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

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  • This prison beauty school preps inmates for a career post-incarceration

    In a central California prison, male inmates learn cosmetology skills so they can find jobs upon release. The woman overseeing the program ensures the inmates get classroom instruction and hands-on experience working on fellow inmates and prison staff, but she has also become a mother figure for many of the men, who lacked that in their lives. Five inmates have gained their cosmetology licenses so far and they say the program helped them overcome barriers in the prison and in the community.

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  • Raising babies behind bars

    Nursery programs inside prisons are not common. The Decatur Correctional Center is one of the few in the country. Eleven years since its inception, “more than 90 women have gone through the Moms and Babies program.”

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  • The Connecticut Experiment

    A pilot program in Connecticut for young offenders matches them with older inmates as mentors who help them confront their pasts and the underlying reasons they’re in prison. They learn new life skills and personal money management as part of a growing trend to use neuroscience to inform incarceration of young adults. The program is based on prisons in Germany and two other states are setting up similar pilots, but no data is yet available on whether the approach reduces recidivism.

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  • A New Approach To Incarceration In The U.S.: Responsibility

    To stop recidivism, the Middlesex House of Correction and Jail is replicating life on the outside for inmates while they are still in prison. Designed for 18 to 24-year-olds, the program removes some aspects of prison life, such as constant surveillance and locked doors, and supports participants as they manage increasing responsibilities and obligations.

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  • Kenya jail's 'mindful' scheme aims to bring sides closer

    In Kenya, prisons are rampant with violence, an overcrowded and harsh environment for people as they serve their sentences. To combat gang violence and heightened tensions between prisoners and guards, Kenya's largest maximum security facility has implemented a new program: mindfulness. The program helps prisoners and guards practice mindfulness and meditation, and ultimately helps to bridge the divide between the two factions.

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  • Can mindfulness really end prison hatred?

    Kenya's prisons have a violence problem, oftentimes manifesting between the guards and the inmates. To combat the issue, a mindfulness training program is being piloted that aims to connect the guards and inmates on a more personal level through activities such as meditation, music and art.

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  • 30,000 Copies and Counting: This Newspaper Helps Inmates Prepare for Life on the Outside

    In Cincinnati, a resource guide helps those currently or previously incarcerated find resources like housing and employment so they can transition back to the community. The newspaper, called Re-enter into Society Empowered, or RISE, was created by a woman who struggled with addiction and incarceration. It features stories of recovery as well as resources in the community and the staff provide peer mentoring and advice to current inmates.

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  • Sacramento's Quest to End Solitary Confinement for Kids

    Solitary Confinement on youth can be extremely emotionally damaging. The practice is also costly, and can lead to expensive lawsuits. Yet, a slew of states and youth detention centers are trying to reduce the time young people spend in solitary confinement. In the Sacramento Juvenile Detention, one program is doing that.

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  • 'I have no thought of escaping': inside the Brazilian prisons with no guards

    In Apac prisons, inmates hold the keys. “By committing a crime, prisoners break the social pact,” says Ana Paula Pellegrino of Igarape Institute. “An Apac prison restores this by allowing inmates to work for the community.” Inmates contribute to local projects, follow a routine of work and study, and are addressed by name rather than number. The rehabilitation-focused approach is completely different from what happens in Brazil's mainstream prisons, a fact that motivates inmates to honor the rules.

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  • How to Build a Better Jail

    New York is shutting down the infamously isolated jail on Rikers Island in order to remodel with a newfound focus on how to integrate the jail into the community. Based off of the success of similar projects which prioritize the inmates environment in order to influence improved behavior, the outlook for Rikers Island also aims to incorporate needs of surrounding residents as well.

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