Kaitlin Reece co-chairs Balancing the Scales of Justice, a task force in the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska, that focuses on developing faithful witness to reform in the legal system.
Reece used an EES Spot Grant in summer ’20 to develop “Write for Rights,” an online training for individuals to write letters to the editor (LTEs) and editorials in support of repealing the two-year voting ban for former felons in Nebraska. Following the success of this event, she applied for a grant to help people of faith find and use their prophetic voices to speak in support of criminal justice reform, by coordinating retreats and seminars and launching a social media campaign.
To date she has developed a website and newsletter. The task force hosted EES grantee Kathy McGregor’s On the Row in April ’21. She hosted a Community Conversation on Corrections in September ‘21, featuring the state’s Inspector General of Corrections and other nonprofit leaders involved with justice work. The event was livestreamed and the recording may be viewed here.
A public witness event, Sacred Rights, was held in October ’21, in conjunction with Diocesan Council. She also held a book study on The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton. She’s planning a mock hearing/testifier training for late ’22 and a Diocesan Advocacy event for late spring ’23; these are timed around the legislative session and focused on specific criminal justice reform bills.
