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

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  • They're Out of Prison. Can They Stay Out of the Hospital?

    The Transitions Clinic Network is providing healthcare to men and women coming out of prison. The organization, which has treated over 5,000 patients, hires community health workers to connect former inmates to health services. Since this population often leaves prison without access to proper healthcare, these services are keeping people out of emergency rooms and aiding in their transition to life after prison.

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  • 15 Michigan prison inmates earn degrees from Calvin College

    Calvin College recently awarded degrees to fifteen men living in a prison facility in Michigan. Proponents of the program say the program helps students reframe their hopes and expectations for life post-prison. "They've gone from expecting the worst to now actually believing something good may happen," the co-director of the Calvin Prison Initiative explained.

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  • How Southern organizers are leading the movement to end money bail

    The organization Southerners on New Ground is helping reform the criminal justice system in the south. Activists won a small victory in Atlanta, where the mayor and city council approved a resolution that replaced cash bonds with signature bonds for misdemeanor offenses. They also raised money to help people pay their cash bails as part of a larger event called the National Bail Out collective, which bailed out 147 Black women in 26 cities this year.

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  • As US cities re-examine bail, Muslims launch a fund at Ramadan to pay it

    Islamic organizations focused on prison reform are asking the observant to make their zakat—a charitable donation made during Ramadan—go towards helping to pay the bail of an incarcerated Muslims. Through this push, these organizations are also raising awareness about the impact of cash bail and inequities in the prison system.

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  • Nonprofits: Providing Education For People During And After Incarceration

    Nonprofits in the Philadelphia area work to bring education to offenders who are in corrections facilities, as well as those who are re-entering into the world. Research shows that, with access to classes, novels, and career resources, offenders are significantly less likely to be re-incarcerated than they are without these services.

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  • Want to Quit the Gang Life? Try This Job On

    Being in a gang or selling drugs is risky and often poorly paid, but many people caught up in it see too many obstacles in alternate paths to change. Readi Chicago addresses these barriers with cognitive behavioral therapy and subsidized jobs that allow participants to gradually build up skills and move into better positions. But the most important people are the outreach workers, many of whom came out of incarceration or gang life, and can build relationships to convince people to sign up.

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  • This prison beauty school preps inmates for a career post-incarceration

    In a central California prison, male inmates learn cosmetology skills so they can find jobs upon release. The woman overseeing the program ensures the inmates get classroom instruction and hands-on experience working on fellow inmates and prison staff, but she has also become a mother figure for many of the men, who lacked that in their lives. Five inmates have gained their cosmetology licenses so far and they say the program helped them overcome barriers in the prison and in the community.

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  • Mentoring program connects children of incarcerated parents with support

    In national discussions on incarceration, the conversation often focuses on the direct impact of services and reentry initiatives on the prisoner while forgetting to fully discuss the effects of these systems on families and friends, argues one Indiana University psychologist. A mentoring program in Indiana is reaching out to some of the 5 million U.S. children with an incarcerated parent by pairing students with professionals in the community.

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  • Police

    In Philadelphia, the 22nd District police department has adopted the Police Assisted Diversion program, or PAD. The program trains police officers to take a public health approach to addiction and substance abuse, giving those they encounter who need treatment the option to go through treatment rather than the criminal justice system. Besides helping those with substance abuse issues, the PAD program seeks to build trust between the community and the police through on-the-ground engagement efforts.

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  • Prison

    Across the country, prisons are incorporating “therapeutic communities” to help incarcerated individuals find the residential treatment they need. Substance abuse continues to be strongly linked to recidivism, and in an attempt to break that cycle, these therapeutic communities provide people with structured rehabilitation, counseling, and support as an alternative to traditional prison. Many are federally funded, but considering they’ve only recently gained traction, they still face issues like buy-in and capacity.

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