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Actor's Gang: How Tim Robbins has cut reoffending rates

Kate Bissell

March 14, 2016 |

BBC |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

For many offenders, prison can be a tense, divisive, and anger-inducing environment, fueling the negative influences that landed them there in the first place and leading to high recidivism rates. Actor Tim Robbins - who once famously portrayed a prisoner himself - started a program called The Actors Gang to bring theater to inmates as an outlet for emotion and expression, breaking down barriers between former gang members and helping individuals to process their troubles.

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The San Francisco Jail That Started a School

Rob Waters

March 10, 2016 |

Bright Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Five Keys Charter School, established in 2003, works in various California prisons to provide education and job training to inmates. Since its founding, Five Keys has awarded 684 high school diplomas to inmates in custody and 712 more to people who completed their coursework at a network of community sites scattered around San Francisco and Los Angeles.

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Youth Program Points To Ways D.C. Can Be ‘Far More Creative' Against Crime

Matthew S. Schwartz

February 25, 2016 |

American University Radio (WAMU) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Fort Meade, Maryland

Paying at-risk people to stay out of trouble is the most controversial part of a new D.C. crime bill that also proposes counseling and other services to prevent repeat offenses. But a similar program is already in use in D.C., with the blessing of the District’s top prosecutor, giving nonviolent juvenile offenders a second chance. (2nd of a 3 part series)

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An unprecedented experiment in mass forgiveness

Rob Kuznia

February 08, 2016 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

In California, once a national innovator in draconian policies to get tough on crime, voters and lawmakers are now innovating in the opposite direction, adopting laws that have released tens of thousands of inmates and are preventing even more from going to prison in the first place.

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The Unlikely Rise of Restorative Justice in a Conservative Upstate New York County

Mark Obbie

December 29, 2015 |

Slate |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Batavia, New York

In a conservative upstate town in New York, an early advocate of what is now known as restorative justice pioneered the idea of finding alternatives to incarceration that address root causes of crimes and offer victims larger roles in the process. He did this by engaging different people across law enforcement, the community and social services. That built broad support, but the programs have struggled to maintain these innovations or make them permanent after the departure of the visionary founder.

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Police Officers, Former Inmates Break Bread, Build Bridges

Brandis Friedman

December 22, 2015 |

WTTW-PBS |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

At monthly lunch meetings, former inmates get together with Chicago Police officers to make connections outside of law enforcement situations and try to understand one another better. The Building Bridges, Building Connections initiative fosters honest dialogue through facilitated discussions that touch on all kinds of topics based in individuals' personal experiences. It's not an easy path, but it has continued for four years and many participants say they wish the meetings lasted longer.

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Murder in the Magic City: The Crime Fighters

Nick Patterson

December 17, 2015 |

Weld for Birgmingham |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Authorities have found a strategy to curb the homicide rate, The Violence Reduction Initiative, which has been scaled in other cities. This initiative calls in likely offenders and has them meet with the police face-to-face.

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How an Unusual Team Helps Extricate Bronx Residents From NYC's Justice System

Hélène Barthélemy

November 09, 2015 |

The Nation (New York) |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

A misdemeanor for a poor person can mean denial of employment, housing, etc., removing any opportunities for change. A public defender's office in the Bronx is trying to stop this downward spiral by offering ex-offenders comprehensive and dedicated help.

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Prison Without Punishment

Maurice Chammah

September 25, 2015 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Both incarceration and crime rates are low is Western Europe where the focus in prison is on rehabilitating prisoners so they can return to society. American leaders visited a prison in Germany to consider implementing certain aspects in the United States.

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A New Way of Fighting Crime—and Helping Victims—on the Violent Streets of Los Angeles

Mark Obbie

September 11, 2015 |

Slate |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Four community groups in the Los Angeles area work to address the root causes of what draws young people into gangs with a mix of approaches to help people leave the gang life, including education and job services, counseling, addiction services, and tattoo removal. Some also focus on helping victims since so many gang members start out life as victims themselves and this feeds into a cycle of violence. All of them focus on creating community and belonging, which is why so many young people join gangs in the first place.

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