No More Prisons

No More Prisons

On Thursday, December 15th there will be a prayer service in the rotunda of the State Capítol in Lansing to protest the ongoing expansion of the state's prison system.

In the last ten years the number of people incarcerated in the state of Michigan has doubled. Now the state is planning to build 28 more prisons in the near future. These prisons will not make our communities safer. They will deprive other social service programs of vitally needed funds. The prison system has become the state's largest growth industry. If these new prisons are built there is little likelihood that the state will have the funds, or the incentive, to invest in programs which can be shown to be far more effective in helping to reduce crime.

We also plan to attend the Department of Corrections meeting which will be held later in the day. If you are interested in joining us and need further information, or a ride, please call Penny Ryder at the American Friends Service Committee (761-8283) or Joe Summers at 665-4734.

The Episcopal Church of the Incarnatlon is a small congregation of peopte who combine traditional worship with a strong desire to work for a better world. We seek to be a church without walls, a church which in its internal life and external (see PRISON, page 10)

PRISON (from page 9) outreach, challenges the structures and powers that deny our common humanity and keep us in bondage.

In the four years of our existence we have been active in a number of areas including challenging our govemments policies in Central America, the Middle East, and South África. We have sought to challenge our local community in terms of such issues as affordable housing and the plight of the homeless and mentally iII. We have also been very involved in prison outreach and working to reform our criminal justice system.

We meet on Sundays at 10:30 a. m . at the David Byrd Chapel, 3261 Lohr Rd., or at the Pittsfield Union Grange Hall, 3337 Ann Arbor Saline Rd. Transportation to services can be arranged. For further information cali the Rev. Joe Summers at 665-4734.

The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, P.O. Box 4111, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106, 665-4734