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

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  • North Dakota Prison Officials Think Outside The Box To Revamp Solitary Confinement

    Prison officials in North Dakota have revamped solitary confinement, inspired in part by Norway's system, which focuses on “punishment that works.” There is much less focus on using isolation to punish small infractions and more emphasis on mental health and helping inmates learn new skills to change behavior. The shift has reduced tensions between guards and prisoners, fostering better relationships and less disruptive behavior and suicide attempts by inmates.

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  • Yoga, herbs and sunshine: New Zealand opens 'humane' jail for most violent inmates

    New Zealand is opening a new prison for its most dangerous inmates, but it will feature more space and holistic therapies in the vein of prisons in Scandinavia, Belgium and Germany. The majority of people in New Zealand's prisons have a mental illness or addiction diagnosis and more than half are Maori. The new facility will focus on helping people eventually reintegrate back into the community and officials hope this will curtail the steadily rising incarceration rates in the country.

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  • The Power of a Theater Performance in Prison

    Creativity activities in prisons can provide inmates with an emotional outlet, a way to process their life experiences, and an opportunity to constructively work in a group. The theatrical performances staged at New York's Sing Sing prison by the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program provides inmates with these benefits as well as a sense of skill and pride in their accomplishment.

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  • When mental illness leads to an arrest, this court steps in

    Non-violent offenders arrested during mental health episodes in Davidson County are sent to Mental Health Court rather than criminal court. Through this court, they are connected to safety net services such as housing, medication assistance, and therapy.

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  • Prison hurts women more than men — so England is trying a new approach

    In the United Kingdom, all 12 women's prisons have implemented a program to “treat trauma through the lens of gender” in an effort to address the root causes that drive women into prison. It's based on work by the Center for Gender and Justice in California and focuses on training staff to understand trauma, as well as helping inmates heal from trauma. Initial results are promising, but there are serious challenges to implementing this strategy on a systemic basis.

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  • Throw the books at them: How more training for Wisconsin's prisoners could help companies

    In Wisconsin, the Department of Corrections is tailoring their prison education programs to meet the needs of the job market, and it is benefitting former inmates as well as the economy. Milwaukee Area Technical College works to get inmates credentials, which helps them get jobs upon release from prison. The investment pays off. For every dollar spent educating inmates, the government saves $5 in the years after their release.

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  • These Dogs Are Giving Inmates a Paws-itive Path Forward

    Training inmates to raise service dogs can benefit everyone involved. Inmates gain skills and a sense of purpose, and the dogs go on to help wounded veterans and first responders. “I’ve been here for years,” says a security guard at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility where Puppies Behind Bars started. “And let me tell you, this is like no other program. It really works.”

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  • When prisoners own the store, everyone profits

    A unique setup at Spring Creek Correctional Institution means that inmates get to work at the prison’s store, and profits get reinvested into the prison. The arrangement benefits those who work at the store as well as those who have access to buy items. Having the chance to buy quality goods is a way to empower inmates, as well.

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  • The radical sheriff giving offenders a chance

    A sheriff in northern Florida is helping break the cycle of incarceration by working to change how communities and law enforcement interact. The effort includes mentoring children of incarcerated parents, linking the department to the many religious institutions in the town and incorporating religion into jail programs, and connecting offenders to job opportunities. Over Morris Young’s tenure, juvenile arrests have dropped drastically and far fewer inmates are being sent to the state prison.

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  • The Citizens Project

    In New Haven, a two-decades long experiment in giving community to and promoting empowerment for people who have been in the criminal justice system or mental health treatment services has shown a decrease in drug use and an increase in general quality of life. The idea - that people who have isolated/alienated by a system need to be empowered as citizens to successfully re-integrate - is taking hold in other cities, including Philadelphia.

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