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How to Cut the Prison Population (See for Yourself)

Erik Eckholm

August 11, 2015 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Prisons in the United States are overcrowded with many non-violent offenders and the cost to keep them in jail consumes public budgets. Criminal justice reform has attracted bipartisan interest with diverse proposals to aid adjust the incarceration rate. The Urban Institute has developed an interactive “prison population forecaster,” which helps citizens to assess the impact of different policies.

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Eliminating Bail for Nonviolent Crimes

Emma Eisenberg

August 05, 2015 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Philadelphia's criminal justice system is overwhelmed. New York is allowing judges to release low-risk defendants accused of non-violent crimes with the goal of saving money, reducing prison overcrowding, and cutting down on prison violence.

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Oakland probation camp offers Freedom School to young detainees

Jill Tucker

August 05, 2015 |

San Francisco Chronicle |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, San Leandro, California

Freedom Summer Camp allows for convicted young men to find a sense of community allowing them to connect to the world and fuel greater desires for achievement.

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These Programs Are Helping Prisoners Live Again On The Outside

Matt Ferner

July 28, 2015 |

The Huffington Post |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

After release, ex-prisoners often have a hard time re-integrating into society. Re-entry programs in several states work to stabilize this process, providing inmates with education while in prison or connecting ex-convicts to job and counseling resources once they are out.

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Can Prisons Reduce Recidivism by Inviting Victims of Crime to Talk to Prisoners?

Mark Obbie

July 19, 2015 |

Slate |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

A Houston man whose sister was murdered created a way to help his own pain and possibly foster more empathy and understanding among inmates. The restorative justice program, Bridges to Life, has grown to hundreds of volunteers throughout Texas, which includes crime victims who tell their stories and work with inmates to impress upon them the harm that their actions can inflict on others. The prisoners are encouraged to open up about their own lives with the idea that both groups will find healing.

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Women's Center Works to Lower Recidivism Rates With ‘Immersion in Sisterhood'

Sarah Zahedi

July 09, 2015 |

Juvenile Justice Information Exchange |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

For 20 years, the Center for Young Women’s Development has been a safe space for thousands of young women ages 16 to 24 who have been incarcerated or are homeless in the San Francisco Bay Area. The center is most recognized for its strategies to give these women opportunities for personal and professional growth.

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Putting Fewer Innocents Behind Bars

Tina Rosenberg

July 03, 2015 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Pre-trial detention for non-risk offenders has proven to be socially harmful, costly, and actually increases the crime rate. The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative is a national program that aims to decrease pre-trial detentions based upon individual merit, and provides ways that a newly released offender can be surveilled, have mentoring, and receive treatment for mental health or substance abuse. The initiative has effectively helped to keep low-level offenders out of jail.

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Everything you think you know about disciplining kids is wrong

Katherine Reynolds Lewis

July 01, 2015 |

Mother Jones |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, South Berwick, Maine

Disciplining schoolchildren has led many students down the “school-to-prison-pipeline” because teachers have focused on controlling students rather than instilling problem solving skills. Ross Greene has developed Collaborative Proactive Solutions (CPS), which is a method that trains staff at schools to develop relationships with disruptive kids and help them problem solve. With the CPS method in practice in 2012, Central School has reported fewer students sent to the principal’s office and no suspensions.

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Prison Born

Sarah Yager

July 01, 2015 |

The Atlantic |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Bedford Hills, New York

More women are being incarcerated around the United States and that has spurred more institutions to create prison nurseries, which allow women to be with their newborns. It's not a new idea, but it's finding support among prison advocates as well as budget hawks because research shows nurseries can lower recidivism rates among mothers. The idea of children in prison remains controversial however.

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A Mother Forgives the Man Who Raped and Killed Her Daughter

Mark Obbie

June 30, 2015 |

Slate |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

Restorative justice emphasizes accountability and making amends by facilitating meetings between people who committed a crime and those who were hurt by that crime. Victims can get their questions answered and express to the offender how their lives were impacted and the offender apologizes and presents specific ways they will make amends, such as community service or drug treatment. The method improves recidivism rates and gives victims a small sense of control. One participant, Linda White, was inspired to become a vocal and active advocate of the approach after speaking with a man who killed her daughter.

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