Criminal Justice
Item 11-06: For-Profit Prisons
Approved with amendment by the Assembly. This item directs the Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) to compile information on the corporate practices of publically traded corporations that operate for-profit prisons. The amendment eliminates the commitment not to invest in the future, and instead, indicates that MRTI’s recommendations may include the proscription of investment (whereas tobacco, alcohol, and gambling are already proscribed). That same amendment also encourages congregational education.
Item 11-22: Commissioners’ Resolution on Prolonged Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons
Approved with amendment by the Assembly. This item called for the limiting of the number of prisoners in, and the duration of, solitary confinement, recommending alternatives that address mental health needs and offer skill-building opportunities. It asked the PC(USA) to join other faith leaders in urging the President of the U.S. to sign and the Senate to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture. The amendment specified the work of PHEWA’s new Presbyterian Criminal Justice Network.
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