Cassandra Bensahih (Unitarian Universalist Mass Action): Unlocking the Box

Credit Cassandra Bensahih

This lecture was part of the International Symposium on Solitary Confinement held November 5-6, 2020 and sponsored by The Office of the Provost of Thomas Jefferson University. Cassandra Bensahih. Cassandra Bensahih Is the coordinator for MASC (Massachusetts Against Solitary Confinement). MASC embraces abolition but until that day is reached, the campaign’s focus is ending the torture of solitary confinement. A core value of this campaign is that it is led by impacted people and survivors of solitary confinement. Cassandra works to develop relationships with a growing network of survivors, people who are formerly incarcerated and family members with loved ones inside. It is from this network that people are invited to join the leadership team and work together to identify the campaign goals and develop the strategies and tactics that will help us achieve our goals. Cassandra has grown the coalition from a small group of dedicated volunteers to a statewide coalition of several hundred activists. The campaign has evolved, as well, from a legislative focus to a multi-approach campaign focused on changing the brutal culture of punishment in Massachusetts prisons. Cassandra works to voices of the survivors are present in every opportunity where they can tell their truth and counter the misinformation spread by the Dept. of Corrections. In addition to her role as the statewide coordinator for MASC, Cassandra is also the Senior Organizer and Development Coordinator at Unitarian Universalist Mass Action Network. Cassandra also volunteers as the Criminal Justice Policy Coordinator for the Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition (M.W.O.C.C) and is a member of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Women and Girls. In this role, she embraces outreach to impacted communities throughout Massachusetts. Cassandra has been a leader in criminal law reform for the past 11 plus years. She brings her insight as a woman of color and mother affected by the criminal legal system. Her personal experience, along with the relationships she has built in doing this work, compels her to change the brutal systems that have had a devastating impact on so many lives.

Special Thanks To Cassandra Bensahih for this presentation on solitary confinement