Dear community,

We’re ending the year with exciting news—we’ve launched the search for our next leader! Below is a letter from Leah Pinney sharing more. And read further for the rest of this month’s organizational updates!

Today, I am proud to announce an important transition within our organization: To ensure we are best living our values, TCJE is seeking our next Executive Director.

Leading this organization has been a tremendous honor, and I remain deeply committed to our mission to end mass incarceration in Texas and shift resources to communities. But I believe now is the right time for a new phase of leadership to guide us forward, and I'm excited about the opportunity to see TCJE move deeper into living our mission!

It is crucial that we embrace leaders who reflect the impacted communities we serve and possess a deep understanding of the challenges faced by marginalized individuals. As such, we encourage candidates from communities most harmed and those with lived experience in the criminal punishment system to apply to be our new Executive Director. We have seen firsthand how system-impacted advocates bring deep knowledge, unique perspectives, and insights to this work; those experiences will be invaluable in guiding our strategy, advancing our impact, and ensuring our work remains grounded in the needs of our communities.   

I hope you will visit this page to read our next Executive Director job description and pass it on to anyone who may be interested!  

While this search takes place, I am pleased to share that I have assumed an interim leadership role. This will allow for a smooth transition and ensure the continuity of our work as we find TCJE’s next leader. During this time, I will dedicate myself to supporting our team, maintaining our focus on our mission, and assisting the Board of Directors as they select a new Executive Director.  

I want to thank the TCJE team for their exceptional work—whether at the State Capitol, on the ground in Texas communities, or leading coalitions of people demanding change. Our mission remains as important as ever, and I have no doubt that we will continue to make a profound difference in the lives of Texans.  

I also want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your unwavering support and for your contributions to TCJE’s success. Together, we have accomplished remarkable things, and I am confident that our shared journey will inspire ongoing, positive change.   

As we embark on this new chapter, I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for our organization. Your partnership means the world to us.  

With warmth and gratitude,
Leah Pinney  

We’re kicking off 2024 with big changes, and we look forward to sharing more updates with y’all in the new year!

 

The TCJE team makes an impact. This month, we were delighted to announce two achievements by members of TCJE’s policy team.

Cynthia's photo and nameTexas Coalition of Black Democrats logo40 Under 40

Cynthia Simons (Women’s Justice Director) was named one of the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats’ 40 Under 40! Cynthia was invited to celebrate this honor with the Texas Legislative Black Caucus earlier this week.

Sarah's photo with text:Congratulations Sarah, part of the first class of Rising Leaders for Results fellows with the Annie E Casey Foundation!Sarah Reyes, Youth Justice Policy Director, Texas Center for Justice and Equityhttps://www.aecf.org/blog/foundation-welcomes-first-class-of-rising-leaders-for-results-fellows@TexasCJE on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

Sarah Reyes (Youth Justice Policy Director) was invited to join the inaugural class of Rising Leaders for Results fellows with the Annie E. Casey Foundation! Sarah joins 13 other young leaders from around the country in this new cohort.

We are so proud and excited to see these two leaders recognized for their tireless advocacy on behalf of justice-impacted women and kids!

 
 

In the community in December. Last weekend, Cynthia joined researchers from the University of Texas at Austin to discuss the connections between Black women, the criminal punishment system, and the legacy of slavery. As keynote speaker, she addressed a group of academics, students, and community members to share her lived experience and policy expertise.

Cynthia speaks in front of a room of people

Thanks to everyone who joined "From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration: A Spotlight on the Experiences of Black Women" to hear from Cynthia and learn more about this critical topic!

 
 

Updates from impacted advocates. Steering Committee members from our Statewide Leadership Council (SLC) recently gathered in Austin for a visioning session! They collaborated on a shared vision for the future and planned next steps for the SLC as they continue building a new table for advocacy in Texas.

We’re also thrilled to welcome new members of the SLC Steering Committee, who will provide leadership within the coalition as we continue to expand to every corner of Texas. And get to know Bill and Latecia, who are currently leading community organizing and communications strategies for the SLC!

Texas Center for Justice and Equity - Meet the SLC -Bill WallaceQuote: I am excited about the work of the Statewide Leadership Council. I believe that those closest to the problem are the best ones to fix. Having those most impacted by the carceral system actively leading reform is the idea of the SLC.
Texas Center for Justice and Equity - Meet the SLC - Latecia HillQuote: Excited by the work SLC does for record clearing and Clean Slate legislation, I bring with me skills and talents acquired from a successful corporate career and my work as a volunteer coalition coordinator. I will do my best to help amplify the voices of those marginalized, empower individuals to overcome systemic barriers, and to foster positive change through policy advocacy, ending post-conviction poverty, thereby improving overall public safety.
 
 

Dates to save! Speaking of the SLC, we hope you’ll mark your calendar for the just-announced “From Prison to Power” event taking place at the end of this month in San Antonio! The event starts at 1:00pm on Saturday, December 30, at the Barbara Jordan Community Center in San Antonio. Like previous entries in this series, our December “From Prison to Power” event will feature information on how people with lived experience in the criminal punishment system can get involved in advocacy! Learn more and reserve your free ticket here.

In January, we’re excited to be part of a second event in our series of teach-ins with the National Parole Transformation Project and partners! Justin Martinez (TCJE’s Policy Analyst & Bexar County Project Director) will join other advocates and community members to provide in-depth, comprehensible information on how parole works in Texas—and how we can work towards something better. Save the date for this virtual event on Thursday, January 11, 2024, at 5:30pm CT! 

 
 

December Q&A. Each month, we share answers to frequently asked questions about the state and local punishment systems and other issues that TCJE works on. We hope to shine a light on information that isn’t always accessible to Texans, and keep you informed about the systems that have the potential to impact your life. 

This month’s question: Can people send holiday cards to loved ones incarcerated in Texas’ adult prisons? 

Q+AYour questions on the criminal punishment system, answered

Our response: Over the last few years, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has updated its mail policies multiple times. The most recent policy says that mailed letters and cards will not go directly to the units where people are incarcerated. Instead, mail (with the exception of legal mail, packages, books, and items like magazines) is sent to one processing center. The mail is scanned and then sent via tablet to the incarcerated person, or printed out if the person doesn’t have access to a tablet. Some loved ones have already shared stories of how this digital mail rollout has failed, with anecdotes of people on the inside receiving a thumbnail-sized image instead of a full-page scan and others experiencing weeks-long delays.  

As we shared a few years ago when TDCJ implemented their “Inspect 2 Protect” policy, taking away physical mail and cards creates yet another barrier between incarcerated Texans and their loved ones. Strong connections with people outside of prison are a factor in successful outcomes after incarceration—meaning that mail policies that create these disconnects fail at prison systems’ stated goals of “rehabilitation.” Additionally, although TDCJ cites drug-related contraband as the driver of these restrictive policies, reporting has shown that facility employees—not loved ones of incarcerated people—are largely responsible for bringing prohibited items into facilities. 

To learn more about current mail policies, you can visit TDCJ’s webpage here.

 

And with that, we’ll close our December updates. We’re deeply grateful for your partnership, your positivity, and your support of our work—and we’re wishing you a safe and restful holiday! 

With gratitude, 
The TCJE Team 

P.S. We’re still raising funds to help expand our successful Dallas-area school programming to Central Texas, with the goal of helping more students of color thrive! Click here to invest in this work, and keep an eye out for more from our team on why it matters. 

 

Texas Center for Justice & Equity
Formerly Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
1212 East Anderson Lane, Suite 500 |  Austin, Texas 78752
(512) 441-8123

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