Adam Griego is a master mechanic, member of the Justice Advisory and Accountability Board of the ACLU of New Mexico, and a member of OLÉ. This blog is taken from his speech at End Mass Incarceration Day at the Roundhouse during the 2024 Legislative Session.    

Good morning, everyone. I would like to welcome you to our day of action to end mass incarceration.  

There is no research to support the idea that mass incarceration makes our communities any safer.

A little bit about myself and my lived experience. I first entered the confines of what is known as the Hotel, Downtown El Paso, a detention facility built up like a large hotel, on June 29, 2018. Making my way through the facility, I was moved into a secured room. It was standing room only that was so packed, I fell asleep standing up, never to once to fall or collapse. Slowly, we were worked into a processing area one by one. Finally, I was interviewed by an intake coordinator who asked me a very detailed set of questions about myself. Then I was off to a holding cell so overcrowded I had to squeeze between men on the floor. Bodies were like sardines in every direction, packed so tightly, you couldn’t move. 

Photo Below: Adam Griego and his Grandson.

The picture I am painting depicts conditions and rampant overcrowding in facilities across this nation. Today, January 30, is just four days shy of the largest prison riot to ever occur and it happened right here in Santa Fe, NM. Some that lost their lives should not have been in the penitentiary due to their crimes. The final analysis of the root causes of the riot were prison overcrowding, inferior prison services, violence against inmates from officers, and official corruption. Most of these same conditions are present to this day in many if not all correctional institutions. Rampant under staffing, poor training of staff, and substandard conditions are common in most prisons. Personally, I was subjected to involuntary solitude and enslavement. 

Punitive consequences and sanctions serve no value in the rehabilitation of a human being.

The loss to our loved ones on the outside is unconscionable. Oftentimes they have no idea where we are or what facility we are housed in. There is no response from staff when you call the facilities. My 17-year-old daughter who was seven months pregnant had no idea where I was for weeks after seeing me whisked away in from a federal court room in El Paso. The financial burden placed on the family unit is ridiculous. After losing the primary source of income for the household at the drop of a hat, they are forced to fend for themselves.  

We must focus efforts on reform, not creating more laws that hurt our families and communities.

There is no research to support the idea that mass incarceration makes our communities any safer. On the contrary, it is destroying families, our society, and has dire economic consequences. As a nation, we have five percent of the entire world population but a staggering nearly 25% of the world's incarcerated population. The racial disparities of those incarcerated are also indicative of a largely biased society.  Punitive consequences and sanctions serve no value in the rehabilitation of a human being. We must begin to become a generation of healers focused on the core values of a stronger, more interwoven, and inclusive society. We must focus efforts on reform, not creating more laws that hurt our families and communities. 

We must seek solutions. In the words of the law professor Andrea Armstrong, transparency and accountability are critical tools for safeguarding our collective humanity. Thank you for your time. 

Ginger Sharpe is a Certified Peer Support Worker and an advocate for change. She gave this speech at End Mass Incarceration Day at the Roundhouse during the 2024 Legislative Session.   

Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, and fellow advocates for justice, thank you for gathering here today at the legislative building in Santa Fe as we raise our voices for change. 

Every day, countless individuals in our state are needlessly incarcerated for offenses that can be better addressed through alternative methods.  

I stand before you not just as a speaker but as someone who has experienced firsthand two of the broken systems we are here to address. In being a Certified Peer Support Worker (CPSW) that means that I have lived experience and in my lived experience I have been both Incarcerated and I spent five years unhoused and am currently unhoused as I am speaking to you today.  

First and foremost, I want to draw attention to a deeply flawed criminal justice system and ending mass incarceration. Every day, countless individuals in our state are needlessly incarcerated for offenses that can be better addressed through alternative methods. This incarceration not only affects the people being incarcerated but their families and children as well. I will never forget the call when I was on probation six years ago that my probation officer forced me to make telling my daughter that due to a technical violation I wouldn’t be coming home that day. The devastation in her voice echoed in my head for a year that I had to sit and finish out my sentence.  

Situations like mine are why we must shift our focus from punishment to rehabilitation, investing in proven services such as substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery services and educating people that these services are available. It's time to break the cycle of incarceration and empower individuals to rehabilitate and reintegrate into society as productive healthy people and members of our community.  

"Situations like mine are why we must shift our focus from punishment to rehabilitation."

Now, let's shine a light on another broken system – our housing crisis. The unhoused population, often unfairly blamed for property theft and petty crimes, is struggling to survive. The stringent requirements for obtaining housing vouchers – coupled with the lack of affordable housing and landlords discriminating against those with past evictions or criminal backgrounds – create insurmountable barriers.  

I speak from personal experience when I say that hopelessness becomes a paralyzing force. We need to reform these systems, not perpetuate cycles of homelessness, unemployment, and despair. We must advocate for policies that provide real opportunities for the unhoused to regain stability, employment, and motivation to make lasting changes in their lives. That’s the only way to solve the issue of the unhoused population.   

As we address these broken systems, we cannot merely dwell on the problems – we must also be ambassadors of change, advocates for solutions. In this legislative session, where budgetary decisions are paramount, I propose a shift in priorities. Instead of funneling money into new technologies for law enforcement, let us invest in education – the cornerstone of our future. Our children deserve resources and support to thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. 

We must advocate for change, raise awareness about available resources, and collectively work towards a more just and compassionate society.    

Moreover, we can repurpose funds towards refurbishing abandoned buildings into affordable housing. By doing so, we offer stability to the unhoused, enabling them to return to work and support themselves and their families. It's time to redirect taxpayer money towards initiatives that foster compassion, understanding, and sustainable solutions.  

In conclusion, I implore each one of you to care deeply about our fellow human beings, our community, and our children. Let us not lose sight of our shared humanity. We must advocate for change, raise awareness about available resources, and collectively work towards a more just and compassionate society.  

Thank you for your time and let us leave here today with a renewed commitment to care for one another, to actually help each other not just ourselves, and strive for a better future. Thank you again.