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Manhattan Mental Health Court offers lifeline to those with serious mental illness — but they have to get in

Chelsia Rose Marcius

November 14, 2020 |

New York Daily News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Manhattan Mental Health Court was created in 2011 to divert felony criminal cases to treatment, and away from prison, for people in need of mental health treatment. But few people with serious mental illness ever benefit from it. Too few defense lawyers know to request the intervention or do it correctly. Prosecutors act as gatekeepers in deciding who gets the help, and many do not see its value. And, once cases are admitted to the court, they can sometimes take years to be resolved. Covid restrictions on the courts have only aggravated these problems.

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‘I Want Them to See That Someone Cares About Them'

J. Brian Charles

November 14, 2020 |

The Trace |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

The Violence Intervention Program at the University of Maryland Medical Center's Shock Trauma Center helps people meet basic needs after they have suffered a gunshot injury. Along with clothing, transportation vouchers, and toothbrushes, the program's social workers also provide talk therapy. The goal is to keep victims of violence from becoming victims again, and the approach is to build trust by giving the help without strings attached. Many people return for the help, and the therapy.

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Covid Thwarts Booze, Party Policies

Laura Glesby

November 13, 2020 |

New Haven Independent |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Haven, Connecticut

In New Haven, colleges and universities are taking different approaches to enforcing social distancing, visitation rules, and drinking in the dorms. Some have implemented strict rules, while others have embraced flexible social distancing policies. For example, at the University of New Haven no guests are allowed, while at Yale, one visitor is allowed. “When shame and blame come into public health ... that’s actually counterproductive to public health efforts.”

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For families involved in Philly's child welfare system, this program is building a safety net

Steve Volk

November 12, 2020 |

Kensington Voice |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A pilot program within the child welfare system in Philadelphia is providing wraparound services for parents at risk of losing custody of their children. The multi-disciplinary services include an attorney, social workers, and a peer advocate in addition to services that help stabilize families such as housing, employment, and addiction treatment. Similar programs in New York City and Washington state show significant reductions of time spent by children in foster care and increased rates of reunification - saving money and reducing trauma.

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Chicago Public Library says eliminating fines has paid off

Mitch Dudek

November 11, 2020 |

Chicago Sun-Times |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

After the Chicago Public Library decided to forgive overdue fines for its patrons, there were significant positive results. Within five months after eliminating overdue fines 1,650 books were returned monthly, compared to 900. Up until the pandemic forced many libraries to close doors, the library also saw a 7% increase in books getting checked out.

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Where Housing, Not Jails, Is the Answer to Homelessness

Sarah McClure

November 09, 2020 |

70 Million |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Even while Los Angeles police criminalize homelessness with "sweeps" to clear encampments from public property, state and local programs have helped thousands of people find housing and receive services like counseling and criminal record expungement. Programs like LA DOOR and Project Roomkey use public-health and housing-first approaches to address people's underlying problems rather than subject them to endless cycles of arrest and incarceration, all of which cost far more than the helpful strategies while remaining far less effective. Street outreach is done without police escorts, to build trust.

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Tracking incomplete grades moves students forward – with extra focus from educators

Lex Gray

November 09, 2020 |

WAVY-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk Public Schools had a unique approach to addressing student performance post-pandemic—giving students an incomplete instead of failing them. The move revealed racial disparities that allowed the district to respond. “Of the 12,455 incomplete grades submitted, 71% went to Black students.” The district acted on that information and gave devices to students, limited instruction to four times a week to prevent teacher burnout, and placed a bus driver at every school to send staff to communities.

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The army of women saving India's storks

Neeta Lal

November 08, 2020 |

Al Jazeera |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Pub Majir Gaon, Assam

After a conservation biologist noticed that the number of birds in her Indian village dwindled over the years, she knew she had to take action. Purnima Devi Barman started to help educate her community about the historical significance and importance of the greater adjutant storks, and formed the “Hargila Army,” a volunteer crew of 400 women who help protect the birds. Thanks to their efforts over the last 13 years, they’ve been able to increase the endangered species’ numbers from just 27 in to more than 210.

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Biden embraces drug courts, but do they actually work?

Dan Adams

November 02, 2020 |

The Boston Globe |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Drug courts can help some people with serious drug problems who face serious criminal charges, if such court programs are run carefully, based on evidence-based approaches. But, too often, such courts – which push criminal defendants into treatment as an alternative to incarceration – can do more harm than good. The proof of drug courts' effectiveness is mixed, and fairly thin. Thousands of such courts exist, based on widespread political support for an approach seen as less punitive. But many critics say the courts' track record overall is weak and their approach can be just another form of punishment.

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The cycle of punitive justice starts in schools. Eric Butler is showing kids and teachers how to break it.

Adam Hochschild

November 01, 2020 |

Mother Jones |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Selma, Alabama

Hundreds of schools nationwide use restorative justice to respond to student disciplinary problems differently. In place of police, arrests, and suspensions, restorative practices emphasize conflict mediation through dialogue, asking how to hold people accountable without necessarily punishing them. Such programs have helped reduce suspensions and referrals to criminal or juvenile courts markedly, and reduced racial disparities. This story follows one man, a formerly incarcerated murder victim's brother, as he takes on the difficult task of introducing restorative practices to punishment-minded schools.

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