Lantern Free Film Screening: Demanding Justice for Imprisoned Kids November 15, 2005

Demanding Justice for Imprisoned Kids

Lantern teams up with MediaRights, WITNESS, and Whirlwind Creative to bring you a free screening and discussion of System Failure: Violence, Abuse and Neglect in the California Youth Authority.

System Failure offers testimony of the human rights violations taking place at the California Youth Authority (CYA), one of the largest youth correctional agencies in the country. Many youth languish in isolation cells, with little human contact and almost no education. The costs to the people of California both financially and in terms of public safety are enormous: $80,000 per year, per youth. Despite this huge price tag, more than 90% of CYA youths who leave the system are re-arrested within three years. Are rehabilitative, restorative justice models a more viable alternative to these ?punishment for punishment?s sake? correctional facilities? (2004. 30 min. Followed by discussion.)

Matisse Bustos, Outreach Coordinator from WITNESS will attend.

About the Producers:
WITNESS is an organization that ?partners with human rights defenders, training them to use video to document abuse and create change.?
Books Not Bars is an organization ?fighting to redirect California's resources away from youth incarceration and towards youth opportunities. [They] engage in grassroots advocacy campaigns using media advocacy, policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and alliance building.?

Light refreshments will be served.