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

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  • The Judge Who Keeps People Out of Jail

    November 30, 2021 |

    The Washington Post Magazine |

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    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Rio Arriba, New Mexico

    Since 2018, Judge Jason Lidyard of Rio Arriba County, N.M., has forged a new model for a drug court. Instead of demanding abstinence from drugs as the price to stay out of jail, Lidyard uses respect and personal relationships to seek a redefinition of success: making substance abuse less deadly and less socially crippling. Violating the court's requirements to get treatment results in more help, not jail. The less punitive approach seemed to reduce overdoses until a new fentanyl surge complicated the picture. Almost all of the people who've gone through the court have avoided new felony arrests.

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  • 'You're not alone': New Summit court program helps parents reunite with children

    November 29, 2021 |

    Akron Beacon Journal |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Akron, Ohio

    Summit County, Ohio's juvenile court's Multidisciplinary Team Representation assigns a parent advocate and social worker to child-custody cases to help parents reunite with their children much more quickly than the system typically processes cases. The program has just begun in the county, helping a handful of families reunite, but a study in New York City showed the same approach reunited families 43% more often than if just an attorney were helping the family. Parents whose troubles lead to the temporary loss of their children need supports that help them get on firmer ground.

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  • Prisoners hope that education can erase a stigma

    November 26, 2021 |

    The Hechinger Report |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Cottonwood, Idaho

    Idaho's nine prisons have more than 30 postsecondary educational programs geared to helping incarcerated people get hired in career-track, technical jobs after their release from prison. The prisons focus on jobs in demand and woo potential employers with tours of their well-equipped classrooms. They also focus on education that produces certifications that carry more weight in industry. Studies show those credentials produce better odds against people returning to prison. Such programs nationwide have suffered from inadequate funding, but more federal money is in the pipeline.

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  • Green Jobs Offer Ex-Offenders a Career Path after Prison

    November 18, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Miami, Florida

    At Florida's Everglades Correctional Institution, incarcerated men teach a course offered through a college correspondence school that can lead to certification to work as a wastewater treatment plant operator, a well-paying green-industry job in high demand. An incarcerated journalist tells the story of how demanding lessons in chemistry, microbiology, and algebra prepare students for the state certification exam. Hundreds have taken the course and many have found jobs in the industry after prison, although many employers remain reluctant to hire people with felony records.

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  • Prison offers little to ease domestic violence trauma. This program tries to fill the gaps

    November 18, 2021 |

    PBS NewsHour |

    Broadcast TV News |

    5-15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

    A New Way of Life gives formerly incarcerated women something that most did not get from prison: treatment for the trauma that so many incarcerated women suffered from domestic violence. As an antidote to a system geared to punishing wrongdoing without addressing its causes, New Way provides housing and supportive programs, many of which are taught by women with similar experiences. Some of the women tell their stories of lives repaired and families reunited thanks to New Way's interventions.

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  • Why Albuquerque's latest experiment in policing doesn't involve officers

    November 12, 2021 |

    The Christian Science Monitor |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Albuquerque, New Mexico

    Albuquerque established a new city department, Albuquerque Community Safety, that handles some of the 200,000 calls to 911 every year for a range of low-level, non-violent problems that don't require a police response. Since its launch in August 2021, the department has fielded just two teams of behavioral health specialists on call during the day. The city plans to expand the team's hours and responsibilities, though some are uneasy about exposing the unarmed workers to the potential for violence. The city has a long history of police shootings of mentally ill people, and ACS is meant to curb that threat.

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  • Creating a safer 6th Street: How another U.S. city transformed its entertainment district

    November 11, 2021 |

    KXAN-TV |

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    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Arlington, Virginia

    Arlington police and its entertainment-district bars and restaurants addressed rising violence and other crime by collaborating to prevent crime rather than banking on police alone to solve it through more arrests. Where bar and restaurant owners in the past feared getting in trouble if they told police about incidents at their venues, the Arlington Restaurant Initiative opened communication and training of employees. Crime in the district declined by two-thirds in the first four years. Austin faces similar challenges and could learn from Arlington's example.

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  • Communities explore out-of-the-box mentorship programs to reduce gun violence

    November 10, 2021 |

    KSAT-TV |

    Broadcast TV News |

    3-5 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Richmond, California

    Richmond's Operation Peacemaker Fellowship pairs mentors with young people at risk of violence, paying the youth a stipend if they meet particular goals toward a more stable and safe life. The mentors are former gang members and others with criminal records who earn the trust of their clients through their experiences and independence from the police. Other cities have adopted this model or similar approaches to preventing gun violence. One study said the Richmond program may have contributed to a significant decline in violence in that city.

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  • Alone in eviction court: Alabama looks to provide lawyers

    November 09, 2021 |

    AL.com (Alabama Media Group) |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Alabama

    Legislation in cities like Cleveland, Louisville, New York City, provides legal representation for economically-disadvantaged people who are facing eviction. The city ordinances have drastically reduced evictions as well as the government costs associated with homelessness caused directly by evictions. A public awareness push - through social media, billboards, and door knocking - was also made in these cities to encourage people to show up to their eviction court dates.

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  • Lessons from a 'violence interrupter' as shootings continue to ravage Chicago

    November 09, 2021 |

    ABC News (American Broadcasting Company) |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

    Programs like UCAN Chicago use "violence interrupters" to mediate disputes before they turn violent and to connect people at risk of violence to the services that will give them a chance at a more stable, peaceful life. Decades after CeaseFire Chicago established this street-outreach approach to violence prevention, the work has been conducted mainly by former gang members and formerly incarcerated people with the credibility to reach the right people. Research on its effectiveness is mixed but promising, though the resources don't come close to meeting the need. This story profiles one Chicago worker.

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