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

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  • Helping Poor Defendants Post Bail in Backlogged Bronx

    What happens when people can’t afford to pay bail? They plead guilty. That’s what happened in the Bronx Court System, which has “one of the most backlogged big-city courts in the nation.” One nonprofit, Bronx Defenders, wants to help, by paying their bail.

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  • Red Hook community court is a success: study

    Jailing convicted criminals has shown that it neither changes illegal behavior, nor reduces the rate of re-incarceration. Brooklyn’s Red Hood Community Justice Center has given many guilty defendants of minor crimes treatment and individual assistance without incarceration. A new survey shows that community courts reduce costs, decrease jailed inmates, and drop the crime rate.

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  • The Norwegian prison where inmates are treated like people

    With Norway having the lowest re-offense rate in Europe, the Bastoy prison in Norway not only demonstrates the effectiveness of this new approach, but also receives criticism that they treat prisoners with too much luxury.

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  • Prisons Rethink Isolation, Saving Money, Lives and Sanity

    A positive transformation in a Mississippi prison has become a focal point for a growing number of states rethinking the use of long-term isolation. Humanitarian groups have long argued that solitary confinement has devastating psychological effects, but a central driver in the recent shift is economics. Some officials have also been persuaded by research suggesting that isolation is vastly overused and that it does little to reduce overall prison violence.

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  • In Iran, a Brotherhood of Doctors and Patients

    Two Iranian brothers worked as doctors to reform how Iran tackles HIV, moving the country toward the harm reduction approach. By providing clean needles and methadone, the doctors were able to lower infection rates, even in prisons.

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  • Out of Prison, Into a Vicious Circle of Debt

    Many offenders get out of jail owing hundreds or thousands of dollars in court and parole fees but face barriers to financing and job acquisition, sticking them in a punitive, vicious cycle of debt and arrest. A program called the Clapham Set, perhaps paired with conditional cash transfers - may be a solution, as it erases fees for felons who complete rehab and job training upon release.

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  • Paying for Their Crimes, Again

    Felons get out of jail owing hundreds or thousands of dollars in court and parole fees, acting as an often insurmountable barrier preventing them from reintegrating into society and staying out of jail. What's worse, these fees often end up costing the state more than they produce. Two columns on a program called the Clapham Set, which erases or reduces debts for felons who take classes and job training.

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  • Removing the Roadblocks to Rehabilitation

    The prison system is designed to fail - and it does. On the positive side, there are programs all over the country that recognize that helping prisoners remake their lives is both humane and cost-effective.

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