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The Latest Trend in Reducing Recidivism: Keeping Mothers and Children Together

Rebecca Beitsch

September 19, 2017 |

Governing |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Most states and cities don’t permits mothers who give birth in prison to stay with their children. However, scattered across the country are programs like ReMerge, a program in Oklahoma City that allows mother and children to stay together, and avoid prison time. Programs like these are working, and yield lower recidivism rates.

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Lancaster knows how to keep people out of jail, but it's expensive

Bobby Allyn

September 14, 2017 |

WHYY |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Officials around Pennsylvania who want to reduce recidivism are studying a re-entry program in Lancaster that gives former inmates intensive case management to help them return to society. That includes transitional housing, job interview clothing and workshops on things like personal finance and interviewing skills. It also addresses the small slips that often send someone back to jail by putting the fees many former prisoners owe on hold for six months and helping them tackle bureaucratic challenges that can seem daunting.

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How Philly plans to ditch cash bail and what stands in the way

Anna Orso

September 11, 2017 |

Billy Penn |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A candidate for district attorney in Philadelphia is pushing to do away with cash bail entirely as other places have done, including Washington D.C., and New Jersey. Both of those places have seen their jail populations drop, and Philadelphia has taken some initial steps that reduce pre-trial populations in jail, but it faces a number of challenges in implementing no-cash bail. Those include getting widespread buy-in and a conservative legislature.

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Meet the Disruptor: Quaker City Coffee

Annie Mcdonough

September 06, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Christian Dennis stood up in front of his class and told them about his life: He sold drugs, went to prison three times before the age of 18, and realized he had to start over. That’s all his classmate, Bob Logue needed to hear to realize he wanted Dennis to be his business partner. Together, they started Quaker City Coffee, a business they hope can “bridge the gaps between Philly neighborhoods.” How can they do that? By hiring former inmates, and giving back money to the community.

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Wilmington's Solution to the Opioid Crisis

J. Brian Charles

September 01, 2017 |

Governing |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Wilmington, North Carolina

The opioid crisis has resulted in numerous addictions, overdoses and deaths, leading North Carolina to reassess how they are handling the crisis. A rapid-response team checks on users after being given naloxone, health-care navigators will help users get treatment, and individuals will be sent to treatment instead of prison.

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New Zealand Tries a Different Kind of Private Prison

Rikha Sharma Rani

August 31, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: New Zealand, Auckland

The privatized prison system is largely skewed against inmates, as most are funded based on the number of individuals incarcerated, creating a disincentive to invest in the rehabilitation and comprehensive treatment of inmates. But the Wiri prison in Auckland is piloting a new approach that focuses on the greater good: the government pays the prison for positive results based on recidivism rates and improved outcomes for inmates, especially the Maori minority.

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Justice, Restored? New North Lawndale Court Aims to Change Punitive System

Resita Cox Jenny Casas Sarah Conway

August 27, 2017 |

City Bureau |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

A new restorative justice court in a Chicago neighborhood shows promise in bringing healing to the community through having defendants repair harm they’ve done and reintegrate into the community. It has support from key members of the criminal justice system but it faces funding issues and getting buyin from the community. Some argue restorative justice cannot operate effectively within the existing criminal justice system.

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Courting The Ones Who Need It

Kaylee Tornay Brittany Norton Sam Felton Natalia Riccardi

August 24, 2017 |

Eugene Weekly |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

Developed in 2016, the Eugene Community Court program offers individuals cited for nonviolent, minor crimes an alternative to prison. If a person agrees to participate, they are matched with a case manager who connects them to the resources they need, like substance abuse treatment or job training services. The city hopes to decrease the rate of recidivism by creating tailored programs for each individual and spark a societal shift that has long criminalized poverty.

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Can a fake court help high-risk Pennsylvania parolees?

Samantha Melamed

August 10, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Close supervision and support during parole lowers recidivism among medium- and high-risk offenders with substance-abuse issues in Philadelphia. However, the impact seems to fade after parolees graduate from the yearlong Re-entry Program, often referred to as “Philadelphia re-entry court.”

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How a New York Police Official Targets Thoughts to Fight Crime

Micah Danney

August 09, 2017 |

Juvenile Justice Information Exchange |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Suffolk County, New York

A former prosecutor now works directly with offenders as a deputy police chief in a movement called Council of Thought And Action (COTA), often going directly to them in the community and bringing them together in support groups. The idea is that crime is a result of poor problem solving, and COTA is designed to restructure ways of thinking and behaving, using cognitive therapy tools to address past emotional baggage, and the power of social networks to provide a positive replacement to the destructive networks they had in the past.

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