Webinar: The Privatization of Prisons and Prison Industry Divestment

The United States has the world’s largest private prison population. According to The Sentencing Project, more than 120,000 incarcerated individuals are held in for-profit prisons. Not to mention, billions of dollars in revenue are paid to private corporations that own these prisons.

This webinar addresses:

• the growing problem of the use of for-profit prisons,
• why faith-based communities should be concerned,
• what actions can be taken, such as divestment campaigns, to reduce the impact these private companies have on the dysfunctional corrections system.

Webinar Panelists

Dr. Jennifer Ortiz, PhD, Indiana Univ. Criminology & Justice Dept. Program Coordinator

Dr. Ortiz is an Assistant Professor of Criminology at the University of Indiana Southeast.  Her research interests center on punishment in the criminal justice system from sentencing through reentry. She earned her doctorate in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Before joining the IUS faculty, Dr. Ortiz served as Research Director for the New York State Permanent Commission on Sentencing from 2011 to 2015. She is a highly sought speaker and workshop leader in the field of criminal justice.

Rev. Tiffany Curtis, NBA Prison & Jail Peer Group Convener

Rev. Curtis is trained as a clinical chaplain and spiritual director, and has worked extensively as a community organizer and in prisons. She has ongoing commitments to grassroots community work in the U.S., Ecuador, and Honduras. Tiffany grew up in Los Angeles in a bilingual family and in an immigrant congregation. Tiffany is the pastor of First Christian Church of Santa Fe and is also the co-founder and Lead Organizer of the Santa Fe Faith Network for Immigrant Justice. Tiffany holds a B.A. from Chapman University in Peace Studies and Latin American Studies and an M.Div. from Harvard University. Tiffany hopes to facilitate courageous, sacred spaces of communal healing through contemplation and action. Tiffany is nourished by a committed yoga practice, quality time with loved ones, and hiking in the Sangre de Cristo mountains.