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

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  • From screaming and police to college in the fall, family says juvenile justice program 'saved son's life'

    Reaching out to juvenile offenders with support and services, rather than putting them in jail, reduces recidivism and can save public money. A program called Youth Villages is instrumental in helping youth offenders in Alabama build better futures for themselves, reaching about 50 young people every year. A bill that would have expanded this approach across the state was proposed but failed to pass before the end of the legislative session.

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  • A New Approach To Incarceration In The U.S.: Responsibility

    To stop recidivism, the Middlesex House of Correction and Jail is replicating life on the outside for inmates while they are still in prison. Designed for 18 to 24-year-olds, the program removes some aspects of prison life, such as constant surveillance and locked doors, and supports participants as they manage increasing responsibilities and obligations.

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  • Meet the Judge Who Transformed California's Criminal Justice System

    Using the catalyst approach, Judge Thelton Henderson was able to reform California prisons. He employed courts to change bureaucratic systems, and was moved by the idea that if you “encourage everyone involved to buy into a solution.. long-term change will happen.” Coupled with court orders, Henderson oversaw lawsuits involving overcrowding and inadequate medical services in prisons. A move that led to statewide change.

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  • 30,000 Copies and Counting: This Newspaper Helps Inmates Prepare for Life on the Outside

    In Cincinnati, a resource guide helps those currently or previously incarcerated find resources like housing and employment so they can transition back to the community. The newspaper, called Re-enter into Society Empowered, or RISE, was created by a woman who struggled with addiction and incarceration. It features stories of recovery as well as resources in the community and the staff provide peer mentoring and advice to current inmates.

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  • In one Oklahoma county, the number of women in prison is falling. This treatment program might be why.

    Women in Recovery, is an 18 month intensive drug treatment program. However, women also have to undergo therapy and address their trauma. Then, some of the women have found work at S and R Compression, a company that has hired six women from the Women in Recovery program. ““From my past, everyone’s always seen the worst in me but now I have people who see the best in me and give me a chance and an opportunity.”

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  • As opioids land more women in prison, Ohio finds alternative treatments

    The Ohio Reformatory for Women is a prison that offers inmates a chance to enroll in Tapestry, an inpatient drug treatment program that tries to delve into the deeper causes women turn to drugs. It also believes in connecting women who are addicts with one another because “on the outside there’s not enough support.” The 18 month program is “about healing mind, body and spirit.”

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  • How to Build a Better Jail

    New York is shutting down the infamously isolated jail on Rikers Island in order to remodel with a newfound focus on how to integrate the jail into the community. Based off of the success of similar projects which prioritize the inmates environment in order to influence improved behavior, the outlook for Rikers Island also aims to incorporate needs of surrounding residents as well.

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  • California's Prison Education System Is Yielding Impressive Results

    A California nonprofit's report found that incarcerated students in a Cal State Communications class achieved a consistently higher GPA than their un-incarcerated peers. Journalist Ben Paynter explores whether California may offer "the national model for prison system educational reform." As of 2017, 34 out of the state’s 35 prisons offer inmates in-person college classes in lieu of the more typical remote GED certification or technical training courses.

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  • Montgomery's Renascence gives men on parole a chance for rebirth

    In Montgomery, Ala., a transitional program offers former inmates a place to live and support while they focus on staying clean and finding work. Officials say programs like this play a key role in reducing recidivism by addressing obstacles like learning to live again in society and making decisions, establishing a support network and basic things like getting a bank account and drivers license. It offers former inmates new paths that can help them avoid falling back into old ways and re-offending.

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  • Can religion solve El Salvador's gang problem?

    For many in El Salvador, finding religion can mean finding a way out of violent gang life. The country has become one of the most violent in the world following the civil war in the 1980s that drove refugees to the U.S., where their children formed gangs and then brought them back home when they were deported. Pentecostalist churches founded by former gang members have often stepped in where civil institutions have failed, offering a sense of belonging and sometimes jobs to those who want to leave gang life, but their longterm success in rehabilitation remains unclear.

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