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Freedom Side’s Roots: The Movement to End Mass Incarceration in PA

Freedom Side School was born out of the long legacy of anti-prison organizing in Pennsylvania. Incarcerated people and their loved ones have been organizing for decades to end mass incarceration and build a world where communities have the resources and tools they need to disrupt cycles of harm and create spaces of healing and transformation. The idea for Freedom Side emerged from within the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration (CADBI) as part of the need to support young people growing up in the shadow of the prisons and raise up the next generation of organizers.

CADBI is an organization founded by people serving Death By Incarceration (aka Life Without Parole) sentences in PA prisons and their loved ones. In Pennsylvania, Death By Incarceration – also known as Life Without Parole – is a mandatory sentence with no possibility of release, condemning the recipient to die in prison. Over the past decade, CADBI has fought for policy change and to shift the public narrative of and approach towards harm and violence. CADBI is part of a broader network of movement organizations in Pennsylvania that are working to end mass incarceration and sow the seeds of healing justice in our communities.