The #NOLA Noname Book Club (NNBC) chapter returns this Sat to John Thompson Legacy Center for 1PM! Each month a book written by a Black author is chosen and discussed. September's pick is "Sister Outsider" by Audre Lorde. Interested in attending? DM us for more info.

#CurrentlyReading ➡️: "Prisons also perpetuate and exacerbate the very climate hazards they are woefully unprepared to face."

#CurrentlyReading ➡️: “Law enforcement illegally withholding evidence from defendants is a leading cause of wrongful convictions that is particularly prevalent in Louisiana." veritenews.org/2025/08/27/a...

Join us on Thurs, 9/25 for an important discussion b/w PJI's Samantha Kennedy & author @corinnabarrettlain.bsky.social Lain on her book, "Secrets of the Killing State." This event will explore the troubling realities of #lethalinjection and its implications in Louisiana. 🔗: bit.ly/sotks-nola

#CurrentlyReading ➡️: “The state was aware that the (heat) index could rise rapidly within within periods of less than an hour, yet protection remained inadequate to prevent serious harm."

Thanks to Robert Stewart of Verite News for speaking with our Director of Community Impact about tonight's community engagement bike ride with Critical Mass NOLA, Freedom to Grow NOLA, VOTE, Eye on Surveillance NOLA, and New Orleans Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression!

#DidYouKnow that Louisiana has a total of 13 carceral facilities with the Louisiana State Penitentiary (A/K/A as Angola), being the largest with 18,000 acres. Like many prisons throughout the South, Angola lacks proper air conditioning (allegedly 4 areas of the prison have A/C), resulting in...

WATCH yesterday’s press conference with exonerees and experts with @cifsjustice.org as they called on Texas authorities to prevent the wrongful execution of Robert Roberson on 10/16/25 for a crime that never occurred. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwwL...

This Saturday, we celebrate the life and legacy of John Thompson not only on what would have been his 63rd birthday, but also the 3rd anniversary of the John Thompson Legacy Center's opening. RSVP here: www.eventbrite.com/e/celebratin...

The @promiseofjustice.bsky.social's injunction requiring "Heat Alerts" on Angola’s Farm Line at 88°F+ heat index has been extended 90 more days by the U.S. District Court. Read more: therealnews.com/prisoners-su...

With the 20th anniversary of #HurricaneKatrina approaching, we spoke with several of our former clients who were incarcerated and separated from their families during the storm & following man-made disaster. When all you can do is watch: Hurricane Katrina from inside Angola. 📸: Jackson Hill

“After 45 years, I’m no closer to freedom than the day I walked into this place.” ⁠ ⁠ Read the story of Lloyd Gray, one of the many incarcerated men unconstitutionally convicted due to #Louisiana's racist tactic of #JimCrowJuries: www.propublica.org/article/loui...

2 weeks ago, court proceedings for the ongoing "Farm Line" litigation, VOTE v. LeBlanc took place in The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals as a panel of judges heard arguments on whether to affirm the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana's injunction issued in...

Join EBRP Prison Reform Coalition tomorrow at 6PM for the Death in Custody Rose Ceremony honoring the life and memory of Maressa Mays who was found dead in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. www.eventbrite.com/e/ebrp-priso...

"Parker is among a dozen named plaintiffs in an ongoing 2015 class-action lawsuit against the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections... The suit alleged that the prison’s medical care caused inmates to suffer serious harm, including the “exacerbation of existing conditions...

⬇️ CTA for clemency justice happening today! ⬇️

"What can we do right now ourselves, together?" Just a few days after this year's @netrootsnation.bsky.social n conference in #NewOrleans, we continue to sit with and be reminded of the words of Elaine Brown, former chair of the Black Panthers.

"Prison is another form of the same plantation, because we on that plantation. As a 17-year-old kid, that was my chance to make my ancestors proud by refusing to do what they were forced to do." - Terrance Winn, #nn25 panelist, formerly incarcerated at Angola, advocate for FIP

“Not only will men continue to swelter at Camp J, but they will also endure either overcrowding in solitary cells or be kept in isolation – a severe punishment... shown to be tantamount to abuse, torture, and is dangerous and ineffective.” - Samantha Kennedy www.nola.com/news/crime_p...

Join our staff next Thurs at @netrootsnation.bsky.social's 20th annual conference for panels at both 12PM & 3:45PM as we screen our doc, "Plantations and Prisons: A History of Forced Labor in Louisiana" and discuss mobilizing efforts to shift public opinion on mass incarceration/the death penalty.

Congrats to PJI Deputy Director, Lauren Sapp on being selected for this year's @gambitweekly.bsky.social 40 Under 40 list! Lauren marks the third PJI staffer to receive this recognition in the last five years. Please join us in congratulating her on this awesome achievement!

Thanks to the Black Film Festival of New Orleans, our film, "Plantations and Prisons: A History of Forced Labor in Louisiana" t/o the summer during the Freedom Summer Film Festival!⁠ Use the instructions on the image below to secure your free all access pass.

Come work with us at the Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI)! Interested in pushing for a legal system that recognizes freedom & dignity as universal rights? Learn more about the Development Director position and apply by clicking the following 🔗: promiseofjustice.org/jobs

WATCH the full "Rattling The Bars" interview here: therealnews.com/prisoners-su...

