Human Rights Defense Center
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Founded | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Paul Wright |
| Type | Non-profit, NGO |
| Focus | Criminal justice reform, free speech |
| Headquarters | Lake Worth Beach, Florida, United States |
Region served | United States |
| Product | Non-profit human rights advocacy |
Key people | Paul Wright(Executive Director) Susan Schwartzkopf (Chief Financial Officer) Dan Marshall (Litigation Director) |
| Website | humanrightsdefensecenter.org |
Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that campaigns on behalf of prisoner rights across the United States. The organization advocates for the rights of people in "state and federal prisons, local jails, immigration detention centers, civil commitment facilities, Bureau of Indian Affairs jails, juvenile facilities and military prisons."[1] Some of the major focuses of the HRDC include work on free speech issues, government transparency and accountability, as well as opposition to the private prison industry.
HRDC is also the parent organization of Prison Legal News (PLN), a monthly publication that covers litigation and other criminal justice news, which is the nation's longest running newspaper produced by and for prisoners.[2] Through PLN, HRDC also publishes and offers books to prisoners pertaining to legal and self-help resources designed to help "prisoners navigate through the legal system"[3] The organization is currently running a number of campaigns, including its Campaign for Prison Phone Justice,[4] the Stop Prison Profiteering campaign,[5] and the Prison Ecology Project.[6] A major part of HRDC's funding is through revenue earned from its publishing and litigation, as well as book sales, but the organization also receives individual donations as well as crowdfunding efforts on its behalf.[7]
Members of staff include:[8]
- Paul Wright, founder, President, executive director, Editor of PLN
- Dan Marshall, General Counsel and Litigation Director
Founding
HRDC's founder, president, and executive director is Paul Wright, who is also the founding editor of Prison Legal News. In 2003 Wright, a former military policeman and a graduate of the University of Maryland, was released from prison in Washington State after having served 17 years.[9]
Wright co-founded the monthly newsletter Prison Legal News together with Ed Mead in 1990 while still incarcerated.[9] He first mailed it to friends, then began to distribute it more widely. During that period Wright also "successfully litigated a wide variety of censorship and public records cases against prison systems around the country... both as a plaintiff and on behalf of PLN."[9]
Funding
The HRDC is mainly funded through revenue generated from its publishing and litigation activities, largely through PLN subscriptions as well as advertising revenue that amounts to more than $165,000 annually.[3] The organization holds fundraisers and is also supported by the following foundation funders: Community Foundation of Massachusetts, Funding Exchange, Jewish Community Fund, Open Society Foundation, Proteus Fund, Sonya Staff Foundation, Irvin Stern Foundation, and Youth Emergency Services.[10]
