheds lights on disturbing trends in the use of our jail, including high rates of bookings for low-level offenses, stark racial disparities, and criminalization of poverty,” Justice Matters leaders said in a news release.
The meeting is set for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30 in the auditorium of the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St.
“For years, Justice Matters has pushed for the completion of this comprehensive analysis of the jail population to help us understand the local drivers of our dramatic increase in incarceration over the past several decades,” the organization said in a news release.
The Vera Institute “has invested significant resources and time into providing this extremely thorough report free of cost to Douglas County. Now that it is complete, Justice Matters wants to ensure it is put to good use.”
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Justice Matters to hold meeting on Vera Institute study of incarceration in Douglas County
Lawrence advocacy group Justice Matters invites community members to an educational meeting about a study that highlighted stark racial disparities in incarceration and found that most bookings into the Douglas County jail are for minor, nonviolent charges, among other conclusions.
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