Impacts of prison and penal policies in a global context

The Organizing Committee for ICOPA16 sends greetings to all those who from afar follow the steps from the ICOPA. This call for papers inaugurates the meeting, which will take place from June 16 to 18, 2016 in Quito, Ecuador. We are collaborating with many, including the Andean Human Rights Program at the University Simón Bolívar and the Committee of Family and friends of people in prison in Ecuador.

The situation of people in prison in Ecuador and those that accompany from the outside is now at a critical stage because there are reforms in the penal system directed towards implementing a high security model, with the construction of prisons on the outskirts of cities and based on higher levels of secrecy. We hope that this meeting achieves a change for the anti-carceral fight in Ecuador, because through it we want to achieve the union of organizations that fight against state riot gear and for the rights of people in prison, and those who provide them with social support, the majority of whom are empoverished women.

As in previous meetings, the ICOPA 16 will focus on the consequences, in the global context, generated by prison and penal policies, the impacts of the implementation of these policies on the population linked directly to prisons (people in prisons, family, adults and children, communities of belonging), on the experiences of struggle, resistance and abolitionist discussions that are taking place, which can be promoted in Latin America.

Therefore, we invite all those interested in participating through: the submission of academic papers; contributing stories and reflections of life experiences relating to prison and penal system; sharing organizational experiences that advance the field of anti-prison struggle and anti-repressive, anti-racist, and anti-patriarchal systems; and visual and written works, theatre or any other artistic creations. There will also be room for workshops and any activity that falls within the themes of the meeting.

Proposals will be accepted until December 31, 2015. Submissions may be written in English or Castillian. The text can contain a minimum of 1000 and a maximum of 1500 words. These must be sent to the email address: icopa16ecuador@gmail.com

For any question please write to: icopa16ecuador@gmail.com

Kind regards from the ICOPA 16 Organizing Commitee

See the website of ICOPA: http://www.actionicopa.org/#p7EPMc1_1