Art by Fernando Marti, Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative
As a political organization working to abolish the prison industrial complex (PIC), Critical Resistance (CR) has had a practice of accepting imprisoned people’s collect calls through our national office in Oakland, CA for years as one line of communication with people inside cages.Imprisoned people in jails, detention centers, and prisons nationally call our office to speak with CR staff and non-paid members. In 2020, after COVID-19 protocol moved the organization to close our office and work from home, we expanded our call system so that prisoners could still contact CR, answering calls remotely. Our phone lines are now run by a national network of dozens of volunteers who help build vital relationships for the organization with people locked up in cages.
By offering abolitionist resources and advocacy tools for imprisoned people to use in their resistance while locked up, and by sharing CR chapter organizing updates as well as campaign news and advances so that CR’s work is informed by directly impacted communities, CR’s Prisoner Solidarity Phone Lines strive to foster strong political relationships with people across the PIC’s cages.
Phone Line Shifts happen every Friday – Monday, from 8am-6pm PST.
Volunteer shifts happen in two-hour blocks at the hour.
Help CR stay connected to our imprisoned comrades, break cycles of isolation, and connect people inside with CR’s work, campaigns, and organizing resources by signing up to be a phone line volunteer today!
CR is recruiting both chapter and at-large members to join our Prisoner Solidarity Phone Line program!
We are looking for folks to take on one to two two-hour shifts per month. Our phone lines have been a vital resource and project that helps us reach our organization’s mission. Because phone line volunteers represent CR as an organization to everyone who calls from inside a cage, there is an extensive training series all volunteers must complete before taking on shifts. Volunteers are also supported by a strong coordination team who assist all volunteers with developing the skills needed to represent CR and connect with imprisoned people well.
