Former prisoners sue to end ‘prison gerrymandering’ in Pa.

People in Pa. prisons are counted as residents of where they're incarcerated instead of where they lived, leading to shifts in political power. Can a new lawsuit change that?

Air Date: March 2, 2020

The NAACP has filed suit on behalf of Robert Holbrook (left) and other currently and formerly incarcerated people whose Census numbers apply to the community where they are incarcerated rather than where they live. Holbrook spoke during a press conference at City Hall, accompanied by Philadelphia NAACP President Rodney Muhammad (right). (Emma Lee/WHYY)

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The NAACP is suing Pennsylvania on behalf of three formerly incarcerated men from Philadelphia to stop “prison gerrymandering,” or counting people in state prisons as residents of the areas where they are incarcerated instead of where they lived. The practice has helped shift political power from urban to more rural parts of the state.

Guests: Jonathan Lai, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Aaron Moselle, WHYY

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