Bonnie Kerness presented this talk at a vigil at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on May 4th, 2015 in New York City. - Lucy

Spirit-Led - Congregational - Transformative

Watch "Breaking Down the Box," which examines the use of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons.

This 40-minute documentary explores the mental health, racial justice, and human rights implications of this inhumane practice. And it serves as a call to action for communities of faith to engage in the growing nationwide movement for restorative alternatives to isolated confinement that prioritize rehabilitation, therapeutic interventions, and recovery.

AFSC Healing Justice staffers Laura Magnani and Jerry Elster are among those interviewed.

Much of the conference on ending mass incarceration at Pendle Hill was focused on listening and learning about the issues, but also considering effective strategy: how to build campaigns, how to center the leadership of those formerly or currently incarcerated and their families in movements, how to do this work in a way that can have the most impact.

Below is an excerpt from a plenary session at the recent Ending mass incarceration and the New Jim Crow conference at Pendle Hill. Michelle Alexander was interviewed by Daniel Hunter and Jondhi Harrell. This excerpt has been edited for focus and for the written page, so that it flows more easily. Watch the video below to hear the full, very rich conversation.