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From Norway, Pennsylvania's prisons appear cruel and unusual

Samantha Melamed

October 04, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

Thirty years ago, Norway’s recidivism rate was more than 60 percent. Then the country put rehabilitation at the core of its corrections system, training prison guards to act more like social workers than punishers. Recidivism fell dramatically. The country of 5.2 million now has just 3,900 prisoners. Norwegian delegates are meeting with officials in Pennsylvania to share their insights.

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Opioid crisis puts Ohio jails at the center of burden and opportunity

Rachel Dissell

October 01, 2017 |

Cleveland.com (The Plain Dealer) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

As jails in Ohio struggle with the skyrocketing numbers of people addicted to opioids, they are increasingly becoming the state's primary detox centers. This article explores how several counties are addressing the issue by connecting inmates to jobs, training and housing to cut down on overdose deaths and reduce recidivism. Medicaid has also made it easier to get inmates health insurance coverage, which gives them access to treatment and medications upon release.

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New Zealand Tries a Different Kind of Private Prison

Rikha Sharma Rani

August 31, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: New Zealand, Auckland

The privatized prison system is largely skewed against inmates, as most are funded based on the number of individuals incarcerated, creating a disincentive to invest in the rehabilitation and comprehensive treatment of inmates. But the Wiri prison in Auckland is piloting a new approach that focuses on the greater good: the government pays the prison for positive results based on recidivism rates and improved outcomes for inmates, especially the Maori minority.

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Pennsylvania training mentally ill inmates to help others on the cellblock

Katie Colaneri

August 01, 2017 |

WHYY |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

Peer to peer programs have existed since the 1980s. These programs pair up a person with mental health illness, with one another. The concept, is relatively new in the prison systems, and is gaining traction in states like Pennsylvania.

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Meet a new breed of prosecutor

Henry Gass

July 17, 2017 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Texas

Across the country, a small number of young prosecutors are changing the face of our current criminal justice system. They are moving away from the “strict law-and-order practices of the past,” and employing a more liberal approach: “eschewing the death penalty, talking rehabilitation as much as punishment, and often refusing to charge people for minor offenses.”

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As Philly's inmate population plummets, why aren't we saving any money?

Anna Orso

July 12, 2017 |

Billy Penn |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Reducing inmate populations doesn’t necessarily cut costs. The funding equation is far more complex. Complying with employee pension laws, offering more services to inmates, and other growing costs can replace any savings from reforms that shrink the incarcerated population.

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Delivering Gourmet Pizza, and Jobs Training, in Cook County Jail

Serena Maria Daniels

July 06, 2017 |

Next City |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Recipe for Change is a program that teaches incarcerated people Italian cuisine skills, which is meant to help them gain employment when they reenter society. An estimated 200 people have gone through the program. Similarly, other programs are focusing on helping formerly incarcerated people gain employment.

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Victim families use their pain to help murderers change

Chelcey Adami

June 23, 2017 |

The Salinas Californian |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Soledad, California

The Monterey County chapter of Parents of Murdered Children and a rehabilitative group inside the prison at Soledad, Life CYCLE, team up to hold meetings in which parents of murder victims communicate their hurt, and their children's stories, so that incarcerated men experience a new form of accountability. The dialogues, where those convicted of crimes may for the first time truly see a victim's perspective, also benefit the survivors by letting them try to produce something good from their terrible experiences. The program is credited with lowering recidivism rates substantially.

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New Philly mural features work by formerly incarcerated artists

Dominique “Peak” Johnson

June 02, 2017 |

Billy Penn |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The mural at Eighth and Callowhill in Philadelphia was created by two formerly incarcerated artists. The work is part of a larger exhibition that brings attention to U.S. criminal justice reform through the artwork of currently and formerly incarcerated individuals.

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Can this group of former offenders swing the Philly DA race?

Samantha Melamed

May 10, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

How does an organization go about reducing incarceration rates, and eliminate racial bias? Hiring the people affected by the prison system: former inmates. That’s the strategy that ACLU is taking in Philadelphia.

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