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Michigan’s Genessee County jail employs two formerly incarcerated organizers who help people detained there register to vote, cast their ballots, and access resources about pivotal election measures. They also coordinate forums with political candidates for offices ranging from the Michigan Supreme Court to the Flint City Council.

Volunteer cadaver dogs are specially trained to find the bodies of missing persons to give grieving families answers and the chance to bring them home.

In San Diego County, Pillars of the Community trained people incarcerated in local jails to become “inside organizers” who can help others incarcerated there register to vote and fill out their ballots. In all, seven inside organizers helped roughly 230 people register to vote ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Groups of women, in collaboration with local charity organization Daughters of Charity, are working together to create HAL (helpful active listening) circles to help survivors of sexual and gender-based violence heal. HAL circles are women-to-women groups led by those trained in supportive communication skills, the effects of trauma on the mind and body and healthy coping methods. Over the past several years, the group has connected with 1,320 survivors.

To improve voter access for people in jail, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office hired an election worker to comb through county records and identify incarcerated people who are registered to vote. The staffer then went from pod to pod in the jail to deliver absentee ballot request forms and give others an opportunity to register. In all, 70 people were able to request their absentee ballots.

Mexico City’s Utopias are large community centers that offer a wide variety of services and amenities, including skills workshops, gym classes, landromats, food and music lessons. There are currently 15 across one borough, and the incoming administration plans to develop more than 100 in total.

WARAKA Sexual Referral Centre provides services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including medical assistance and legal support. Amidst issues of confidentiality and stigma that prevent people from reporting cases of SGBV, the group uses an app that allows survivors to choose whether they share their identity or not when reporting an SGBV case. The app has recorded about 2,000 cases since 2022, inspiring the government to take action and enact relevant legislation to protect human rights and safety.

Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre Foundation provides comprehensive care, protection and legal assistance to youth who suffered sexual abuse or are at risk. So far, they’ve helped reach eight convictions and have about 57 ongoing cases. The Foundation also emphasizes the importance of psychotherapy and education, empowering youth to learn about personal safety, boundaries and age-appropriate sex education in an effort to prevent reoccurring abuse.

In North Carolina, the Recidivism Reduction Call Center connects people who were formerly incarcerated with resources that will help them reenter their communities, like housing options and second chance employers.

Michigan was recently added to the growing list of states with new gun violence prevention legislation called Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws. CAP, in partnership with safe storage laws, requires adults to safely store firearms in their homes and allows prosecutors to bring charges against those who don’t comply. Several studies have found CAP laws help reduce violent crime rates, suicides and unintentional injuries and deaths.

Several cities across the U.S. are trying new methods to reduce violent crime. Some of these, like the “hotspot policing” effort in San Antonio that increases police visibility in areas that are statistically prone to violent crime, are working. The first part of San Antonio’s three-phase plan saw a 37% decrease in violent crime compared to the previous year.

The national initiative Restoring Promise works with states to create criminal justice reform initiatives that draw inspiration from rehabilitation-focused German prisons. The program at Lee Correctional Institution in South Carolina allows participants to customize their individual cells and focuses on mentorships, educational classes, and self-governance.

The American Prison Writing Archive hosts almost 4,000 pieces of writing by people who are incarcerated. It offers a glimpse into the system that is not usually available to the public, a critical outlet for writers, and a social connection to the rest of the world.

City officials put up concrete barriers and road closed signs across 18 entry points to the Eastlake neighborhood in Birmingham. As part of the city’s Project Safe Streets pilot program, the road closures are intended to deter speeding, shootings, and other crimes.

Domestic violence incidents in Scott County, Tennessee, fell by more than half after it changed the process it uses for handling cases. That’s more than anywhere else in the state. Among other things, the county hired a dedicated domestic violence officer, created an accessible batterers intervention program, combined most of the relevant agencies under one roof, and requires abusers to detail who they are giving their guns to when they have to surrender them.

An alternative response team in Durham, North Carolina, responds to certain 911 calls instead of the police to help people in crisis. Now, it’s working to improve the ways it connects those people with social services afterward.

Research has found that providing medications for opioid use disorder can help prevent overdoses after release from prison. The state’s Department of Adult Correction recently launched a pilot program to test this theory. 229 of the 287 participants received treatment, several of whom said the access to the medications helped save their lives.

The University of Wyoming’s Pathways from Prison program uses federal Pell Grant money and private donations to fund college education for inmates. The program offers four-year degrees and aims to provide them with the skills, tools and knowledge to reenter society in a positive way. Studies show educational programs decrease recidivism rates by 14.8%, and those participating in the program say their self-worth and sense of hope have significantly increased.

The Homecoming Project combats recidivism by paring people who were formerly incarcerated for more than ten years with local residents who offer them a place to stay and help them navigate life skills. Six years after the start of the program, no participants have returned to prison.

The Advocacy for Alleged Witches organization is fighting against the violent practice of witch-hunting in Benue, Nigeria. It offers medical treatment, legal advocacy, and financial assistance for those who are falsely accused while pushing for policy to combat the issue.

Durham’s alternative crisis response team of social workers, HEART, responds to 911 calls to mitigate conflict on their own or with the police. The program is designed to keep everyone involved safe while preventing a situation from escalating to violence.

Volnya is a volunteer mentorship program that provides support and services to newly released Belarusian political prisoners who have immigrated to other countries. Volunteers can help participants with tasks like securing a job, applying for immigration status, and getting connected to aid, and the program has worked with 69 people so far.

Durham, North Carolina, instated an alternative crisis response program that dispatches social workers to respond to 911 calls about people in mental health crises. The team’s successes earned the support of an initially skeptical police department.

Intervention Court provides programming and support to those struggling with addiction, connecting them to jobs, schooling and skills training to help them stay sober, re-enter society and stay out of jail. Nearly 11,000 people have graduated from one of the 42 drug courts throughout the state, and the courts average a recidivism rate of just 2.9% compared to the Mississippi Department of Corrections’ 35.4%.

California is taking a new approach to reducing recidivism, known as The California Model, by providing people who are incarcerated with rehabilitative and educational programming.