Building Justice 2021

Please see below for more information on PLS’ upcoming virtual annual gala:

Please Join us!

You are cordially invited to join Prisoners’ Legal Services for our Annual Virtual Gala, Building Justice, featuring the voices of formerly incarcerated people:

Wednesday, November 17, 2021
5:30pm
Virtual link to follow

Eugene Ivey spent nearly 27 years in prison, with 13 of those in solitary confinement. Notwithstanding conditions of imprisonment that should be outlawed in any civilized country, Eugene not only managed to survive but to develop his intellect, character, and spirit. Eugene was saved by his mind, by his resilience, and by a remarkable bond with his best friend from childhood, Erick Williams, who was locked up with him for years. Eugene is now enrolled in college and hopes to pursue work in public policy to build a more humane society.

Angelina Marie “Angie” Resto is a formerly incarcerated Afro-Latina trans woman. In 2018, she broke history being the first trans woman transferred to a female-designated prison in Massachusetts after a long and arduous legal battle.

She now advocates for other trans women as a member of Black and Pink MA and serves on their Advisory Council.

Raymond “Ray” Champagne was released in February 2020 and exonerated in July of the same year, after the Commonwealth assented to his motion for a new trial and dismissed the murder indictment against him. He spent 45 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of a murder he did not commit.

Please click here to register. The link to join will be shared via email before the event.

Sponsorship

For information on how to become a sponsor of Building Justice, please click here.

We are especially grateful to our generous sponsors:

A New Name

You may notice that we have decided to change the name of our annual gala. Second Chances, the previous name of the gala, was intended to invoke new hope for our clients, but as we moved forward in our work, we became concerned that it is too limiting in many ways: some of our clients will never be released. Many should never have been sentenced to begin with. Generally, shifting resources from incarceration to community interventions such as investments in race equity initiatives, mental health and substance use treatment, as well as access to education, jobs and affordable housing would result in a healthier and more equitable society.

Building Justice reflects that our work is inherently collaborative, drawing motivation, inspiration, knowledge, expertise, and support from you, our clients, the community, and our coalition and organizational partners. We aspire toward justice for our clients every day, and we could not build on our momentum without your support. Every letter from our clients, every pro bono partner who accepts a referral, every organization and community member who works alongside us to propel public awareness and legislative reform, every donation from a committed supporter – all of these are essential in helping us build toward real change for and with incarcerated people. Beyond that, we are always aware that our clients’ very humanity is on the line, and it is our mission to reach past the walls to ensure that they know that there are zealous advocates hard at work to not only protect their civil and human rights, but also lift and amplify their humanity. With your support, we can do more to bring transparency and accountability to this system.