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Creative Freedom

Gwynne Watkins

November 18, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York

New York-based nonprofit, Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), runs theater programs for individuals experiencing incarceration as a way of improving mental health and reducing recidivism. While the United States’ criminal justice system has been focused on punitive measures, there’s been a trend toward rehabilitation across the country in recent years. Participants in RTA have shown a rate of recidivism of just 5% – compared to a 60% national average – but funding and sustainability remain a consistent hurdle.

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Hartford first city to aid former inmates with Lyft rides

Chris Ehrmann

November 06, 2019 |

Associated Press |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut, in partnership with Lyft and the criminal justice reform group, #cut50, is providing transportation credits to formerly incarcerated individuals. The effort aims to help individuals reentering their communities with a way of getting to places like job interviews and doctors appointments – things that will help them get back on their feet.

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Fresh Data Shows How Focused Deterrence Can Keep At-Risk Individuals from Crime

Champe Barton

November 06, 2019 |

The Trace |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

In 2013, Detroit’s law enforcement agencies started using focused deterrence – a method that uses data to identify at-risk individuals – to decrease the rate of violent crime in the city. The method, part of the national program, Ceasefire, partners police departments with social workers and other city services to deter people from criminal behavior. A new study in the journal, Crime and Delinquency, has been published that links the strategy to decreased crime rates and recidivism.

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How More Than 50 Women Walked Out of a Prison in Oklahoma

Cary Aspinwall

November 04, 2019 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Taft, Oklahoma

More than 500 people in Oklahoma had their drug possession felony sentences commuted after voters approved an initiative that changed some drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. The commutation led to a mass release of prisoners, something that took collaboration between social service groups to make sure those leaving had housing, job support, and other essentials.

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On One Issue, Americans Are United. Too Many Are Behind Bars.

Tina Rosenberg

October 30, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

In such a divided country, many groups from lawmakers to advocacy groups are finding rare bipartisan cooperation around the issue of criminal justice reform. Two congressional representatives, one Republican and one Democrat, have found common ground, as well as the Justice Action Network, which forms bipartisan coalitions, one of which was instrumental in passing the First Step Act.

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Restorative Justice: Healing Instead of Incarceration

Michael Conforti

October 24, 2019 |

News Beat |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Prosecutors in Brooklyn and Bronx divert some violent crime cases away from traditional courts to a program called Common Justice, which gives victims a greater say in the outcome – an outcome chosen by 9 out of 10 victims served by the agency because it provides a more healing alternative to the incarceration that has caused so many social problems in their neighborhoods. Through restorative justice dialog between victims and those who harmed them, agreements are forged whereby the responsible party will atone for his crime through restitution, community service, or other means.

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The Kim Foxx Effect: How Prosecutions Have Changed in Cook County

Matt Daniels

October 24, 2019 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

In her first two and a half years in office as Chicago’s top prosecutor, Kim Foxx lived up to her campaign pledge to prosecute fewer low-level crimes, divert drug cases to treatment, and focus more on gun violence. An analysis of an unprecedented data release shows that Foxx’s office turned away more than 5,000 cases, mostly shoplifting and drug offenses, based on her vow to stop over-criminalizing behavior in ways that ruin lives. Meanwhile, her office prosecuted more gun crimes. Police complained her policies will increase crime, but in the short term at least there was no evidence that they had.

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NYC: Where the Police Offer a Free Art Class Instead of Prosecution

Rebecca Bellan

October 22, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Since 2015, Project Reset has diverted potential criminal cases to programs that change behaviors without imposing punishment or staining people's records with criminal convictions. Art classes, behavioral therapy, and restorative dialogue have made 16- and 17-year-olds in the program significantly less likely to commit new offenses, while 98% of those admitted to the program have completed it. Offered in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Bronx, the program helped the Manhattan district attorney nearly cut in half the number of prosecutions of low-level misdemeanors and violations.

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'The Hardest Part Was Finding a Job'

Kristi Eaton

October 21, 2019 |

Ms. Magazine |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, McLoud, Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s Mabel Bassett Correctional Center is seeing its first graduating class of women coders. A nonprofit called The Last Mile offers training programs for incarcerated individuals with the goal of equipping them with timely job skills upon re-entry. Those that are a part of the program participate in 40 hours of class per week for a year, learning coding programs like CSS, HTML, and Bootstrap.

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Easing the Way Home for Returning Senior Citizens

Kate McQueen

October 14, 2019 |

Next City |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

For seniors re-entering after incarceration, San Francisco’s Senior Ex-Offenders Program (SEOP) is there to help with the transition. The program offers transitional housing, employment services, and even assistance for minor things like getting a debit card or help with transportation. SEOP has partnered with the city, county, and law enforcement to strengthen its efforts, a key one being the one-on-one assistance and support groups that have shown the most impact with participants.

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