The Mass Incarceration of People with Disabilities and Deaf People

Every day in America, almost two million people are incarcerated in jails and prisons. Although disability and Deaf communities have received less attention in conversations about mass incarceration, well over half of people behind bars have at least one disability.

In this webinar hosted by Activating Change, presenters will provide an overview of the mass incarceration of people with disabilities; discuss how ableism, audism, and racism intersect resulting in vast disparities; and unpack some of the specific harms and injustices faced by people with disabilities and Deaf people when they encounter the criminal legal system.

Our Presenters

Jordan Landry

Jordan Landry is an advocate for disability equity and criminal justice reform and serves on the Joint Legislative Jail Standard Task Force for Washington State, the King County Board of Elections Disability Advisory Council, Washington Secretary of State’s Community Advisory Council, and the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability.

His advocacy was spurred after he, a blind man and a veteran, was arrested on two counts of first-degree assault against two Seattle police officers. He was then incarcerated in jail pre-trial for 42 months and 9 days before being fully acquitted by a jury of his peers. Jordan is a veteran of the Army and served in Operation Enduring Freedom. He has a degree in Communications from Houston Community College.

Kaitlin Kall

Kaitlin Kall is a senior program associate with Activating Change and is part of the team focused on ending the criminalization and incarceration of people with disabilities and Deaf people. Kaitlin’s work centers on equitably reducing the number of people impacted by jails and increasing sexual safety and opportunities for healing in confinement facilities.

Prior to the formation of Activating Change, Kaitlin worked at the Vera Institute of Justice for ten years. Kaitlin graduated from Wesleyan University.