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

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  • From prison to college: Consortium puts inmates in a positive ‘pipeline'

    Inmates who enroll in higher education programs during their sentence are 43 percent less likely to return to prison than their peers who don't, according to a study by the RAND Corporation. A consortium of Massachusetts colleges and state law enforcement agencies are taking action in light of this finding - 13 colleges will offer bachelor's degree programs to offenders either when they are in prison or once they have left.

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  • Meet the Delaware Teen Fighting for the Rights of Former Juvenile Offenders

    After her neighbor was incarcerated, a Delaware teenager and her brother began supporting youth coming out of detention with clothes, school supplies and other items. Their nonprofit grew and was so successful in raising money and awareness that the state legislature took over the re-entry fund just a year and a half after the organization's launch. The founder is now working on a pilot program to provide financial literacy training for formerly incarcerated youth.

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  • Reform Activists and a New DA Find Common Ground

    In Texas' Harris County, the state's most populous county, a grassroots collective of criminal justice activists contributed to a political shift that led to reforms in prosecutions, jails, bail, and policing. Inspired by the movement sparked by the death of Michael Brown in Missouri in 2014, groups such as Houston Justice and the Texas Organizing Project backed the election of a reform-minded district attorney, who turned toward community collaboration and away from tough-on-crime solutions. The new DA, plus favorable court rulings and state laws, softened the country's rough-justice reputation.

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  • A Vision of Healing, and Hope, for Formerly Incarcerated Women

    A project in the Bronx led by two formerly incarcerated women is testing whether transitional living/supportive housing meant specifically for women can help protect against recidivism. The Hope House currently provides homes for 5 women, emphasizing the need for community, not just fulfillment of basic necessities.

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  • Stripped: The Search for Human Rights in US Women's Prisons

    After her client and friend gets sentenced to 13 years in prison at the Washington Corrections Center for Women, Laurie Dawson, an activist, sets out to reform prison practices. With the guidance of the Bangkok Rules, an international document that outlines 70 principles meant to reform women’s prisons, Dawson sets her sight on eliminating strip searches from WCCM, and succeeds.

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  • As a teen he killed a man. A new law has given him a second chance.

    The Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act was passed is a D.C. law that allows people who commited a crime before the age of 18 to have their sentences reduced if they’ve served at least 20 years in prison. The law was built on the idea that youth, whose brains haven’t even fully developed yet, should not receive adult sentences. ““This isn’t about giving people a slap on the wrist,” he said. “It’s about giving people consequences that are age-appropriate.”

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  • Youth Need Community-Based Treatment, Not Jails

    The number of youth confined in U.S. detention facilities has dropped by nearly half since 1997, saving money and reducing recidivism. A report by the Justice Policy Institute says this has made communities safer, but that reductions are only among those accused of nonviolent crimes and that racial and ethnic disparities have increased. The report calls for changes, such as repealing state laws on mandatory sentences, offering better probation supervision and creating more diversion options.

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  • Can New Zealand Provide the U.S. With a Model for Juvenile Justice Reform?

    New Zealand introduced restorative justice practices for juveniles in their criminal justice system after incredibly high rates of child incarceration and an over-representation of minorities. The practice, in places since the late 80's, includes youth justice councils and limits police arrests. The "overall number of youth arrested, charged, and incarcerated" has fallen, but there is still disproportionate representation of minority groups in the system.

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  • Veterans Courts Give Soldiers a Way Back

    When military veterans get charged with crimes, more than 350 courts nationwide exist to try to keep them out of jail, with rehabilitation as the chief goal. Boston Veterans Court provides people with social workers, outreach specialists, access to therapy, and help in going to school, finding a job, and dealing with life's stresses. Many people in this system come home from war struggling with anger, trauma, and substance abuse problems. Some studies have quantified veterans courts' success rates for helping people overcoming mental illness and staying out of criminal trouble.

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  • How 'the incarceration capital of America' embraced criminal justice reform

    After years of being the incarceration capital of America, Louisiana began changing its laws in 2017 to cut the number of people in prison, prompting a drop of seven percent in the prison population and savings of $12 million. The funds will be reinvested in education, job training and other programs in prisons and jails for those about to be released. But many challenges remain, including stigma from employers and landlords, and skepticism by the state's attorney general.

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