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

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  • Sacramento's Quest to End Solitary Confinement for Kids

    Solitary Confinement on youth can be extremely emotionally damaging. The practice is also costly, and can lead to expensive lawsuits. Yet, a slew of states and youth detention centers are trying to reduce the time young people spend in solitary confinement. In the Sacramento Juvenile Detention, one program is doing that.

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  • 'I have no thought of escaping': inside the Brazilian prisons with no guards

    In Apac prisons, inmates hold the keys. “By committing a crime, prisoners break the social pact,” says Ana Paula Pellegrino of Igarape Institute. “An Apac prison restores this by allowing inmates to work for the community.” Inmates contribute to local projects, follow a routine of work and study, and are addressed by name rather than number. The rehabilitation-focused approach is completely different from what happens in Brazil's mainstream prisons, a fact that motivates inmates to honor the rules.

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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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  • The better way to support rape victims: put their needs first

    While still a relatively new field, restorative justice is providing a way for some sexual assault survivors, and perpetrators, to make amends. Restorative justice is an approach to dealing with crime that involves the person that committed the offense to admit his or her actions and ask for forgiveness, then go through a set of actions to repair the crime, such as community service. Some victims and offenders are finding this a much more productive process than going through the criminal justice system. A peer-reviewed study “reported high rates of satisfaction with the process."

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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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  • Is the Secret to Solving the Opioid Crisis More Opioids?

    When inmates enter prison, they are required to discontinue use of any substances, causing many of them to suffer symptoms of detox. Medication-assisted Treatment combines use of slow-release opiates and cognitive behavioral therapy to help opiate addicts get sober and deal with the underlying issues associated with addiction. The Rhode Island Department of Corrections is piloting a program that streamlines opiate addicts entering prison into a MAT program that they participate in while behind bars.

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  • Norway: Recidivism Rates

    Prisons in Norway are designed to simulate life on the outside. Inmates are encouraged to work and get an education, and officers chat and do activities alongside them. Norway spends a lot of money per prisoner, but the system seems to contribute to the country’s low recidivism rates.

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  • Philly's Gang Violence Strategy Doesn't Work. Here's Why.

    The "Focused Deterrence" approach to lowering gang violence was hailed as a success in Philly when shootings went down, but is that the whole story? The strategy is also receiving some notable critiques, including the claim that the social services and employment opportunities it claims to provide have been less than forthcoming.

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  • Rethinking Rikers

    In the ongoing challenge to reform New York’s Rikers Island prison complex, many have turned to Chicago’s Cook County jail as a model. While Rikers has made some reforms – including group therapy for those with mental health concerns and doing away with solitary confinement for inmates under 22 – there is more that they can do to follow in Chicago's footsteps. There, they have introduced the use of real-time data collection to map violence, made mental health care a key component of their services, and trained guards in verbal de-escalation.

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