If rural New York’s economic survival depends on my habits, I’d rather drink their milk than go to their prison.

The prison construction boom of the 1980s and 1990s found many economically depressed, rural towns that were hungry for the false promises that prisons brought to their local economies.  Today, over 350 rural towns across the nation are home to a prison.  Over 75% of New York’s prisons are located in rural areas.

2.  Prison employees are fighting to keep empty prisons open amidst a major state budget crisis.  Located in depressed, rural towns, these prisons often provide the most stable, best paying jobs in town.

Which crisis do you want to help avert?

MILK NOT JAILS is a consumer campaign to mobilize NY residents to support the dairy industry and the long-term sustainability of the rural  economy.  It is a political campaign to advocate for criminal justice and agricultural policy reform that will bring about positive economic growth.  MILK NOT JAILS insists that bad criminal justice policy should not be the primary economic development plan for rural New York.

Demand a new urban-rural relationship.