PRISON NATION Posters on the Prison Industrial Complex

June 14 - July 12, 2008

WILLIAM GRANT STILL ARTS CENTER 2520 West View St. Los Angeles, CA 90016 Open Daily:12-5pm 323.734.1164

(See schedule of programming below)

The United States has the largest prison population in the world—over 2.3 million individuals. California, with over 170,000 inmates, is currently embarking on the largest prison construction project in the world. Since 1980 California has built 23 new prisons that have been filled at double capacity. People of color, the poor, the homeless, the mentally ill, youth, and women are a large part of the growing population. This phenomenal growth is due to mandatory drug sentencing laws, conspiracy provisions, a dysfunctional parole system, inadequate legal representation, and huge profits made by multi-national corporations building and servicing the prisons. The posters in Prison Nation cover many of the critical issues surrounding this overzealous system of mass incarceration including: access to education and health care, the death penalty, divestment, privatization, racism/slavery, re-entry into the community, sweatshop labor, Three Strikes, Youth Incarceration and torture.

Workshops on the Prison Industrial Complex Saturday, June 28 - 9am – 6pm

All workshops on this day are part of the LA Social Forum. LA Social Forum: http://lasocialforum.org/joomla/

Workshops presented by: All of Us or None/A New Way of Life; Californians United for a Responsible Budget; Critical Resistance, LA; Drug Policy Alliance; Families to Amend Three Strikes; LA Prison Times; and Youth Justice Coalition, Free LA.

Shuttle buses will be available to transport people between the LA Social Forum activities on the USC campus and those at the William Grant Still Arts Center.

LA Social Forum pARTy
Saturday, June 28 - 7:30 -10:30 pm
Exhibition, Music and Refreshments
Music by:
Marcus Miller - www.marcusmiller.com
Saturday Night Bath - www.saturdaynightbath.org

Prison Nation Workshops and Exhibition Tour: Prison Nation

Prison Nation LASF Poster: Prison Nation/LASF Poster