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Deradicalizing Militants the High-Tech Way

Tereza Engelová

August 26, 2020 |

HlídacíPes.org |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Czech Republic

Czech Technical University's online learning platform, HERMES, combats terrorism based on proven methods of deradicalization of former jihadists and preventing recruitment of new people to terrorism. Interactive exercises and other tools teach prison and court officials to separate radical jihadists from other prisoners. As thousands of people imprisoned on terrorism charges finish serving their sentences and are released from prisons, the programs also target community-based spread of radical thought, including with job opportunities for former prisoners.

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Can Prosecutors Be Taught to Avoid Jail Sentences?

Tina Rosenberg

August 25, 2020 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Columbus, Ohio

A nonprofit consulting firm, Prosecutor Impact, advances the cause of reducing incarceration and related reforms by helping reform-minded elected district attorneys confront one of the greatest obstacles to change: their own staff's opposition. In Columbus, a two-week curriculum educated front-line prosecutors about local services that can serve as problem-solving alternatives to punishment. It also taught them about poverty's challenges and engaged them in dialogue with prisoners, to make them more open to alternative approaches, which a local defense lawyer says was successful.

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The coronavirus gave them jobs — and a new lease on life

Doug Smith

August 25, 2020 |

Los Angeles Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles County, California

Finding gainful employment after incarceration is hard in the best of times, but during a global pandemic it's even more challenging. A Los Angeles nonprofit, Chrysalis, has been able to place the hard-to-employ job seekers in hotels that have been leased by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to house people experiencing homelessness. Chrysalis typically prepares people for permanent jobs but also finds transitional roles such as some of the positions that have been filled in the 38 hotels under lease by the city.

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The Prison Within

Katherine Hervey

August 22, 2020 |

Raw Love Productions |

Documentary |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, San Quentin, California

In San Quentin Prison, men convicted of murder attend a 72-week restorative-justice circle where they tell their stories of trauma: what they suffered in their lives, and how they turned that into harm they inflicted on others. The Victim Offender Education Group enables a form of accountability and healing that being locked up doesn’t, because of the dialogue among the men and with others’ victims of violence.

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Why did 77 Ohio prisoners die of COVID-19, but just 10 in Pennsylvania?

Brie Zeltner Cid Standifer

August 21, 2020 |

Eye On Ohio |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania prisons' relatively uncrowded conditions and approach to releasing people early when the pandemic hit have limited deaths in its prisons, making people incarcerated in Pennsylvania less than half as likely to die of COVID-19 as free Pennsylvanians. In neighboring Ohio, where COVID cases appeared simultaneously, the prison death rate has been nearly seven times higher than Pennsylvania's. Ohio's prisons are far more crowded, they rely much more on dorm-style housing, and their early-release rules were much more restrictive.

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This Chicago Nonprofit Supports Incarcerated Youth and Local Businesses During the Pandemic

Nicolette White

August 21, 2020 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Liberation Library, a Chicago-based nonprofit, provides books for incarcerated youth. The nonprofit fills the youths' book requests and has also partnered with five Chicago-based bookstores, where shoppers can purchase gift cards on behalf of the nonprofit. Since the onset of the pandemic, it has sent more than 1,100 books, more than double its usual number, along with card games, snacks and art supplies.

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Minnesota Freedom Fund Bails Out Those Who Can't Afford It

Bonita Gooch Jazzlyn Johnson

August 20, 2020 |

The Community Voice |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Minnesota Freedom Fund spent its first four years as a modestly funded nonprofit that used donations to bail people out of jail, as a means of countering a cash bail system that critics see as unfair to people living in poverty and people of color. From 2016 to early 2020, it had a budget of $100,000 per year and bailed out 563 people. Protests against Minneapolis police misconduct produced a windfall of $30 million in donations. The fund has excess funds, beyond what's needed to bail out protesters, and faces some criticism that it has freed people accused of violence.

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Sent to prison young, they found healing at northern Michigan camp

Angie Jackson

August 15, 2020 |

Detroit Free Press |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ypsilanti, Michigan

The Youth Justice Fund sends formerly incarcerated men and women to a lakeside summer camp as therapy for the trauma they suffered growing up and during long prison sentences that started when they were teenagers and extended decades into adulthood. By enjoying water sports on Lake Michigan and taking classes in art and music on a 300-acre forested campground, the recently released people find a safe place to talk about their trauma and the challenges of reentering society. For some, these days represent the first real freedom and joy they have experienced as adults.

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In Prison, Learning Magic by Mail

Annalisa Quinn

August 14, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

A community of incarcerated magic enthusiasts formed spontaneously around a column published by a magic magazine, thanks to their own initiative and the willingness of Joshua Jay, the magician/columnist, to respond to fan mail. The incarcerated people formed an underground exchange of tips on magic tricks and how to make props from the limited availability of materials in prisons. By perfecting their skills, this community used magic as performative art therapy, easing their sense of isolation and increasing their sense of power and personal worth. One even went pro after his release.

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From life in prison to out on parole: One group easing the transition

Patricia Leigh Brown

August 14, 2020 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

California, home to an unprecedented number of prison "lifers" who served decades since their teens and then were released under revised parole policies, created the Peer Reentry Navigation Network (PRNN) to have fellow former lifers coach and hold accountable the newly released. Now in 28 communities, PRNN has formed a community of peer mentors helping the formerly incarcerated remake their lives on the outside after lives of violence and trauma. The mentors' 24/7 help covers behavioral advice, job leads, and rebuilding family relationships. Despite some missteps, most mentees have stayed out of trouble.

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