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Nowhere to Go: Out of jail, recovery housing hard to find

Hadley Barndollar

March 15, 2020 |

Seacoast Online |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

New Hampshire's Rockinham County gives some people with extensive drug and criminal histories an offramp from the criminal legal system, in the form of housing at Cross Roads House and a drug court to emphasize treatment over punishment. But, while other cities in the state meet such needs with multiple programs, the second-most populous county in the state has a severe shortage of supportive housing and services. Such services can make the difference between prison and success, and even between life and death in a place with high rates of overdose deaths.

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Private Prisons Profit Off Incarceration. One In Australia Shows How To Flip The Script

Rae Ellen Bichell

March 09, 2020 |

KUNC |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Australia

Using a performance-based contract to give a private prison company the incentive to lower recidivism has encouraged the private operator of Australia’s largest prison to foster a more positive environment and provide a rich array of rehabilitative programs. Instead of penalizing the prison operator for problems, the contract rewards it for success, defined as fewer people returning to prison. Early indications are that it’s working well, by providing job training, counseling that continues after incarceration, and help finding housing post-release.

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Dimesse sisters link female prisoners to society in Kenya

Doreen Ajiambo

February 20, 2020 |

Global Sisters Report |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya

Kenya's overcrowded and poorly maintained prisons offer some educational and rehabilitative programs to inmates, but the nuns of the Dimesse congregation provide something else to try to transform the lives of those who committed crimes: religious instruction, with a side helping of basic humanitarian supplies. Along with food, underwear, and sanitary pads, the nuns use regular visits to men's and women's prisons to hand out bibles and give faith-based instruction aimed at reintegrating shunned citizens once they return to their communities.

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PowerCorpsPHL trains Philly youth for careers that have a future

Jessica Blatt Press

February 12, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A workforce development initiative, PowerCorpsPHL, pays participants to learn skills and gain hands-on experience for jobs that offer long-term career opportunity in the field of environmental sustainability. Participants generally have criminal records or have been in the foster care system. In addition to job training and education, PowerCorpsPHL also provides services such as mental health counseling, securing childcare, navigating SNAP and AmeriCorps tuition benefits and helping with paperwork. The program helps 92 percent of participants secure either a job or post-secondary education.

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How a Cincinnati manufacturer is changing lives & slashing turnover

Katie Ellington

January 29, 2020 |

Richland Source |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cincinnati, Ohio

At Nehemiah Manufacturing, more than 80% of the employees are "second-chance" workers: people with a criminal record, a history of drug abuse, and such. Not only does the company bring more jobs to the city of Cincinnati, but it also connects employees with resources in the community, such as job training, housing assistance, food assistance, or mental-health counseling. Turnover rate is only 15%, and employees themselves describe how the job changed their lives.

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In Reversal, Counties and States Help Inmates Keep Medicaid

Max Blau

January 08, 2020 |

Stateline |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

If incarcerated, low-income individuals who are reliant on Medicaid typically lose access to their benefits which accelerates the difficulty of reentry. To help close the gap, the National Association of Counties and the National Sheriffs’ Association have joined together to implement stopgap measures to help inmates either retain their benefits or have them only suspended instead of terminated.

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An Airbnb for the Formerly Incarcerated

Lauren Markham

December 16, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

The Homecoming Project in Oakland provides people recently released from prison with a soft landing by giving them free housing for six months, along with a menu of support services, in private homes willing to take in the formerly incarcerated. The recently released are at high risk of both homelessness and recidivism, two factors the program addressed successfully in its first group of tenants. With fundraising challenges, the program remains small. But it is developing a tool kit to help others replicate its model.

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Why are there so few prisoners in the Netherlands?

Senay Boztas

December 12, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Netherlands

Providing care to individuals with psychiatric problems reduces the need for incarceration. With the help of a psychological rehabilitation program known as TBS, the Netherlands has shut entire prisons following a decline in the number of individuals sentenced to time in prison. TBS works with offenders at its detainment centers to help them manage their mental health issues and re-enter society.

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Art Helps Returning Citizens ‘Cross the Threshold'

Emily Nonko

December 11, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Performance art provides a healing outlet for formerly incarcerated individuals. In New York City, the Ritual4Return program encourages participants to express the transition in their lives through art. Using an artistic expression helps individuals cope with the experience of incarceration and encourages them to reflect on crossing the threshold into the next stage of life. The program operates with the support of grants from universities, foundations, and private donations through a Kickstarter campaign.

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Would You Open Your Home to an Ex-Prisoner?

Michaela Haas

December 11, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Home-sharing programs help formerly incarcerated individuals avoid homelessness. The Homecoming Project, operated by Impact Justice, a nonprofit in California, leverages the sharing economy model to reduce homelessness and recidivism among ex-prisoners. The program pairs individuals leaving prison with good records with hosts willing to share their homes. The arrangement provides stability and a supportive environment for ex-prisoners to reintegrate into the community.

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