Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Gun violence has sharply declined in California's Bay Area. What happened?

    California’s Bay Area has seen a 30% decrease in gun homicides, despite increasing economic inequality. The region has had many interventions to reach this decline, but the key to all of them is their community-driven nature. From collaborations between law enforcement and social services, to community mentorship programs, to investing in gun violence as a public health issue, each initiative is founded on neighborhood and individual empowerment instead of policing and incarceration.

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  • The latest YouTube craze? Videos that show you what it's like to live in prison.

    As former inmates face the immense challenge of finding employment post-incarceration, some have turned to YouTube as a way of turning their stories into financial security. With just a handful of prison channels garnering upwards of 2.1 million subscribers, the successful videos give viewers a range of information, including advice on how to survive prison and what their lives have been like after release. Underpinning all of these videos is the desire to have a voice, help others as they try to reintegrate, and humanize the criminal justice system.

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  • A path to success

    In Colorado, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing have partnered to help former incarcerated individuals obtain Medicaid upon re-entry. The partnership allows for data sharing between the two departments to make sure people are leaving correctional facilities with health care in hand, and trains parole officers to help them enroll and use the benefits.

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  • San Quentin Cooking Class Serves Up Chance for Better Future After Release

    Quentin Cooks, a culinary program embedded within the San Quentin State Prison, is giving inmates necessary training and support to avoid recidivism and build a career in the food industry. The program teaches culinary skills to help participants – most of whom have just 1-2 years left on their sentence – earn the ServSafe Food Handler certificate. Organizers also do industry outreach to help arrange interviews and promote participants, giving them a leg up on employment after they’re released.

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  • How a new district attorney is shaking up the justice system in midcoast Maine

    The newly-elected district attorney in Maine, Natasha Irving, has started implementing restorative justice practices into the area’s criminal justice system. The use of restorative justice in this case includes offering mental health and substance abuse treatment, amongst other supportive services, and using prison as a last resort. There has been some pushback from law enforcement, but a willingness to try the new approach aimed at reducing recidivism in the region.

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  • Sustainability Behind Bars: Washington Inmates Are Connecting with Nature

    The Sustainability in Prisons Project has brought environmental lectures, work, and support to thousands of inmates since 2003. It offers a unique type of prison work - wildlife preservation, such as taking care of endangered butterflies. It has also started composting and educational programs, in addition to the therapeutic effects of greenery on prisoners and assistance in reentry.

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  • Washington University graduates its first class of students in prison

    At the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center, 10 individuals graduated from college with Associate Degrees as part of the Washington University Prison Education Project. Each student is required to have a high school diploma in order to apply, and must complete 60 credits to earn their degree. Beyond the provided education, the program has given incarcerated participants a sense of hope for their future.

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  • How Georgia Plans To Produce More High School Graduates

    In Georgia, about half of inmates don't have a high school diploma or GED. At Lee Airendale State Prison, a charter school offers inmates a chance to earn a high school degree. “The thing about the diploma is it’s from Foothills Charter High School so when they show it, it looks just like a diploma from any accredited high school," the regional coordinator said of the unique nature of the program.

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  • #FreeBlackMamas works to bail black mothers out of jail in time for Mother's Day

    Community organizing groups around the country have mobilized to get black mothers out of prison. The initiative #FreeBlackMamas has raised over $1 million dollars in donations since 2017 and comes as a growing response against the cash bail system. Besides bailing out black mothers, the groups seek to build community and address the larger systemic issue of race and incarceration.

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  • Changing How You Think Helps The Transition From Prisoner Back To Citizen

    For people reentering society after prison, the Reentry Initiative offers them the services and support they need. The program, housed at California State San Bernardino, provides former inmates the tools they need to avoid recidivism and rebuild their lives. Some of the classes offered are computer literacy, job readiness, and anger management – but fundamental to it all is cultivating a culture of respect and community amongst participants.

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