In this moment of history, there are many powerful, grassroots movements that are typified by hashtags. Movements like #metoo, #NoDAPL, and #blacklivesmatter come to mind. Seizing the Zeitgeist, #cut50 is an initiative that aims to holistically reform the criminal justice system.
Founded by CNN host Van Jones, mayor of Mill Valley Jessica Sloan, and Commissioner of San Francisco Unified School Board Matt Haney, #cut50 brings together formerly and currently incarcerated individuals, community members, survivors of crime, local elected officials, and law enforcement to create safer streets and peaceful neighborhoods. The name and hashtag represent #cut50’s ultimate goal to halve crime and incarceration in all 50 states through taking local needs and translating them into smart safety solutions.
In particular, #cut50 helped lead the Dignity for Incarcerated Women campaign, resulting in Senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren introducing a bill last September to reform how incarcerated women are treated in the federal prison system. The bill has a number of groundbreaking reforms, including requiring that the Federal Bureau of Prisons consider the location of children when placing mothers in prison, banning shackling and solitary confinement for pregnant women, and making necessary health care items (including those for menstruation) free for women in prisons. The campaign is currently active in California, Georgia, and Maryland, and #cut50 wants to reach 20 states by 2020.
The campaign and bill recognize that these reforms will help the many families that grapple with the extreme toll that incarceration has on families, particularly when approximately 80 percent of women in prison are mothers. When mothers are sent to states far away from their children, many families cannot bear the costs of visitations. Phone calls are often too expensive as well, and many mothers cannot maintain consistent communication with their children as a result.
Further, once mothers are out of the system, many are expected to resume their role as a mother without much support while dealing with the often-hard transition to life outside of prison. While organizations like InStepp help women face these challenges, there is still a need for interventions to help reform the system writ large.