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Two Rural Counties Take Diverting Paths to Jail Reform

Laine Kaplan-Levenson

September 16, 2019 |

70 Million |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Alamosa, Colorado

Two southern Colorado counties responded differently when drug abuse, poverty, and mental illness contributed to overcrowding in their old, decrepit jails. Pueblo County's sheriff has gone to voters three times seeking approval of a near-doubling of his jail's capacity. Alamosa County's sheriff did the same, and succeeded in a renovation that nearly doubled capacity. But those extra cells turned out to be unnecessary because that county's criminal justice and community agencies collaborated on jail alternatives, significantly reducing how many people get jailed.

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Jeffrey Epstein's Death Highlights Inmate Suicide Problem

Max Blau

September 10, 2019 |

Stateline |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Atlanta, Georgia

After several high-profile suicides at various prisons throughout the U.S, ten states have enacted new policies for jails and prisons in order to intervene before it's too late. From enhanced suicide prevention training to more comprehensive intake regiments to abolishing solitary confinement practices, states across the nation are learning how to prioritize mental health care for inmates.

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How New York and Milwaukee approach juvenile justice

Allison Dikanovic

September 09, 2019 |

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

New York’s Close to Home legislation approaches the juvenile justice system through the lens of rehabilitation, moving those in up-state juvenile facilities to local, sometimes residential housing that emphasizes family and community. The approach has led to a 71% decrease in the number of youth placed in these facilities and a drastic increase in academic performance. Halfway across the country, as Wisconsin closes two of its upstate juvenile facilities, Milwaukee legislators are seeking to implement similar, community-centered programming.

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Reimagining New York Jails Without Solitary Confinement

Reuven Blau Rosa Goldensohn

August 19, 2019 |

The City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Solitary confinement was once thought of as one of the only effective punishments for violent prison inmates. As more research surfaces showing the severe damage it does to mental health, the racial bias of those placed in solitary, and its relative ineffectiveness, more cities, like New York City, are exploring alternatives to the practice. In places such as Denver, Chicago, and San Francisco, rather than invoking a punitive approach, city officials are offering positive reinforcement – and seeing positive results.

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In Nigeria's overcrowded prisons, Catholic group frees inmates through free legal services

Patrick Egwu

August 12, 2019 |

National Catholic Reporter |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria

Thousands of people incarcerated in Nigeria’s rapidly growing prison system, many of them awaiting trial without lawyers, receive free legal, health, and educational services from an NGO that for decades has paid twice-weekly visits to prisons around the country. Serving the prisoners’ general welfare, the Catholic Institute for Development, Justice, and Peace seeks the release of defendants on bail, advocates for better health care, and delivers aid packages to people held in the overcrowded lockups.

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When Arizona catches fire, prisoners step up

Maya L. Kapoor

August 05, 2019 |

High Country News |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Arizona

As the cost of fighting wildfires rises and the number of firefighters declines, Arizona found a solution: paying incarcerated men and women to do the same job for just five percent of the standard rate for firefighting. Arizona’s Inmate Wildfire Program, while fundamentally exploitative, is seemingly more complex. Those that go through the program find a sense of meaning and are given the opportunity to learn leadership and teamwork skills – things they can translate in life upon release.

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First Group Of Students Graduates From Wesleyan's Prison Education Program

Shawn R. Beals

July 31, 2019 |

Hartford Courant |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Middletown, Connecticut

The first class of students enrolled in the Wesleyan University Center for Prison Education has just graduated. The program awards participants with an associate degree from Middlesex Community College in general studies and intends to serve as a tool against recidivism by offering an opportunity for success after incarceration. The Center for Prison Education has existed since 2009, serving 138 students thus far, and started offering a degree option in 2016.

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A ‘Second Chance' After 27 Years in Prison: How Criminal Justice Helped an Ex-Inmate Graduate

Erica Green

July 08, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Since 2016, the Second Chance Pell program has been providing financial aid for those experiencing incarceration to pursue a college education. Started under the Obama administration, it has gained bipartisan support and traction in the Trump administration as well. Considering 90% of incarcerated individuals will be released, the Second Chance Pell program serves as a demonstrated commitment to reduce recidivism and mass incarceration.

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How Norway turns criminals into good neighbours

Emma Jane Kirby

July 07, 2019 |

BBC |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Norway, Halden

Norway’s Halden Prison is taking a different approach to incarceration: emphasizing rehabilitation over punishment, which has led to a 20% decrease in recidivism in just two years. Over the past two decades, the country has sought rigorous criminal justice reform, which at Halden Prison means job training and certifications, yoga and other recreational activities, reenvisioning the role guards play, and spaces that look more like home than a jail cell.

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How San Mateo County Is Building a 'Prison-to-School' Pipeline

Vanessa Rancaño

June 28, 2019 |

KQED |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, San Mateo, California

In San Mateo's juvenile detention centers, Project Change encourages youth who have completed high school coursework to enroll in community college classes taught on the campus. Inspired by the promise of programs like these, California lawmakers are considering Senate Bill 716, which would require county probation departments to offer at least online higher ed programs. "Nobody's telling these kids to go to college — that's not on the menu. But when you make that something that's embedded in what they are receiving, that's huge," the founder of Project Change says.

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