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Court Innovations' Matterhorn Allows People to Handle Court Cases Online

Stephen St.Vincent

October 12, 2016 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Low-income people often miss out on court dates because they cannot afford to miss work or leave their children. Michigan and Ohio courts have incorporated the Matterhorn “online adjudication system” to handle simple cases so individuals can participate through the Internet. The system also offers the advantage of having “less bias” than in-person trials, because the race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status of the individual is protected online.

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Guards with Helmets vs the Jolly Lumberjack

Sarah Gonzalez

October 10, 2016 |

WNYC |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Germany, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Germany's system of shorter sentences for minors and correctional officer training focused on rehabilitating prisoners could become a model for juvenile detention in the U.S., where guards are currently trained in firearms and self-defense.

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Getting Tried as an Adult Depends on Skin Color

Sarah Gonzalez

October 10, 2016 |

WNYC |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New Jersey

Many minors, especially those who are black or hispanic, are tried and sentenced as adults. A new New Jersey law requires minors to at least begin their sentence in juvenile facilities, but there are still problems.

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Germany has a different approach, better results

Sarah Gonzalez

October 10, 2016 |

WNYC |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Germany, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

In the United States, minors are often tried and sentenced as adults, leading to traumatizing circumstances and high recidivism. In Germany, minors cannot be tried as adults and are put in prisons that double as farms, aiming to mirror the outside world.

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Getting Tried as an Adult Means a Longer Sentence

Sarah Gonzalez

October 10, 2016 |

WNYC |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Germany, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

In the U.S., some people who are convicted as minors can spend their whole lives in prison. German prisons offer a solution: shorter sentences and a focus on reducing crime once people reenter society.

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Highline district struggles with fallout after limiting student suspensions

Claudia Rowe

September 10, 2016 |

The Seattle Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

The Highline school district in Washington implemented a radical strategy to break the school-to-prison pipeline based on mounting data that suspensions push students into a cycle of violence and delinquency. However, theories of replacing punitive measures with counseling and academic triage have proven difficult to translate from idea to practice, and teachers have resigned over fear for their safety. But one teacher at Pacific Middle School found a way to make the approach work, and the district is promising to scale his model, determined to meet their original objectives and reach kids that need help.

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In Uganda, Fostering a World without Adoption

Kathryn Joyce

September 06, 2016 |

Bright Magazine |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Uganda

In Uganda, where international adoptions and orphanages are the most present form of child welfare, nonprofits like Reunite, Alternative Care Initiatives-Uganda, and CALM Africa are shifting the country to a welfare model focused on family reunification and community-based foster care. Although pilot programs are still small, there is also a focus on closing technical loopholes and providing practical support to encourage foster care programs.

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Youth Judge Fights School-to-Prison Pipeline

Sierra Mannie

August 31, 2016 |

Jackson Free Press |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Pascagoula, Mississippi

In Pascagoula, a youth court judge observed a high number of youth stuck in the system. The judge reached out to local schools, discouraging them from involving law enforcement in minor incidents that put juveniles into a vicious cycle of detention and jail. Instead, the judge encouraged educators to get more involved in constructive mediation and intervention.

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Beyond Detention: Exploring Smarter, Cheaper Alternatives to Locking Kids Up

Arielle Dreher

August 17, 2016 |

Jackson Free Press |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Jackson, Mississippi

Alternative programming that involves "restorative justice" models - such as having youth within the criminal justice system create art as a means of self expression instead of detaining them in a prison-like facility - are much more effective at preventing antisocial and criminal behavior in youth than involvement in the juvenile-justice system.

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Youth Judge Now Adhering To Fed Regs

Tim Summers, Jr.

August 17, 2016 |

Jackson Free Press |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Jackson, Mississippi

In 2012, Hinds County passed a consent decree that restricted the amount of time youth spent detained at the Henley Young Juvenile Justice Center, also limiting the mental health resources that can help offenders. However, the courts passed this legislation without the input of the youth court judge, who had noted problems with the early dismissal of youths. In 2016, the youth-court judge filed a motion and compromised with the Henley Young Detention Center to adjust the policies in the consent decree and now better serves the youth court system.

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