"You have people working against mass incarceration right here. CU Citizens for Peace and Justice is doing the work and they need your help, volunteers, and money." - Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow
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No More Jails in Champaign County!
Join us on Thursday, May 2nd at 6 p.m. at the Brookens Admin Building, 1776 E. Washington, Urbana for a public meeting with Dr. Kalmanoff and the County Board! Details below.
Dr. Kalmanoff is the Director of the Institute for Law and Policy Planning (ILPP), the firm hired by Champaign County to conduct a needs assessment regarding the county jail and related criminal justice issues. Dr. Kalmanoff has been interviewing people and gathering data for his assessment since November. You can read about the public hearing held with Dr. Kalmanoff here and watch the full video here.
Dr. Kalmanoff will present his draft report of the ILPP on the jail/criminal justice system to the County Board on April 30 at 6 p.m. at Brookens Administration Building, 1776 E. Washington St, Urbana.
On Thursday, May 2 also at 6 p.m., Dr. Kalmanoff will hold a public meeting to discuss the report. This will also be at Brookens Administration Building, 1776 E. Washington St, Urbana. Members of the public will be able to question him directly without the usual restrictions of board meetings. We encourage everyone who is interested in the issue of the jail and funding alternatives to incarceration to attend this meeting and make your voice be heard. Let this be the first time ever the newly renovated board room has been filled to capacity!!
To learn more about the No More Jails in Champaign County! campaign, click here.
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The Champaign Urbana Citizens for Peace and Justice (CUCPJ) is a black-led, multi-racial group, which seeks to expose and remedy racial and class inequities in a number of areas of life in the Champaign-Urbana community in Illinois. Since 2004, our action research regarding the criminal justice system has achieved many local gains and produced a large wealth of material on police accountability. These include critical histories we have connected to current cases of police abuse and the lack of transparency and accountability for police misconduct to help educate the public and 
advocate for victims and their families. Services we have provided to our community include our campaign against TASERs, support and referrals for families who have been the victims of police violence (including legal support and resources for two black activists charged for a "copwatch" program), reforming Champaign county jail in the wake of several inmate deaths, and the establishment of a legal fund.
CUCPJ was formed in the Fall of 2003 as a small group of concerned citizens sat down to contemplate what we could do to address the attempt by the Champaign police department to purchase tasers, the high powered electrical stun guns. Aaron and Carol Ammons, Danielle Schumacher, Kimberlie Kranich and Danielle Chynoweth sat down at the International House of Pancakes and decided that we would devote our time and energy to opposing the purchase. It was at this meeting we brainstormed and gave birth to the name Champaign-Urbana Citizens for Peace and Justice because we are from the twin cities, we are Citizens, and we work for Peace and Justice.
CUCPJ is currently engaged in an effort to educate and mobilize the public against plans for a new jail. For more go to "Jail Campaign."
Feel free to contact us with questions or concerns. As a community group, we are eager to recieve feedback from any community members.
In addition, we encourage you to visit Champaign-Urbana Community Police Watch, where citizens can report their own interactions with area police.