PJI Sr. Staff Attorney, Samantha Pourciau recently spoke with @therealnews.com's Mansa Musa about about PJI & @rightsbehindbars.bsky.social's ongoing "Farm Line" litigation, which looks to end the longstanding practice of forced agricultural labor taking place at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

#CurrentlyReading ➡️: "When Calvin saw the elderly men able to eat—that simple, precious act—he fell in love with the law. He could wield the very thing holding him in prison to challenge those who had taken his freedom. The law gave him a way to fight back."

#CurrentlyReading ➡️: "When Calvin saw the elderly men able to eat—that simple, precious act—he fell in love with the law. He could wield the very thing holding him in prison to challenge those who had taken his freedom. The law gave him a way to fight back." thelensnola.org/2025/07/08/w...

⁠Join us tomorrow for 5:30PM at Galaxie Tacos as we raise funds for our Client and Family Assistance (CAFA) Program, the direct services arm of PJI. A portion of the proceeds goes towards helping us continue this work, which centers the well being & personhood of our incarcerated clients.

Cowing to sheriffs angry that they’ve lost their kickbacks, the FCC is suddenly delaying rate relief on calls for families impacted by incarceration — for 2 YEARS. Tell the FCC to #StopTheDelay and implement the rules NOW at connectfamiliesnow.com/stopthedelay.

Happy Publication Day to friend, thought partner, and former PJI board member Calvin Duncan! 🎉🥳🎉

"Public sup­port for the death penal­ty, last mea­sured in November 2024, is the low­est in 50 years (53%)." 🟢⚖️🟢⚖️ Read this comprehensive review of where death sentences and execution methods currently stand in the US by using the link below.

#CurrentlyReading➡️: "By inverting the way agriculture is used within prisons, Freedom to Grow is turning a source of pain into one of healing." civileats.com/2025/06/18/i...

📣: #SAVETHEDATE! Several PJI staff will be speaking at this summer’s @netrootsnation.bsky.social conference, happening 8/7-9 in New Orleans. Register and get 10% off your ticket here: registration.socio.events/e/netroots25...

"It's called a work assignment, but at the heart of the lawsuit is the fact that isn't really a job... it is used basically as a tool of social and punitive control..." - Samantha Pourciau, Senior Staff Attorney, the Promise of Justice Initiative

Meet Ambassador Board Member, Ashley White and hear from this recent law school graduate about why she supports PJI's work and believes you should too.⁠ Learn more about Ashley and our other ambassadors on our website:⁠ promiseofjustice.org/ambassador-b...

New @FWDus data finds mass incarceration is costing families with incarcerated loved ones nearly $350B/year. Read this powerful @npr story highlighting FWD’s latest research and the individuals most impacted by the financial shock of mass incarceration. l8r.it/VFXt

"Attorneys from the Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI) and Rights Behind Bars filed the motion for the second TRO in March, in response to recent policy changes by the DOC that made conditions worse for Farm Line workers, who labor for pennies an hour." thelensnola.org/2025/06/24/j...

As of last Friday, it's officially the summer and we'd like to introduce you to this year's PJI interns! These four future lawyers were chosen after much deliberation from a contested and talented field of applicants. Learn more about them below.

It's been 3 months since the State of Louisiana killed Jessie Hoffman. Louisianans should know that the death penalty in #Louisiana is the result of prosecutorial misconduct (more than 2x the national rate), preys on the vulnerable, has not been shown to heal or provide closure to victims...

#CurrentlyReading ➡️: "But the sentence never really ends. People think exoneration is the finish line. It’s not. It’s where the pain begins in a different way."

📣 SAVE THE DATE: We're less than a MONTH AWAY from our good friend & former board member Calvin Duncan's author talk at Baldwin and Company! Join us to learn more about one of LA.'s most fierce legal advocates for incarcerated people. RSVP here: l8r.it/OO1O

Our Deputy Dir., Lauren Sapp recently sat down w/OIPM on WBOK 1230AM's The Monitor's Mic to discuss what does justice look like, the history of Jim Crow Juries and where it currently stands, and so much more. WATCH the full interview here: www.facebook.com/share/v/16JV...

#CurrentlyReading➡️: "This isn’t a matter of discomfort—it’s a matter of life and death, they say."

Our ED, Samantha Kennedy joined Jim Engster & @sisterhelen.org on WRKF's Talk Louisiana. Listen (12:30 - 20:50) here: www.wrkf.org/show/talk-lo...

Yesterday, a federal judge granted a second temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety related to the operation of the “Farm Line” at Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola) during periods of extreme heat.

Despite the non-unanimous juries bill (SB 218) not passing the Senate floor yesterday, we at PJI will continue to educate & inform Louisianans about this grave injustice and advocate for & fight on the behalf of the nearly 1,000 people still incarcerated due to these unconstitutional convictions.

“'Louisiana lawmakers now have an opportunity to finally address this history and to recognize the right of every Louisianan to a fair process in the legal system,'” said Samantha Kennedy, executive director of the Promise of Justice Initiative."

You may remember one of our former clients and friend, Jermaine Hudson from the national coverage he's been a part of recently in regards to Jim Crow Juries. Sadly, in 1999, Jermaine was falsely accused of robbery and sentenced to 99 years in prison by a non-unanimous jury, with a 10-2 verdict.

This bill will likely be up for a vote on the Senate floor tomorrow. ✍️🏾 a letter of support to your senator here: actionnetwork.org/letters/supp...

📣 BREAKING NEWS!!! LA. Voters Overwhelmingly Support Relief for People Convicted By Jim Crow Juries! "A new statewide poll reveals that... 65% of likely voters surveyed believe that people still incarcerated due to a non-unanimous jury conviction should be given a chance for...