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Update #4: Now what?
I want to start by extending a very heartfelt thank you to everyone that backed the VoJ project on Kickstarter.com. None of what I'm about to do would be possible without your contributions. For that, I am extremely grateful.
I'm now faced with the question of how to effectively unfold this project. Rather than answer this here, I'll direct you instead to my latest two blog entries on the Voices of Justice website:
- This first entry explains my philosophy for moving forward: "The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic."
- This second one outlines my plan for what happens next: "Dog will hunt"
Thanks again to everyone that has supported the project. Please check out the above blog entries and remember that I'm always eager to hear your thoughts and suggestions.
~ Luke
P.S.: Project backers: Keep an eye on you inbox over the next couple days as I'll be sending announcements about Backer rewards and how to receive them very soon
Update #3: The silent war inside
Hi all,
There's a new post on the VoJ website about the "arms race" in California's prisons:
The "war on crime" in city streets never ended. Instead, it continues silently, in small rooms behind locked gates, waged by underappreciated prison staffers and desensitized inmates, 98 percent of which will return to our neighborhoods ... Learn about the silent war inside.
Also... only 8 days left for VoJ on Kickstarter.com and only $200 more to raise! Know anyone who might be interested in backing the project? Please! Let them know!
Thanks,
Luke
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Dave Amis on November 16, 2010
Luke,
I've just arrived and am checking this site out. But if you don't have the money by your deadline, contact me and I'll finish it for you. Also, I want to be on the list to see it when it's done.
Dave -
Luke Whyte on November 17, 2010
That's a great offer. Thanks so much, Dave, I really appreciate it.
The best way to stay informed on the project is through our newsletter, which you can sign up for here: http://voicesofjustice.com/
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Update #2: New data visualization: "The day the prison build-up began"
The California prison population grew 874 percent between 1977 and 2007. The reason “why” involves a variety of complex factors. Yet, at the root lies one single day: July 1st, 1977.
I've used Prezi.com to tell this story through a 3D visualization:
You can check it out here: http://voicesofjustice.com/...
I'd love to hear what you think.
Luke
Update #1: "Prison brain cells" or "Why we only know what we know"
Earthquakes, bulldozers, eyeballs and a picture of a wolf eating a metal bull - these are all subjects in the first VoJ blog post... Check it out here: http://voicesofjustice.com
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on November 24, 2010.
Pledge $5 or more Pledge $5 or more
If you pledge $5 or more to the Voices of Justice project, we'll write a personalized thank you note on a sheet of poster board and photograph it being held up by one of our spectacularly attractive team members on the road. We'll then place that photograph on the 'Thank You' page of the VoJ website.
Pledge $15 or more Pledge $15 or more
If you donate $15 to the project, I'll ask any serious question you want to any person we interview. Do you have something you'd like to discuss with a prisoner? A warden? A corrections officer? A ex-gang member in L.A.? Pledge 15 bucks or more and we'll make sure your question gets an answer.
Pledge $30 or more Pledge $30 or more
Donate $30 or more to the project and also receive one of our awesome "Razor Wire" Voices of Justice t-shirts - guaranteed to fill friends, coworkers and random strangers with the utmost of awe and respect for your savvy fashion sense.
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
Give 50 bucks to the project and we'll buy a copy of any book of your choosing (assuming it costs us $15 or less) and give it to any person we interview of your choosing — an inmate, correctional officer, parolee, etc... you decide.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
As we travel, we'll be taking hundreds of photographs for the project. For those who donate more than $100, we'll collect the best of these photos together into a personalized collection along with related explanations, original sketches of our ideas for stories and data visualizations, and a handwritten thank you letter that I'll compose on the road.
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
Alongside the many photographs we'll be shooting on the road, we'll also be writing lots of short stories, many of which won't appear on the VoJ website. If you're generous enough to donate $500 or more to the project, we'll bind all of our best stories, photos and data visualizations together into a handmade and personalized book that we (and all of our artistically-inclined friends) will pour our hearts into designing and send to you as a token of our deepest and sincerest gratitude.
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I've worked as a freelance writer in a variety of countries for a variety of publications. For the last two years, I was the editor for the online magazine for correctional professionals, CorrectionsOne.com. Since then, I've found the subject of criminal justice in America absolutely fascinating and I've devoted myself to better understanding it ever since.
