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

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  • Sent to prison young, they found healing at northern Michigan camp

    August 15, 2020 |

    Detroit Free Press |

    Multi-Media |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Ypsilanti, Michigan

    The Youth Justice Fund sends formerly incarcerated men and women to a lakeside summer camp as therapy for the trauma they suffered growing up and during long prison sentences that started when they were teenagers and extended decades into adulthood. By enjoying water sports on Lake Michigan and taking classes in art and music on a 300-acre forested campground, the recently released people find a safe place to talk about their trauma and the challenges of reentering society. For some, these days represent the first real freedom and joy they have experienced as adults.

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  • In Prison, Learning Magic by Mail

    August 14, 2020 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States

    A community of incarcerated magic enthusiasts formed spontaneously around a column published by a magic magazine, thanks to their own initiative and the willingness of Joshua Jay, the magician/columnist, to respond to fan mail. The incarcerated people formed an underground exchange of tips on magic tricks and how to make props from the limited availability of materials in prisons. By perfecting their skills, this community used magic as performative art therapy, easing their sense of isolation and increasing their sense of power and personal worth. One even went pro after his release.

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  • From life in prison to out on parole: One group easing the transition

    August 14, 2020 |

    The Christian Science Monitor |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

    California, home to an unprecedented number of prison "lifers" who served decades since their teens and then were released under revised parole policies, created the Peer Reentry Navigation Network (PRNN) to have fellow former lifers coach and hold accountable the newly released. Now in 28 communities, PRNN has formed a community of peer mentors helping the formerly incarcerated remake their lives on the outside after lives of violence and trauma. The mentors' 24/7 help covers behavioral advice, job leads, and rebuilding family relationships. Despite some missteps, most mentees have stayed out of trouble.

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  • Don't Call The Cops — Call CAHOOTS

    August 13, 2020 |

    Wisconsin Public Radio |

    Radio |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

    In Eugene and Springfield, highly trained, unarmed mobile crisis response teams get dispatched by their cities' public-safety 911 systems to behavioral-health crises that do not require a police response. The 24/7 service, now in its 32nd year in Eugene, saves tens of millions of dollars per year by diverting cases from the criminal justice system and emergency-room care while defusing potentially violent interactions and getting people the care they need rather than the care imposed on them.

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  • Mental health training for cops is working in Tucson. Can we bring it to Philly?

    August 10, 2020 |

    The Philadelphia Citizen |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Tucson, Arizona

    Tuscon police use a combination of training and expanded resources to resolve mental health crises by putting people in the hands of mental health professionals, an approach that in 2019 diverted nearly 4,400 cases away from arrests and jail. All police officers take a required 12-hour mental health first aid class, and most go through another 40-hour crisis intervention training. A specialized team gets more extensive training to handle court-ordered interventions, emphasizing patience and humane treatment. A 24/7 Crisis Response Center serves as an intake desk to decide what help people in crisis need.

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  • ‘We're writing the book' - McCracken jail sees strong early success from vocational programs

    August 09, 2020 |

    The Paducah Sun |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Paducah, Kentucky

    Vocational training and life skills classes at the McCracken County Regional Jail help prepare incarcerated people for stable jobs and living situations once they are released. Of the first 16 to complete vocational training, none have returned to jail and 12 are employed, despite the poor job market during the pandemic. Though the results so far are small and early, jail officials are working to expand the available programs to more people. Particularly useful not only to the incarcerated people but also to their families are cognitive skills classes, which vocational students are required to take as well.

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  • Scotland's 'Navigators' Transform Lives in the Emergency Room

    August 07, 2020 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Scotland, Glasgow

    In Scotland, the Navigators program performs violence interruption work in seven hospitals, at the bedside of victims of violence, with counseling and connections to social services to nudge people into safer lifestyles. Because Navigators act independently of the police and other authority figures, and because their service follows clients into the community, they are able to win the cooperation of 65-90% of those they approach. A survey of 100 clients showed 23% fewer emergency room visits in the year after cooperating with the program. Navigators started after violence in Scotland raged in 2005.

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  • Program offers alternative for youth who commit misdemeanors

    August 05, 2020 |

    Cronkite News - Arizona PBS |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

    Choose 180 channels Seattle-area young people into an alternative to court and jail when they commit relatively minor offenses. This "offramp" from the traditional justice system, serving a disproportionately Black and brown clientele, helped 400 clients in 2019, 87% of whom did not commit new offenses. Research shows such diversion programs have a better track record for preventing future crimes. A Choose 180 "sentence" comes in the form of a workshop introducing young people to mentors and giving them a chance at the stability and frame of mind they need to seek more lasting change in their lives.

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  • After Intake Pause, City's Supervised Release Program Set for Large Expansion

    August 05, 2020 |

    Gotham Gazette |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    New York City's supervised release program stakes a middle ground in the debate over abolishing cash bail systems by paying outside agencies to monitor and help people released from jail while their criminal charges are pending. More equitable than requiring cash bail for release but more restrictive than simply releasing defendants with no oversight, the program in its first three years boasted an 88% rate for participants complying with court dates while 8% in early 2019 were arrested on new felony charges while freed. The program, on hold during the early pandemic months, is budgeted for a big expansion.

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  • Prison Voicemail: Messages from behind bars

    August 04, 2020 |

    BBC |

    Podcast |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: England

    Prison Voicemail is a smartphone app that lets incarcerated people in the UK stay connected to their families, improving their mental outlook while imprisoned and their chances of success once they're released. The fee-based app closes gaps left by ordinary pay phones and other means of communication by letting people communicate through recorded messages, rather than when they both happen to be available. Sound clips of families talking in this podcast drive home the profound personal impact of children and parents sharing the routine news of their lives across the barrier of prison walls.

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