DECARCERATE MIAMI INC
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Mission Statement
Beyond the Bars is a worker center in South Florida challenging the central role of criminalization in our economy. Our mission is to dismantle the carceral labor continuum – from work while incarcerated in prison or work release to post-incarceration work on probation or with a criminal record. To accomplish our mission, we confront private sector corporations and municipal, state, and federal agencies to raise the wage floor and increase worker protections in industries most reliant on the labor of criminalized workers. As a membership-based organization, we develop our members – who are people with criminal records – to lead each of our programs, including worker organizing, advocacy & research, education, and support.
About This Cause
Our goals include: Prison Labor & Work Release - End prison labor exploitation by ensuring that the 1.2 million incarcerated workers across the country receive at least federal minimum wage, are covered by federal health and safety and employment discrimination protections, and are able to join a union. Probation - Increase the power of workers on probation by removing work mandates, curfews, and check-in requirements that limit job retention and workplace organizing. Post-Incarceration Employment - Increase access to quality union jobs by launching the first pre-apprenticeship program in Florida for workers with records, preparing them for union jobs and leadership. End post-incarceration exploitation by developing worker-owned cooperatives and engaging in strategic campaigns to increase wages, improve health & safety standards, and strengthen enforcement of existing labor & employment laws. Community - Creating safe and healthy communities by increasing economic wellbeing, decreasing state surveillance, and supporting family connection and wellness. We accomplish these goals through the following methods: Worker Organizing - Facilitate worker committees that run strategic corporate and related community campaigns. Run organizer-in-training program providing hands-on education and training on labor and community organizing, advocacy, and municipal budgets. Conduct neighborhood canvasses, county jail canvasses, and surveys to identify issues faced by criminalized workers. Worker Advocacy & Research - On Steering Committee of the #EndTheException campaign to amend the 13th Amendment to eliminate the clause that permits slavery as punishment for a crime, amounting to $18 billion in stolen wages yearly. Member of Temp Worker Advocacy Coalition (TWAC) to amend the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to encourage permanent job opportunities of workers with records. Co-lead Raise Up South Florida’s co-enforcement program through which we developed a process for criminalized workers to recover wages through the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Lead campaign to remove probation work requirements from standard plea agreements. Worker Education - Hold monthly worker rights’ workshops to educate workers with criminal records on labor and employment protections. Worker Support - Assist members with early probation termination, wage recovery, and filing health and safety complaints. Via Caged Bird Arts Program, facilitate wellness circles, socials, and creative expression to help members process trauma. Provide referrals to members for quality employment, housing, & other support. Cross Movement Building - Present at industry conferences to increase labor’s awareness of mass incarceration’s impacts and deepen abolitionists’ insights into the labor movement. Teach at university law schools on the political economy of mass incarceration and its labor market impacts. Join and lead local, state, and national alignment tables related to base-building, incarceration, and worker justice.