In this panel we will we offer an overview of the prison and refugee camp populations and situations in the U.S., Syria and Iran. We will address some key obstacles to the formation of a global prison abolitionist movement, offer ways of overcoming them and present ideas about an alternative to the capitalist carceral and authoritarian system. Please click on the link below and raise the volume to view this panel.
Toward a Global Prison Abolitionist Movement: Livestream Panel
Toward a Global Prison Abolitionist Movement: Livestream PanelThe moderated discussion will be followed by 30 minutes for answering questions from the facebook audience.Speakers:Romarilyn Ralston:Program Director of Project Rebound at California State University, Fullerton, a program that supports the higher education and successful reintegration of the formerly incarcerated. She served 23 years at the California Institution for Women (CIW) and is a long-time member and organizer with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP). Incarcerated at 24 and released at 47, Romarilyn has seen and survived the effects of extreme sentencing and medical neglect in prison. Since her release, Romarilyn was a Women’s Policy Institute Fellow, a volunteer with the Ferguson Commission, and an organizer with the Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People & Families Movement (FICPFM) voting rights campaign in Florida. Romarilyn is a prison abolitionist tirelessly advocating for the women she left behind in prison in California, many serving life without the possibility of parole.Joseph Daher:Author of Syria after the Uprisings, the Political Economy of State Resilience (Pluto Press and Haymarket, 2019) and Hezbollah: The Political Economy of the Party of God (Pluto, 2016). He is an academic, social activist, founder of the blog Syria Freedom Forever and a co-founder of the Alliance of Middle Eastern and North African Socialists.Sina Zekavat:Architect, anti-war activist and member of the Alliance of Middle Eastern and North African Socialist. He has written articles on the student movement in Iran and solidarity with Syrian revolutionaries.ModeratorShiyam Galyon:Communications coordinator at War Resi