Advocates plan town hall over change in county prison services
(Lancaster) — Several advocacy groups in Lancaster County are organizing a town hall meeting this Sunday because of concerns over changes to services for county inmates, reentrants, and their families.
It comes after three nonprofits announced they would be ending services because they did not bid in the county’s new request for proposals (RFP) system. County commissioners said the swtich makes the funding process more transparent and efficient. Critics said the way the RFP was written excluded current service providers.
Advocates for prison reform are concerned the new contract will be awarded to a for profit service provider, who won’t have the best interest of the community at heart.
Have a Heart for Persons in the Criminal Justice System, Lancaster Stands Up, and ACLU Pennsylvania, among others, have scheduled a town hall meeting at Tellus360 in Lancaster for Sunday, June 3rd at 6pm.
Organizers said there will be presentations from people who were helped by nonprofit service agencies upon release from prison.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
