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

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  • KC court cuts down on repeat domestic violence offenders

    Kansas City Municipal Court deals with over 40,000 cases of domestic violence per year, but the implementation of a compliance docket aims to reduce how many of those offenders come back to court. By forming a relationship with the people on the docket and leveraging accountability as well as requiring a series of classes, the court has been able to successfully decrease the number of reoffenders.

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  • Helping Women Exit Incarceration Successfully

    Crossroads for Women, a New Mexico nonprofit, is helping formerly incarcerated women find community, support, and recovery. Using trauma-informed care practices, the program offers a comprehensive list of services like housing, mental health treatment, employment counseling, and substance abuse treatment. Underlying all services is the understanding that no individual is trauma free and that community and relationships are crucial to sustainable recovery.

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  • 'Changing The Mindset': Female Inmates In Training For A Life After Prison

    A women's prison in Washington has found success in a pilot program that trains inmates for nontraditional jobs, giving them the skills necessary to be a competitive applicant in fields such as welding. While this program helps to cut down on recidivism, it also connects participants with other programs that help provide appropriate work clothing and pay union fees.

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  • How One County Became a Lab for California's Prison Reform

    After San Joaquin County adopted a slew of criminal justice reforms, crime dropped by 20 percent, the lowest number in a decade. One of the things that was implemented were speciality courts aimed at decreasing arrest time and helping “former prisoners find jobs, housing and treatment for mental health and addiction problems.” Other measures include ending cash bail and racial bias training. “Crime has always been issue No. 1, but the narrative in this city is one about being a second chance city.”

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  • Why more states are giving juvenile offenders a second chance

    Many states are rolling back the punitive measures against youth who committed crimes that began in the 1980s and 1990s. After the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional, states are shifting their attention from incarceration to community based care and prison alternatives. Missouri, which has led the country in “community based alternatives” for youth, has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the country.

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  • Heroin addicts get clean through drug court intervention

    At a Michigan county drug court, intense scrutiny and personalized attention for people in recovery - instead of jail time - is an approach with great promise. This in-depth look at the journey of people in the program shows its possibilities and its limitations.

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  • Boston's miracle: how America stopped young men killing each other

    An initiative that aims to keep troubled former criminals from continuing down the same path is technically called group violence intervention, but most know it as the Boston miracle. Piloted in the 90s, this style of intervention has shown so much success in reducing shooting rates that it has began scaling to European countries.

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  • When a step back into prison is really a jump forward on the road to recovery

    In Alaska, programs promote long-term rehabilitation and intensive treatment for people with addictions who are involved in the criminal justice system. Part of the way the program has been successful is by allowing participants to return to intensive treatment if they fall off the wagon - providing them the tools to eventually return to their homes, healthier and happier.

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  • How Atlanta Is Turning Ex-Cons Into Urban Farmers

    An entrepreneur and activist in Atlanta, GA runs an urban farm and employs former prisoners in an attempt to tackle Georgia's incarceration and recidivism problems. The program, called Gangstas to Growers, employs folks regardless of previous experience and aims to keep up with the rapidly gentrifying community.

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  • This course helps former prisoners learn the tech they missed in jail

    Most prisoners don’t have access to computer, in order to bridge the digital divide the Prisoner Reentry Institute is offering a free course called Tech 101 to former prisoners who served long sentences. People are taught things like how to set up Google accounts, navigating Microsoft Office, and social media. “Once you learn the basics, you really start feeling good about yourself, especially when you learn enough that you can start helping others.”

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