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

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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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  • 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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  • 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 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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  • 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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  • A View of Tomorrow

    More states eye virtual reality to help inmates, jailed since they were teenagers, adapt to a very different world. Since a Supreme Court decision mandated the release of nearly 2,000 inmates sentenced as juveniles to life without parole, states have grappled with how to prepare them, and Pennsylvania turned to VR. Colorado followed suit and others are interested in the potential, but critics warn much more is needed to help juvenile lifers navigate the world as adults.

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  • Bail reforms moving slowly in Missouri

    Under a large grant St. Louis County is working to reduce jail confinements in the aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting, following several national models. There is also progress toward reducing fines and fees for small issues, with a focus on addressing racial disparities in arrests. But the efforts face challenges that include thousands of outstanding warrants under the old system and a shortage of public defenders.

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  • Why this couple's wedding registry was devoted to paying off Philly kids' court costs

    A couple created a nonprofit in Philadelphia to make micro grants for those who need small amounts to pay off medical bills or legal fees so they can move on with their lives. The effort garnered modest donations, including through their own wedding registry, and has made about 10 grants, but those have had significant impacts on recipients. The two acknowledge this is more like a bandaid, so they also partnered with a policy organization to work on wider systemic change.

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  • You've Served Your Time. Now You're Told You Can't Cut Hair.

    A number of states have passed reforms aimed at helping people coming out of incarceration get licenses that are key to well-paying jobs, which in turn help people stay out of prison. But there are still numerous hurdles in other states around criminal histories and background checks that keep people with felony records from entering those professions. Those requirements have cost the economy nearly three million jobs according to one report, and disproportionately affect people of color.

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  • Initiative seeks to interrupt prison pipeline, help kids of incarcerated parents

    The former director of the Cook County Department of Corrections will have the chance to go upstream in the incarceration cycle to work with children of people who are incarcerated through a new fellowship program launched by a Chicago nonprofit. The Leadership Venture program will allow her to research what's working most effectively in supporting the children of those in prison and jail. The idea is to find and share best practices and disrupt the cycle of incarceration.

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