What to Expect at Connecting Families

For decades families and their incarcerated loved ones have suffered under the predatory rates and practices of the ever-expanding correctional telecom industry. However, the last few years have brought unprecedented wins in the fight to end its predation. The Connecting Families 2023 Conference will bring together stakeholders in this fight to share wins, experiences, learnings, and community. Here’s what you can expect.

Understand Where We Are and How We Got Here

Deep dive into the history and national landscape of correctional telecom and what’s changing in light of new legislation, expected regulation, and corporate activism.

Learn What Works and Bring it Back to Your State

Hear from those who have run successful policy campaigns to make prison and jail communication free and corporate campaigns to hold correctional telecom accountable for the harm they’ve caused, and learn how to run a similar campaign in your community.

Build Community with Your People

Connect with families and allied advocates working around the country to make prison and jail communication free in their communities.

Agenda

Wednesday, September 20

2:00pm – 5:00pm

Registration

5:00pm – 5:30pm

Welcome Address

Speakers:

• Bianca Tylek, Executive Director, Worth Rises

• Mignon Clyburn, Former Commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission

5:30pm - 6:00pm

ACTIVITY: Who’s in the Room?

6:00Pm – 6:30Pm

PRESENTATION: The History and National Landscape of Correctional Telecom

Before we look to the future, we will deep dive into where we are now and how we got here. In this presentation, we will learn and ground ourselves in the history of the phone justice movement and gain an understanding of the current landscape of legislation and regulation around the country.

Speaker:

• Bianca Tylek, Executive Director, Worth Rises

6:30pm - 8:00pm

Welcome Dinner & PANEL: How We Won

To get us started on the right foot, we have an inspiring conversation with family members, allied advocates, and legislators who have won connecting families campaigns in their states — namely Connecticut, California, Colorado, and Minnesota. We will celebrate their wins, and hear from them about their lessons learned.

Speakers:

• Bianca Tylek, Executive Director, Worth Rises

• Diane Lewis, Connecticut Mother (Connecticut)

• Danica Rodarmel, Whole Consulting (California)

• Krista Spurgin, Executive Director, Stand For Children Colorado (Colorado)

• Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten, Minnesota State Senate (Minnesota)

Thursday, September 21

8:30am – 9:30am

Breakfast

9:30am – 10:30am

PANEL: The Changing Landscape of Correctional Telecom

Correctional telecom is an ever-evolving industry, and today our movement is forcing much of that evolution. Hear from experts about innovations in contracting that are making connecting families campaigns cheaper, changes in services and products that are both good and bad, and regulation that is improving disability access to communication.

Speakers:

• Andrew Lama, Government Affairs Specialist, Worth Rises

• Anne Stuhldreher, Director of Financial Justice, The City and County of San Francisco

• Dyjuan Tatro, Senior Government Affairs Officer, Bard Prison Initiative

• Cheryl Leanza, Consultant, UCC Media Justice

10:45am - 12:30Pm

WORKSHOP: Connecting Families Campaign Playbook - The Prep

So you want to launch a campaign, where do you start? No campaign can win without preparation. We will walk through every step of a connecting families campaign, starting with the critical prep work needed before legislative session, including coalition building, strategic planning, timelining, bill drafting, and identifying a sponsor.

12:30pm – 1:30pm

Lunch

1:30pm – 2:15pm

WORKSHOP: Connecting Families Campaign Playbook - The Collateral

Once you’ve completed all the prep work, what materials does your coalition need to create together before session begins? From fact sheets to coalition sign-on letters to impact stories, we will workshop what we need to win. Importantly, we will also discuss fiscal analyses and how they can help you push back on the government’s inflated fiscal estimates.

2:15pm - 3:45pm

WORKSHOP: Connecting Families Campaign Playbook - The Advocacy

Perhaps the crux of any legislative campaign is the advocacy that drives the win. We will dive into the different advocacy tactics you need in your toolbox — from communications to lobbying. We will discuss how to take hold of the narrative with impacted voices, prepare for hearings, track legislative votes, design digital tools and direct actions, and identify and respond to opposition.

4:00pm – 5:00pm

PANEL: Corporate Accountability in Correctional Telecom

As we all fight legislative battles to make correctional communication free in our communities, there are parallel corporate campaigns set out to attack correctional telecom directly. Learn from those spearheading these campaigns about how their dismantling the business of correctional telecom and how their strategy dovetails with policy work.

Speakers:

• Bianca Tylek, Executive Director, Worth Rises

• Jim Baker, Executive Director, Private Equity Stakeholders Project

• Malachi Robinson, Digital Organizing and Membership Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance

• Erich Kussman, Pastor, Saint Bartholomew Lutheran Church

5:15pm – 6:15pm (OPTIONAL)

We can’t think of everything. If there is something not on the agenda that you are interested in discussing with other attendees, you can use this time to host an optional session. Below is a list of current options, we will update the list as ideas come in.

Current Options:

• Talk to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC): As they work to implement regulations mandated by the new Martha Wright Reed Just and Reasonable Communication Act, representatives of the FCC want to hear from those who rely on prison and jail communications to connect with their loved ones.

7:00pm – 9:00pm

Community Dinner

Friday, September 22

8:30am – 9:30am

Breakfast

9:30am – 11:00am

WORKSHOP: Effective Messaging for Connecting Families Campaigns  

As the connecting families movement accelerates, more advocates are asking: what messaging works? We will draw on linguistic analysis, polling research, and recent campaigns to share the most effective messaging for connecting families campaigns and how to deploy it in your collateral, conversations, and communications.

11:00am – 11:45Am

PRESENTATION: We’ve Won, Now What?

Once we win the legislative battle (and hopefully take a moment to celebrate!), there’s still more work to do. We need to make announcements, ensure a safe and smart implementation, and share the impact through data and stories to demonstrate that the policy is replicable. We will discuss best practices around making your announcement, engaging in government procurement, and measuring and sharing impact.

Speakers:

• Bianca Tylek, Executive Director, Worth Rises

• Andrew Lama, Government Affairs Specialist, Worth Rises

• Steve Parkhurst, Program Coordinator, Freedom Reads

11:45am – 12:00pm

Farewell