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

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 871 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • Emptier Jails Could Stay That Way

    May 04, 2020 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

    Cleveland’s city jail has released close to 900 inmates in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in its overcrowded facilities. And the response isn’t unique – New York, LA, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans, and Houston are just a few of the other cities that have taken similar measures. While an immediate response to the pandemic, advocates say the release of low-level offenders could bode well for larger prison reforms that have been slowly taking hold.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • America's Other Epidemic: A new approach to fighting the opioid crisis as it quietly rages on

    May 01, 2020 |

    The Atlantic |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Batesville, Indiana

    To close a gap in drug treatment that often denies help to people who end up jailed, a hospital employee schooled in the strong evidence of effectiveness of medication-assisted treatment cobbled together a program using Medicaid funding and the cooperation of the courts and medical community. The program is rare in rural America. Though still small, the Courts Addiction & Drug Services program ended its first year with no overdoses, and only a handful of relapses, among its dozens of participants. In a region where MAT drugs are nearly impossible to get, the program is now working to expand its services.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Band of Others: Breaking patterns of violence

    April 27, 2020 |

    Underscore |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Texas

    Specialty dockets are used in some states to provide extensive follow-up and supervision to help juveniles end gang affiliations. The enhanced supervision usually includes a curfew, frequent unannounced home visits, regular courthouse meetings, and in depth mentoring. A federal grant recently made it possible for a Texas docket called Juveniles United Navigating Obstacles Successfully (JUNTOS) to also offer therapy services to at least 36 adolescents over 3 years. Gang re-entry data is scarce and there is a risk of focusing only on youth of color because the gang designation excludes white supremacy groups.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • UnCommon Law Helps Inmates Serving Life Sentences Earn Back Their Freedom

    April 26, 2020 |

    NowThis News |

    Video |

    5-15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, California

    The California law firm UnCommon Law is helping people in prison make parole through group counseling and training. The firm facilitates conversations around insight, helping participants understand and explain their own personal journey and reckon with the impact of their actions, so that they can convey this to their parole board. Since 2006, UnCommon law has helped 248 men and women receive parole, a 60% success rate.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Prisons' Use of Solitary Confinement Explodes with the COVID-19 Pandemic, While Advocates Push for Alternatives

    April 10, 2020 |

    Solitary Watch |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Louisiana

    As the COVID-19 pandemic continues on, prisons are having to figure out ways to keep it from spreading across inmate populations. A popular response has been cell lockdowns, drawing criticism from advocacy organizations and judges across the country. Being compared to solitary confinement, which takes extreme physical and mental tolls on individuals, groups like Amend, the Vera Institute, and the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture are offering alternative plans that are less punitive while still protecting those experiencing incarceration.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • A New Tactic To Fight Coronavirus: Send The Homeless From Jails To Hotels Audio icon

    April 06, 2020 |

    The Marshall Project |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

    California’s governor signed an executive order allocating $50 million to lease hotel rooms for those experiencing homelessness after being released from prison as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. While the hotel business is at a standstill, it provides shelter and the needed self-isolation to one of the most vulnerable populations. So far, 7,000 hotel rooms have been reserved for these individuals.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Vermont inmates released to spread out population

    March 28, 2020 |

    Sentinel Source (The Keene Sentinel) |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Vermont

    To reduce incarcerated people’s exposure to COVID-19 behind bars before anyone had even fallen ill, Vermont officials all but stopped new admissions to state prisons and released hundreds from custody in February and March. Lowering the population by more than 200, from its late December benchmark to late March, was designed to make the prisons less crowded and to avoid introducing people to a potential virus hot spot if at all possible. The measures required coordination among prison officials, courts, prosecutors, and halfway houses.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • As pandemic spreads, nonprofit is on a mission to clear out Twin Cities jails, one bail bond at a time

    March 27, 2020 |

    Minnesota Star Tribune |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

    The Minnesota Freedom Fund has ramped up its spending to pay bail for people with low-level charges. The COVID-19 threat has added urgency to this increasingly popular response to the cash bail system. With jails and prisons posing a great threat to inmates during a pandemic, there have been increased calls to release non-violent inmates to slow the spread and protect those experiencing incarceration.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Inmates Released, Deputies Get COVID-19 Gear

    March 20, 2020 |

    Spectrum News 1 Ohio |

    Broadcast TV News |

    Under 3 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Hamilton, Ohio

    In Butler County, Ohio, law enforcement and jails are adapting quickly as the COVID19 pandemic continues on. They’re working with courts and judges to allow low-level and non-violent offenders to be released and have stopped allowing visitations. Officers also get full protective gear for responding to possible coronavirus cases, although many reports have been taken over the phone lately, instead of in person.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Nowhere to Go: Out of jail, recovery housing hard to find

    March 15, 2020 |

    Seacoast Online |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

    New Hampshire's Rockinham County gives some people with extensive drug and criminal histories an offramp from the criminal legal system, in the form of housing at Cross Roads House and a drug court to emphasize treatment over punishment. But, while other cities in the state meet such needs with multiple programs, the second-most populous county in the state has a severe shortage of supportive housing and services. Such services can make the difference between prison and success, and even between life and death in a place with high rates of overdose deaths.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

Go to All Solutions in Focus