Calvin John Smiley

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Exiting Prison With No Money, No Credit and No Way to Avoid Debt

Sep 18, 2024 | inthesetimes.com | Calvin John Smiley

Marcelino Rodriguez had no debt when he was released from prison in 2019 — and no credit. A Bronx native, Rodriguez was arrested for manslaughter at 17 and served 17 years of a 20-year sentence. Upon release, he relied on cash and debit until he was able to qualify for a secured credit card with a $500 limit. He quickly took on debt in an attempt to build more credit.
Community Is a Verb | Calvin John Smiley | INQUEST

Jul 9, 2024 | inquest.org | Calvin John Smiley

Through pointed interviews with scholars, activists, and justice-impacted individuals, my new book Defund: Conversations Toward Abolition situates the summer 2020 uprisings in the context of ongoing struggles against white supremacist capitalist hegemony, state-sanctioned police violence, and mass incarceration.
Defund: Conversations Toward Abolition

Jun 1, 2024 | haymarketbooks.org | Calvin John Smiley |Marc Lamont Hill

Join author Calvin John Smiley and special guests Marc Lamont Hill, Zellie Imani, and Olayemi Olurin for a conversation and celebration of the book Defund: Conversations Toward Abolition. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The 2020 uprisings against police violence launched a nation conversation about defunding the police and prisons, propelling the #defund movement into the spotlight.
Defund: Conversations Toward Abolition

May 4, 2024 | citylights.com | Calvin John Smiley

"This is the book we've been waiting for! Bringing together some of the most brilliant minds and courageous voices in the world–from university scholars to grassroots activists, political organizers to political prisoners–Smiley uses the power of dialogue to help us teach, dream, plan, and struggle toward an abolitionist future.
Defund

Feb 1, 2024 | haymarketbooks.org | Calvin John Smiley |Angela Davis |Gina Dent |Rachel Herzing

A collection of illuminating interviews with leading abolitionist organizers and thinkers, reflecting on the uprisings of summer 2020, the rise of #defund, and the work ahead of bridging the divide between reform and abolition. The 2020 uprisings against police violence launched a nation conversation about defunding the police and prisons, propelling the #defund movement into the spotlight.
“Doing Reentry”

Aug 16, 2023 | ucpress.edu | Calvin John Smiley

By Calvin John Smiley, author of Purgatory Citizenship: Reentry, Race, and AbolitionEvery year, millions of people cycle in and out of American penal institutions. For many, it might be a few days or weeks in a local jail but for others it could be years or even decades in a prison. Melvin, a Black man in his early fifties, spent more than half his life inside a state prison when I met him in 2010.
Putting Reentry Out of Business | CalvinJohn Smiley | INQUEST

Jun 13, 2023 | inquest.org | Calvin John Smiley

Melvin was the first person I met at the community-based reentry center in downtown Newark, New Jersey. At the time, he was fifty-one years old, stood six feet tall, and had milk chocolate brown skin, a clean-shaven head, a prominent scar over his left eye, several chipped teeth, and a thin chinstrap beard peppered with gray hairs. Further, he maintained a well-built physique from a daily routine of push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.
Purgatory Citizenship

May 8, 2023 | ucpress.edu | Calvin John Smiley

About the BookFrom Our BlogAbout the AuthorReviewsTable of ContentsRelated BooksAbout the BookReentry after release from incarceration is often presented as a story of redemption. Unfortunately, this is not the reality. Those being released must navigate the reentry process with diminished legal rights and amplified social stigmas, in a journey that is often confusing, complex, and precarious.