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Bail made fair in the District of Columbia

Sara Dorn

May 16, 2016 |

Cleveland.com (The Plain Dealer) |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

In Washington, D.C., defendants appear in court within 24 hours of their arrest and many are freed from jail without having to make bail. The process is efficient, relying on a coordinated system of risk assessment and supervision that saves money and supports defendants’ right to timely due process.

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Uganda - Legal Advice

Fi Glover Henrietta Moore Martha Lane Fox

March 13, 2016 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Uganda, Kampala

Barefoot Law was founded to keep Ugandans educated about their legal rights. The group of lawyers provides legal help to 300,000 people each month, heavily supported by volunteers. As a non-profit social enterprise, the volunteer efforts are crucial to reaching such a wide audience. The key innovation is using a cell phone network to spread legal information using calls, texts, and social media.

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The Unlikely Rise of Restorative Justice in a Conservative Upstate New York County

Mark Obbie

December 29, 2015 |

Slate |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Batavia, New York

In a conservative upstate town in New York, an early advocate of what is now known as restorative justice pioneered the idea of finding alternatives to incarceration that address root causes of crimes and offer victims larger roles in the process. He did this by engaging different people across law enforcement, the community and social services. That built broad support, but the programs have struggled to maintain these innovations or make them permanent after the departure of the visionary founder.

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Can Training Programs Help Improve Police-Community Relations?

Kia Gregory

July 20, 2015 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Crown Heights, New York

Lawyers and activists are educating residents in cities across the country on encounters with law enforcement. Know Your Rights training programs have been held by lawyers and community activists in neighborhoods in urban cities nationwide, designed to help residents understand the limits of police authority.

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The simple idea that could transform US criminal justice

Tina Rosenberg

June 23, 2015 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Newark, New Jersey

In the courtroom known as Part Two, at the Newark Municipal Courthouse, Judge Victoria Pratt is pioneering the procedural justice approach, and is getting results. The idea, now central to conversations around reform of the US criminal justice system, is simple: "people are far more likely to obey the law if the justice system does not humiliate them, but treats them fairly and with respect."

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Guiding Families to a Fair Day in Court

David Bornstein

May 29, 2015 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Jose, California

Millions of families of arrested individuals do not know what to do to help, how to obtain a lawyer, or what the process entails in the court system. Created by Albert Cobarrubius Justice Project, participatory defense is a type of community organizing that teaches and empowers people who face criminal charges. Individuals know how to work with attorneys in order to navigate the system and ultimately feel equipped to become drivers of their own change.

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Keep Kids Out of Handcuffs

Jean Trounstine

May 15, 2015 |

Truthout |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Massachusetts

From state to state, officials are grappling with how to improve how children experience the criminal justice system. The process is highly variable – each state varies on the age that children can go to court, and a child’s race also plays a large role in how they’re treated by everyone from law enforcement to judges. States like Massachusetts are trying to pass laws that take a more holistic, transparent approach to juvenile justice, and organizations like their Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative are helping parents recognize their power in the system.

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Mental Health Cops Help Reweave Social Safety Net In San Antonio

Jenny Gold

August 19, 2014 |

NPR |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, San Antonio, Texas

Across the country, jails hold 10 times as many people with serious mental illness as state hospitals do, according to a recent report from the Treatment Advocacy Center. To deal with the problem, San Antonio and Bexar County have transformed their mental health system into a program considered a model for the rest of the nation - the effort has focused on an idea called "smart justice" — basically, diverting people with serious mental illness out of jail and into treatment instead.

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Helping Poor Defendants Post Bail in Backlogged Bronx

Julie Turkewitz

January 22, 2014 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

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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How Houston Solved Its Rape Kit Problem

Anna Clark

November 20, 2013 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

Most U.S. cities are sitting on thousands of backlogged rape kits that have gone untested. Yet in 2010, Houston (under newly elected Mayor Annise Parker) began an effort that ultimately eliminated its own staggering backlog of 16,000.

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