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Justice, Restored? New North Lawndale Court Aims to Change Punitive System

Resita Cox Jenny Casas Sarah Conway

August 27, 2017 |

City Bureau |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

A new restorative justice court in a Chicago neighborhood shows promise in bringing healing to the community through having defendants repair harm they’ve done and reintegrate into the community. It has support from key members of the criminal justice system but it faces funding issues and getting buyin from the community. Some argue restorative justice cannot operate effectively within the existing criminal justice system.

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Courting The Ones Who Need It

Kaylee Tornay Brittany Norton Sam Felton Natalia Riccardi

August 24, 2017 |

Eugene Weekly |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

Developed in 2016, the Eugene Community Court program offers individuals cited for nonviolent, minor crimes an alternative to prison. If a person agrees to participate, they are matched with a case manager who connects them to the resources they need, like substance abuse treatment or job training services. The city hopes to decrease the rate of recidivism by creating tailored programs for each individual and spark a societal shift that has long criminalized poverty.

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Can a fake court help high-risk Pennsylvania parolees?

Samantha Melamed

August 10, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Close supervision and support during parole lowers recidivism among medium- and high-risk offenders with substance-abuse issues in Philadelphia. However, the impact seems to fade after parolees graduate from the yearlong Re-entry Program, often referred to as “Philadelphia re-entry court.”

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How a New York Police Official Targets Thoughts to Fight Crime

Micah Danney

August 09, 2017 |

Juvenile Justice Information Exchange |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Suffolk County, New York

A former prosecutor now works directly with offenders as a deputy police chief in a movement called Council of Thought And Action (COTA), often going directly to them in the community and bringing them together in support groups. The idea is that crime is a result of poor problem solving, and COTA is designed to restructure ways of thinking and behaving, using cognitive therapy tools to address past emotional baggage, and the power of social networks to provide a positive replacement to the destructive networks they had in the past.

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Pennsylvania training mentally ill inmates to help others on the cellblock

Katie Colaneri

August 01, 2017 |

WHYY |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

Peer to peer programs have existed since the 1980s. These programs pair up a person with mental health illness, with one another. The concept, is relatively new in the prison systems, and is gaining traction in states like Pennsylvania.

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Conservation Meets Corrections

Katie Jewett

July 26, 2017 |

bioGraphic |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Evergreen, Washington

There are currently 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States. According to rainforest ecologist Nalini Nadkarni, that's a lot of brainpower and potential sitting unused. It was this thought that inspired the start of the Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP). As a collaboration between the Washington State Department of Corrections and The Evergreen State College, SPP aims to bring science and education within the walls of confinement – all while promoting the conservation of both plant and animal species.

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In Chicago and Beyond, Bail Reformers Win Big in Fight to End Money Bail

Sharlyn Grace

July 25, 2017 |

Truthout |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

In Chicago’s Cook County Circuit Court, a new order was introduced to ask judges to only assign bail that could actually be paid by the individual. This new order could reduce the number of people who are in jail due to their inability to pay the bail and opens the door for new strategies that are more effective in getting people to return to court.

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Supporters of juvenile lifer gather for a 'community resentencing'

Kristen E. Holmes

July 23, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Supreme Court ruled about 2,500 life sentences handed down to juveniles were unconstitutional and resentencing hearings are taking place to decide if these men and women will receive parole. In Philadelphia, a grass roots effort called Community Resentencing is designed to give family and friends an opportunity to weigh in on options for one man in a way that satisfies the need for him to repent and seek forgiveness from those he wronged while also serving the community through community service and mentoring.

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Meet a new breed of prosecutor

Henry Gass

July 17, 2017 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Texas

Across the country, a small number of young prosecutors are changing the face of our current criminal justice system. They are moving away from the “strict law-and-order practices of the past,” and employing a more liberal approach: “eschewing the death penalty, talking rehabilitation as much as punishment, and often refusing to charge people for minor offenses.”

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As Philly's inmate population plummets, why aren't we saving any money?

Anna Orso

July 12, 2017 |

Billy Penn |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Reducing inmate populations doesn’t necessarily cut costs. The funding equation is far more complex. Complying with employee pension laws, offering more services to inmates, and other growing costs can replace any savings from reforms that shrink the incarcerated population.

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