"At the age of 16, I got arrested for an aggravated assault charge that I didn’t commit. My bail for the aggravated assault was 2,000 dollars, but because my family was poor they couldn’t afford to pay it. So I sat in jail for 18 months because my family couldn’t afford to pay my bail. The case was eventually dismissed due  to lack of evidence...We need to end cash bail and come up with a program that helps formerly incarcerated people get education and employment. Ending cash bail  would reduce the prison population and stop ripping families apart."

On Monday, August 1,2016 YASP Leadership Team member Joshua Glenn testified before City Council’s Special Committee on Criminal Justice. He informed the committee about his experience with the criminal justice system, and what it was like being locked up and charged as an adult. He also gave a detailed description about what it was like being held for 18 months on a case that was later dismissed.
Josh's testimony focused on the many flaws of the criminal justice system, and how prosecutors and judges use bail as a tool to make defendants so desperate that they take plea deals. Leadership Team member Romeeka Williams submitted written testimony, which was read aloud.

YASP leadership team members Romeeka Williams, Sarah Morris and Josh Glenn went to Washington, D.C. with City Councilman Curtis Jones and several other organizations to see how D.C. successfully ended cash bail. We were met by Cliff Keenan of the Pretrial Services Agency of D.C., who explained how the system is step up. We talked about how there were people who resisted ending cash bail but who are now accustomed to it after seeing that the judicial system works better this way.

If someone is accused of a nonviolent offense, they see a judge within 24 hours and are released. People accused of a crime of violence are usually held but after 3 to 5 days are released. As a result, there is a jail population of 1700, compared to Philadelphia’s jail population of 7500. Their county jail is only half full right now. The reason for the difference in jail populations is Philadelphia’s use of cash bail. Most people can’t afford to post bail and so are stuck in jail until their trial. The number of D.C. residents with outstanding warrants is also much lower than in Philadelphia, for similar reasons. 

D.C. has also developed non-mandatory programs that can help defendants with drug issues and rehabilitation, and offer jobs and drug testing. There are people that review your cases thoroughly and get to know your personally-- our next step towards a fairer judicial system.

On Monday, Nov. 24th, Haverford College invited YASP to do a panel with a class of freshmen students about the criminal justice system and telling them a little more what YASP do. These students were very engaged and interested in what it was actually like being a youth inside an adult facility, how they can get involved with our organization, how we change and become positive and what was it like. They had so many intelligent questions and wanted us to come back to their college again to do some door-knocking up there and to inform more people about Act 33.

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Hello Friends, Family, & YASP supporters. The documentary Stolen Dreams II Breaking the Cycle of youth Violence Trauma & Imprisonment was recently screened on January 7th,2014. Stolen Dreams II is an inspiring film that reaches out to the community to help get the word out about stopping violence and finding ways to address violence other than throwing our young people in jail. In the film, you’ll hear from young people who’ve been locked up, people who’ve lost family members to violence and young men and women who are currently in adult jails. We hope these different voices can give audiences a deeper understanding of how young people in Philly are impacted on a daily basis by violence and incarceration. The screening was such a huge success. It was a great audience, & lots of interesting questions. If you missed out on the screening you should buy the documentary which the funding would go to help support the work we do or contact us. Bring YASP to your communities, schools & colleges. IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE ONE CHILD ! - Tot & YASP TEAM

Hello Friends, Family, & YASP supporters. The documentary Stolen Dreams II Breaking the Cycle of youth Violence Trauma & Imprisonment was recently screened on January 7th,2014. Stolen Dreams II is an inspiring film that reaches out to the community to help get the word out about stopping violence and finding ways to address violence other than throwing our young people in jail. In the film, you’ll hear from young people who’ve been locked up, people who’ve lost family members to violence and young men and women who are currently in adult jails. We hope these different voices can give audiences a deeper understanding of how young people in Philly are impacted on a daily basis by violence and incarceration. The screening was such a huge success. It was a great audience, & lots of interesting questions. If you missed out on the screening you should buy the documentary which the funding would go to help support the work we do or contact us. Bring YASP to your communities, schools & colleges. IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE ONE CHILD ! - Tot & YASP TEAM

Join us for art, poetry, food, music, and a big raffle! 

Come out to this extravagant event to have fun and raise money for two amazing organizations. 

Great raffle prizes from The Satellite Cafe, Honest Tom's Taco Shop, Manakeesh Cafe Bakery, Little Baby's Ice Cream and more!

Recommended donation of $10-$30 at the door. RSVP on Facebook, or by emailing us at yasproject@gmail.com or calling our office at 267-571-YASP.

We hope to see you there! 

Can't make it but still want to donate to support our work? 

Great news! You're just one-click away from making a donation online. You can also mail checks (Payable to "Reconstruction Inc." with "YASP" in the memo line) to us:

YASP C/O Reconstruction Inc.
PO Box 7691
Philadelphia, PA 19101

Recently , YASP went inside of Jubilee Elementary school. We did a workshop with the 5th & 6th graders that attend there. Our workshop was about the school-to-prison pipeline. We asked the youth "when you think of a pipeline what do you think of ," most responses were that water runs through it. We made it clear to them that this particular pipeline is about someone who gets pushed out of school & then ends up in the prison system. This class was so amazing, they knew more than what we put out as far as the school closings & more prisons being built. To top it all off, this school started in 1977 with a small classroom in the back of a thrift store. It's amazing when you set out to make a powerful positive change how it can grow from nothing to something. We also filmed this workshop with the help of our scribe facilitators who are working with us on our documentary called "Stolen Dreams 2". We came to a conclusion that the more we educate our future, meaning our youth, the better the result we will see within our communities.