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

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  • Nonprofits: Providing Education For People During And After Incarceration

    Nonprofits in the Philadelphia area work to bring education to offenders who are in corrections facilities, as well as those who are re-entering into the world. Research shows that, with access to classes, novels, and career resources, offenders are significantly less likely to be re-incarcerated than they are without these services.

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  • This prison beauty school preps inmates for a career post-incarceration

    In a central California prison, male inmates learn cosmetology skills so they can find jobs upon release. The woman overseeing the program ensures the inmates get classroom instruction and hands-on experience working on fellow inmates and prison staff, but she has also become a mother figure for many of the men, who lacked that in their lives. Five inmates have gained their cosmetology licenses so far and they say the program helped them overcome barriers in the prison and in the community.

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  • Want to Quit the Gang Life? Try This Job On

    Being in a gang or selling drugs is risky and often poorly paid, but many people caught up in it see too many obstacles in alternate paths to change. Readi Chicago addresses these barriers with cognitive behavioral therapy and subsidized jobs that allow participants to gradually build up skills and move into better positions. But the most important people are the outreach workers, many of whom came out of incarceration or gang life, and can build relationships to convince people to sign up.

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  • Mentoring program connects children of incarcerated parents with support

    In national discussions on incarceration, the conversation often focuses on the direct impact of services and reentry initiatives on the prisoner while forgetting to fully discuss the effects of these systems on families and friends, argues one Indiana University psychologist. A mentoring program in Indiana is reaching out to some of the 5 million U.S. children with an incarcerated parent by pairing students with professionals in the community.

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  • Police

    In Philadelphia, the 22nd District police department has adopted the Police Assisted Diversion program, or PAD. The program trains police officers to take a public health approach to addiction and substance abuse, giving those they encounter who need treatment the option to go through treatment rather than the criminal justice system. Besides helping those with substance abuse issues, the PAD program seeks to build trust between the community and the police through on-the-ground engagement efforts.

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  • Prison

    Across the country, prisons are incorporating “therapeutic communities” to help incarcerated individuals find the residential treatment they need. Substance abuse continues to be strongly linked to recidivism, and in an attempt to break that cycle, these therapeutic communities provide people with structured rehabilitation, counseling, and support as an alternative to traditional prison. Many are federally funded, but considering they’ve only recently gained traction, they still face issues like buy-in and capacity.

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  • Raising babies behind bars

    Nursery programs inside prisons are not common. The Decatur Correctional Center is one of the few in the country. Eleven years since its inception, “more than 90 women have gone through the Moms and Babies program.”

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  • The Connecticut Experiment

    A pilot program in Connecticut for young offenders matches them with older inmates as mentors who help them confront their pasts and the underlying reasons they’re in prison. They learn new life skills and personal money management as part of a growing trend to use neuroscience to inform incarceration of young adults. The program is based on prisons in Germany and two other states are setting up similar pilots, but no data is yet available on whether the approach reduces recidivism.

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  • From screaming and police to college in the fall, family says juvenile justice program 'saved son's life'

    Reaching out to juvenile offenders with support and services, rather than putting them in jail, reduces recidivism and can save public money. A program called Youth Villages is instrumental in helping youth offenders in Alabama build better futures for themselves, reaching about 50 young people every year. A bill that would have expanded this approach across the state was proposed but failed to pass before the end of the legislative session.

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  • A New Approach To Incarceration In The U.S.: Responsibility

    To stop recidivism, the Middlesex House of Correction and Jail is replicating life on the outside for inmates while they are still in prison. Designed for 18 to 24-year-olds, the program removes some aspects of prison life, such as constant surveillance and locked doors, and supports participants as they manage increasing responsibilities and obligations.

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