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

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  • This former Philadelphia cop had an incredibly simple plan to keep kids out of prison: Don't arrest them.

    The zero-tolerance of Philadelphia's school system towards even minor infractions from students was creating a detrimental school-to-prison pipeline that was doing more long term harm to youth than good. But one former officer took the initiative to break the cycle, founding the Police School Diversion Program to drastically reduce arrests and offer students supportive services such as counseling instead, helping create a more constructive environment for children, educators, and officers alike.

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  • How Utah Keeps the American Dream Alive

    In many parts of the United States, people struggle with economic mobility and achieving the American Dream. Salt Lake City’s rate of economic mobility is at the highest in the country. An investigative journalist explores the Mormon-influenced structure of charitable giving and various social factors that have created this socio-economic anomaly, and discovers that compassionate conservatism and some government welfare programs have contributed to the state being a unique case.

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  • Can "E-Responders" on Social Media Prevent Gang Violence?

    A pilot project at New York University called "E-Responder" trained 26 anti-violence counselors at five sites across the city to interpret online posts threatening violence and intervene before virtual violence turns real. Nearly all their interventions ended peacefully. That is not conclusive proof that this prevented violence, but it's a strong correlation that inspired spreading the program to 18 more sites. Social media "cyberbanging" is the virtual equivalent of threatening gang graffiti that turns deadly. E-responders work with on-the-ground intervention teams and police to change risky behavior.

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  • In Philadelphia, school police outnumber counselors

    Students who have experienced trauma, most common in high-poverty areas, are more likely to benefit from counseling and support rather than punishment. However, most large U.S. school districts with high poverty rates and a majority Black and Latino residents hire more school police officers than counselors. This exacerbates rather than resolves discipline issues and creates lifelong repercussions for students.

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  • The California Doctors Who Found a Way to Quit Overprescribing Opioids

    In 2009 Kaiser Permanente doctors, alarmed by the rising rate of opioids being prescribed to patients, decided to develop a set of strategies and lower painkiller prescriptions. The most difficult one, is talking to patients about the dangers of opiods. He “developed what he calls The Difficult Pain Conversation—and he presented his approach to many other doctors.” So far, its had an effect. Prescriptions dropped from “from 2,500 a month to almost zero.”

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  • Small Town, Big Success With Reentry Program

    Jail-to-Jobs, a program with one employee, has helped more than 260 formerly incarcerated people find full-time jobs. Created by a district attorney who saw former felons struggling to be considered for openings, the program links local companies with insurance and support in order to promote hiring.

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  • 'To focus on young adults who are in prison is very cutting edge'

    The state of Connecticut is partnering with the Vera Institute of Justice to creating a new model of incarceration for young people ages 18 to 25. That state has created four integration centers to help inmates transition back to the community and opened a unit for young male prisoners who are mentored by those serving life sentences. They engage in circle-based conversations daily to promote communication and curtail conflict within the correctional center.

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  • Baltimore turns to a life-saving opioid overdose antidote, but it's no cure for the crisis

    In Maryland, people are being trained to administer naloxone, the drug that can save people from an opioid overdose, in order to combat the opioid crisis. Some people are even trained on street corners. Already 20,000 people have been trained, and more states are following suit.

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  • Illegal logging in Malawi: can clean cooking stoves save its forests?

    In much of Malawi, the electrical grid is highly unreliable and the cost of fuels like petroleum prohibitive, forcing most families to rely on the black market for illegally-sourced charcoal and leading to heavy deforestation. But some NGOs are tackling the issue with a grassroots approach: rather than relying on the army to punish illegal logging, they are helping women provide cleaner, more efficient cookstoves to their communities - reducing the amount of fuel burned as well as toxic smoke from open fires.

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  • Building Trust Cuts Violence. Cash Also Helps.

    Richmond, California has one of the nation’s highest gun violence rates, so Operation Peacemaker Fellowship tracks and identifies individuals at risk of committing violent acts or becoming a victim of violence. The Fellowship reaches out to each at-risk person with employment training, mentorship, and sends out teams to de-escalate conflicts within targeted communities. These “change agents” spend time with youth and get to know their families, so they can better understand how to help and offer a cash incentives to the targeted individuals who are part of the program.

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