Half of the people released from New York State prisons are funneled into precarious homeless shelters. Simultaneously, one out of six individuals trapped in the U.S. prison industry has been homeless prior to their incarceration. Particularly Black and Brown people are relentlessly shuffled back and forth between custodial institutions, which sustain cycles of depravity and injustice. This public debate focuses on the “revolving door” between institutions that function as penal responses to poverty.

 
Ellen Baxter has been dedicated to redressing the inhumanity of inequality and homelessness for more than 40 years. Advocating against institutionalizing the mentally ill, Ellen co-founded the Coalition for the Homeless and fought for a legal right to shelter in New York City. In 1983, she formed the Broadway Housing Communities (BHC).

Darren Mack was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. During 20 years of incarceration, Darren became an avid reader interested in issues related to race, class, and gender. After his release, he actively engaged in working to dismantle New Jim Crow practices. He is the co-founder and co-director of Freedom Agenda.

Pastor Isaac Scott is an awarded multidisciplinary visual artist, journalist, and human rights activist. As an experienced community organizer, he was a Fellow at the Columbia Law School and founder of The Confined Arts at the Center for Justice at Columbia University, where he spearheads justice reform through the transformative power of the arts.