Prisoner Outreach Initiative

The Prisoner Outreach Initiative has been writing letters and building solidarity with incarcerated people in Winston-Salem and beyond since November 2018.

We believe in ending pre-trial detention, cash bail, and mandatory minimums. We believe that criminal justice reform is necessary. The carceral system extends the legacy of slavery and slave patrols. It is unsustainable, unjust and necessitates abolition. We are working towards a world without prison and police.

In the background, 6 prison guards in front a fence and barbed wire. In the foreground, 5 protestors, one with a visible sign that says, "End Prison Slavery"

Since then, we have organized events in solidarity with people inside the jails and prisons and kept in contact through letters, calls, and emails. We are part of Forsyth Court Support, a wider effort to support people moving through the carceral system in Winston.

2018 Prison Strikes

The Initiative was started in response to the 2018 Prison Strikes. As the strike wave rolled across the nation, people inside a Hyde County prison protested for better conditions. While people incarcerated in the prison made banners and signs to display from the inside at the risk of harsh repression, we organized to make these demands heard outside.

Fence and barbed wire. In the distance, you can see a line of ~20 incarcerated people holding signs