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

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  • Participatory Defense

    While there are many factors that have contributed to the sky high incarceration rates in the United States which have left prisons bursting at the seams, one of the causes remains the simple fact that the resources of a private prosecutor vastly outweigh those of publicly-funded defense attorneys.

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  • Young Perps: The Costs of Sensationalizing Youth Crime

    Media and public scrutiny as well as the experience of being detained can worsen the outlook for juvenile offenders. Increasing court involvement, keeping the media at bay, and having a juvenile facility can help the circumstances.

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  • How Latin America Is Responding to Venezuelan Refugees

    An increasing number of Venezuelans are fleeing to other Latin American countries, such as Brazil and Peru, leading to the need for changes in these receiving countries. Peru has created a temporary permit, while Brazil has expanded their legal migration path for refugees.

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  • How Do You Clear a Pot Conviction From Your Record?

    In light of recently passed laws to legalize the use of recreational marijuana, California legal clinics have set out to inform those with pot-related convictions that their convictions may be able to be reduced or expunged entirely thanks to a provision of Proposition 64. So far, over 4,000 petitions have been filed throughout the state to both reduce sentences of pot-related convictions and either eliminate or reclassify prior convictions as misdemeanors.

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  • When Communities Say No One Should Stay in Jail Just Because They're Poor

    Across the United States, organizations like Southerners on New ground and the Bronx Freedom Fund are posting bail for individuals facing low-level offenses who cannot afford it on their own. Such initiatives have gained in popularity because of the Black Mamas Bail-Out, a coordinated effort during May of each year. In posting their bail, these organizations are working to equitably help people of color, who are disproportionately affected by the cash bail system.

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  • Assisting the Poor to Make Bail Helps Everyone

    Organizations that supply funds to provide bail for people arrested for misdemeanors not only saves money for taxpayers, but reduces the number of guilty pleas, and could possibly save lives. Those who cannot pay for bail must either await trial in jail or plead guilty, leading to permanent criminal records. Organizations like the Bronx Freedom Fund supply $2,000 or less to help these individuals keep jobs, housing, and reduce the risk of suicide in jail without requiring them to plead guilty.

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  • When the American Dream Becomes Human Rights Abuse

    Non-profits in California worked together to set up a national network for undocumented immigrants to fight isolation and support legal aid. Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC) offers a free confidential hotline to report human rights abuses at detention centers and help families locate each other. CIVIC’s volunteers receive 14,000 calls a month from 210 detention centers in the United States.

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  • When he was 13, he shot her in the face. 20 years later, she helped get him his freedom.

    A man convicted to a life sentence for a shooting he took part in at age 13 reached out to the woman he injured from prison and over the years they built a friendship based on forgiveness and trust. She helped him win an appeal for release after 26 years and has been part of his support network as he learns to navigate the world as an adult. Their story offers a great example of the power of forgiveness and building personal connections.

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  • Philly activists raising money to bail poor defendants out of jail

    For many low-income people who are arrested, coming up with even a small amount of bail money is nearly impossible, leaving them to languish for months before their cases are ever adjudicated. That means lost jobs and housing and sometimes custody of their kids. In Philadelphia, a number of groups have banded together and raised funds to bail out inmates, following examples in other cities, as a temporary measure until policymakers can enact long-term bail reform.

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  • ‘We can't just keep doing what we've been doing': King County tries risky alternative to youth jail

    As Seattle’s Central District continues plans to expand their juvenile detention center, one prosecutor is looking for ways to keep kids out of it. "Our system has proven woefully inadequate, so we can’t just keep doing what we’ve been doing," explains Jimmy Hung, the prosecutor behind this hope. Hung, in partnership with the chief deputy prosecutor, faith workers, police officers and the director of King County’s juvenile detention center are now piloting peace circles with incoming detained juveniles with a goal of seeing a behavior and lifestyle switch.

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