Courtesy of: Arise for Social Justice Records, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
Created by - Peggy Hart and Chelsea Miller
Statewide Harm Reduction Coalition (SHaRC) demonstration in Chicopee, MA. In this image, protestors hold signs with messages like “Build Homes Not Jails.”
This demonstration is one of many organized by SHaRC members between 2003 and 2006 to contest the need for a new women’s prison in western MA. They organized educational events monthly, each with a theme such as “Homes not Jails” and “Healthcare not Jails.”
Despite protests from SHaRC and community members, the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center (WMRWCC) opened in September, 2007.