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

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  • Locals Divided Between Diversion and Border Security

    Pima County, Arizona, eased its jail overcrowding with reforms that reduced the jail population by 400 people. Its Community Collaborative put key players from the criminal justice system, plus formerly incarcerated people, on a team that created programs to divert cases from incarceration to treatment, screen people to detain fewer people before trial, and a new court to reduce the problems working people had in making court dates. A new jail was no longer needed. But a federal border program that gave the county incentives to make needless arrests undercut some of those reforms.

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  • Working together to prevent child abuse

    In order to address child abuse and neglect community members got together to form: R.O.C.K Mat Su, a collaborative organization composed of several organizations that has “teamed up with government agencies, schools and judges to develop a comprehensive solution.” So far, they have been able to train 10 schools to become trauma informed schools, trained over 2,000 people in the community, and created an alternative judicial court for children that prioritizes family reunification.

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  • Online learning can open doors for kids in juvenile jails

    The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice sets itself apart by offering a blended learning curriculum to students. The district's superintendent sees immense benefits to the split schedule and online learning component - “The self-paced schedule has made a huge difference in the number of kids obtaining credits." Other players are more skeptical.

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  • The Curfew Myth

    Austin moved away from its teen curfew, bucking the trend in many other cities where such laws are longstanding and efforts to remove them often meet resistance. That is despite data showing they do not reduce juvenile crime or victimization and may foster more mistrust towards the police. Austin has seen a drop in juvenile victimization rates since dumping the ordinance.

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  • When mental illness leads to an arrest, this court steps in

    Non-violent offenders arrested during mental health episodes in Davidson County are sent to Mental Health Court rather than criminal court. Through this court, they are connected to safety net services such as housing, medication assistance, and therapy.

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  • Bail reforms moving slowly in Missouri

    Under a large grant St. Louis County is working to reduce jail confinements in the aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting, following several national models. There is also progress toward reducing fines and fees for small issues, with a focus on addressing racial disparities in arrests. But the efforts face challenges that include thousands of outstanding warrants under the old system and a shortage of public defenders.

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  • Why this couple's wedding registry was devoted to paying off Philly kids' court costs

    A couple created a nonprofit in Philadelphia to make micro grants for those who need small amounts to pay off medical bills or legal fees so they can move on with their lives. The effort garnered modest donations, including through their own wedding registry, and has made about 10 grants, but those have had significant impacts on recipients. The two acknowledge this is more like a bandaid, so they also partnered with a policy organization to work on wider systemic change.

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  • Community works to help children overcome trauma

    Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), have long-term effects on children as they grow up, and children with high ACEs scores often experience serious mental health problems. In Stark County, Ohio, the Stark County Family Council's Trauma and Resiliency Committee works with schools, educators, and children with ACEs to help lower suicide and crime rates among these adolescents.

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  • Youth prisons are standing empty, but are a huge opportunity

    Across the country municipalities are repurposing former juvenile detention centers as juvenile incarceration rates have declined and remaking them as places of healing. Each community is different in its approach, with some even knocking down the buildings to start anew, but the Urban Institute found that successful transitions had several core strategies in common, including seeking input from local community members and from those who had been incarcerated in the facilities.

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  • Shots Not Fired: A new Oregon law takes guns from people who may do harm

    Four months after a law in Oregon took effect that allows removal of guns from people who could present a danger to themselves or others, residents used the law to seek the temporary removal of guns from about 30 people and judges granted 24 of those petitions. The strategy appears to be a promising way to stop would-be shooters. Such laws have proven effective in other states in stopping suicides and in Oregon at least four people who had their guns taken had threatened public shootings.

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