The people have voted, and they’ve had their say. We are grateful to every one of our supporters who went to the polls with the people living in Pennsylvania’s prisons and jails in mind, recognizing that elections shape who makes decisions that affect their lives.
Now, the candidates we’ve elected to office will get to work doing the job that we want them to do. No matter who holds elected office, the Prison Society’s mission remains the same: to ensure that the people behind bars and their families are treated with dignity and that our prisons and jails are accountable to the public.
Every year, when the Pennsylvania General Assembly starts a new session, we meet with legislative leaders and newly elected lawmakers to introduce the Prison Society, share what we’re learning from people inside prisons and jails, and discuss our priorities.
With changes in legislative leadership and many new lawmakers taking office, we’ll begin those conversations when the General Assembly convenes in January.
We’ll also continue our work with the Shapiro administration as he begins his second term. Maintaining strong, constructive relationships with the Department of Corrections leadership is essential to our ability to monitor conditions, raise concerns, and advocate for improvements. We’ll continue building those relationships with returning and newly appointed officials.
Our commitment to transparency, accountability and the dignity of people behind bars and families does not change with an election. We’re going to continue pushing health, safety and dignity in Pennsylvania’s prisons and jails, no matter who is leading them, with respect and dignity for the people living there as our North Star.
Pennsylvania has once again come through a competitive and tense election season with democracy intact. The people’s voices have been heard. And now we get to work holding elected officials accountable to the job we want them to do.