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

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  • Rethinking the zero-tolerance policy for juvenile offenders

    The deeper kids get into the court system, the more likely they are to get into bigger trouble - instead of being scared straight, they end up on what researchers call the school-to-prison pipeline. Courts in Clayton County, GA, decrease the number of juveniles that are prosecuted by starting help groups to change behavior and strengthen families, and the initiative has since spread across the country.

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  • Carrot and stick approach gives offenders a choice

    The use of a gun in a violent crime can carry a penalty of 30 years or more in prison. High Point, NC, has been using call-ins for 16 years - a carrot-and-stick approach aimed at reducing violent crime and drugs in the city.

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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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  • Lessons From European Prisons

    American corrections officials look overseas for a better approach to creating a system geared toward social reintegration rather than punishment alone.

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  • Texas puts more people in treatment and fewer people in prison

    Due to the cost of building new prisons and the cost per inmate, Texas has implemented a new model that encourages judges to send parolees to treatment programs rather than back to prison when they misstep. Texas is sending fewer people to prison, recidivism rates are down and the state is saving money.

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  • Out of Jail, and Into a Job

    Most programs to cut recidivism don’t significantly reduce rates of repeated arrests or incarceration, but one called the Center for Employment Opportunities that started in New York City is making a dramatic dent. The program provides newly-released prisoners with transitional services - most significantly, distinct working crews where they can be constructively monitored and learn teamwork - effectively helping keep them out of jail and transition back into society.

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  • For Young Offenders, Hope in a Jury of Their Peers

    For first-time youth criminal offenders, the traditional American jury falls short in encouraging behavioral change and may even set the juvenile on a course for repeated crimes. Washington, DC’s Youth Court is a jury that tries juveniles for minor non-violent offenses and offers peer pressure to prompt positive behavioral change. The DC Youth Court is one of many in the United States that reduces crime and future court costs.

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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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