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

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  • Homeless, But Part of Civic and Social Life in Montreal

    In Montreal, the city's multi-million dollar plan to combat homelessness includes a concerted effort to center homeless people as citizens first and foremost, deserving of social inclusion and community. To do this, Montreal has offered programs and workshops connecting the homeless to art, parks, and civic events -- but concerns about discrimination and criminalization remain.

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  • Government can send immigrants to rural areas. But can it make them stay?

    Canada and Australia have both used targeted immigration policies to grow their rural populations. But Canada’s more holistic approach seems to match the long-term needs of migrant and local populations better than Australia’s.

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  • Needle-Exchange Program Connects Drug Users to Treatment

    Miami-Dade county is a hotspot for AIDS, but it used to be illegal to offer syringe exchange services there. After studying the results of a San Francisco program, the county amended the law to allow a pilot syringe exchange program. Overdose deaths have declined by almost 40 percent.

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  • Reform Activists and a New DA Find Common Ground

    In Texas' Harris County, the state's most populous county, a grassroots collective of criminal justice activists contributed to a political shift that led to reforms in prosecutions, jails, bail, and policing. Inspired by the movement sparked by the death of Michael Brown in Missouri in 2014, groups such as Houston Justice and the Texas Organizing Project backed the election of a reform-minded district attorney, who turned toward community collaboration and away from tough-on-crime solutions. The new DA, plus favorable court rulings and state laws, softened the country's rough-justice reputation.

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  • Virtual reality a 'game changer' for treating addiction

    An Australian research institute is using virtual reality to help gambling addicts and other people with addictions. By placing patients in virtual reality situations they may have address in real life, the program allows patients to practice confronting triggers. The program allows doctors and health professionals to diagnose and treat metal health disorders without putting patients in a high risk environment.

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  • As a teen he killed a man. A new law has given him a second chance.

    The Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act was passed is a D.C. law that allows people who commited a crime before the age of 18 to have their sentences reduced if they’ve served at least 20 years in prison. The law was built on the idea that youth, whose brains haven’t even fully developed yet, should not receive adult sentences. ““This isn’t about giving people a slap on the wrist,” he said. “It’s about giving people consequences that are age-appropriate.”

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  • Jolted

    When it’s discovered that someone is planning a mass shooting, what are the possible responses? Can those individuals be prosecuted? How do states balance personal liberty and public safety? These are all questions that residents of Fair Haven, Vermont had to grapple with when plans of a school shooting were found. From better threat assessments, to gun control legislation, to considering teen’s experiences in today’s world, the issues and corresponding responses prove challenging reconcile.

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  • Youth Need Community-Based Treatment, Not Jails

    The number of youth confined in U.S. detention facilities has dropped by nearly half since 1997, saving money and reducing recidivism. A report by the Justice Policy Institute says this has made communities safer, but that reductions are only among those accused of nonviolent crimes and that racial and ethnic disparities have increased. The report calls for changes, such as repealing state laws on mandatory sentences, offering better probation supervision and creating more diversion options.

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  • Can New Zealand Provide the U.S. With a Model for Juvenile Justice Reform?

    New Zealand introduced restorative justice practices for juveniles in their criminal justice system after incredibly high rates of child incarceration and an over-representation of minorities. The practice, in places since the late 80's, includes youth justice councils and limits police arrests. The "overall number of youth arrested, charged, and incarcerated" has fallen, but there is still disproportionate representation of minority groups in the system.

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  • Veterans Courts Give Soldiers a Way Back

    When military veterans get charged with crimes, more than 350 courts nationwide exist to try to keep them out of jail, with rehabilitation as the chief goal. Boston Veterans Court provides people with social workers, outreach specialists, access to therapy, and help in going to school, finding a job, and dealing with life's stresses. Many people in this system come home from war struggling with anger, trauma, and substance abuse problems. Some studies have quantified veterans courts' success rates for helping people overcoming mental illness and staying out of criminal trouble.

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