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

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  • Why Boston Is Paying Ex-Gang Members To Go To College

    Dorchester, the Boston neighborhood with the highest poverty levels, struggles to keep kids in school from engaging with gangs and crime. But College Bound Dorchester (CBD) is fast rewriting the solution to high drop out and recidivism rates, paying ex-offenders a weekly stipend to enroll in and complete a diploma program and proceed to (and through) college. With "core influencers" -- ex-gang members who have "left behind their troubled pasts" -- as role models in the community, CBD emulates similar programs in Chicago and Baltimore, and studies show the initiative is working.

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  • New Philly mural features work by formerly incarcerated artists

    The mural at Eighth and Callowhill in Philadelphia was created by two formerly incarcerated artists. The work is part of a larger exhibition that brings attention to U.S. criminal justice reform through the artwork of currently and formerly incarcerated individuals.

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  • Criminalizing Homelessness

    In Eugene, Oregon, the city – much like the rest of the United States – has often practiced ticketing, citing, and/or arresting individuals as a response to homelessness. The practice, often referred to as the criminalization of homelessness, is now being called into question by groups across the city. Since the police are often the initial responders to people experiencing housing insecurity, the city is trying responses like community outreach to better address the needs of these individuals instead of writing them a ticket or sending them to jail.

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  • This Camden Halfway Home is Reducing Recidivism Across the River

    Many previously incarcerated people struggle to both rehabilitate and gain the necessary skills for a successful post-prison life. This article looks at Hope Hall, a halfway house using a comprehensive approach meant to address underlying issues of incarceration as well as prepare participants for future employment.

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  • Can this group of former offenders swing the Philly DA race?

    How does an organization go about reducing incarceration rates, and eliminate racial bias? Hiring the people affected by the prison system: former inmates. That’s the strategy that ACLU is taking in Philadelphia.

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  • Here are the 3 steps everyone agrees we need to take to tackle recidivism

    Activists, and lawmakers have been proposing ideas for prisoner reentry, or supporting former prisoners by finding work, housing, and healthcare, in order to reduce the trend of prisoners being released, committing another crime, and returning to prison. Philadelphia, which has a high recidivism rate, is one of the cities that is already implementing solutions.

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  • Philadelphia Treatment Court gives a 'second chance'

    In Philadelphia, people facing felony drug charges can opt for a yearlong program in a treatment court where their progress is monitored to ensure they avoid substance use, get treatment and stay in contact with their case managers. Judges presiding over the court work with those who miss those goals to help them reflect on how they can graduate, even if there are stumbles along the way. Those who successfully complete the program can work to get the felonies expunged from their records.

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  • ‘It's like a sisterhood'

    Mercy Hospice in Philadelphia is a recovery home that serves homeless women and their children. Their comprehensive approach provides addiction services, as well as mental health and trauma support; the home is seen as a "stepping stone to long-term recovery" and almost half of the women move on to independent housing when they leave the program.

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  • Where Some of the Most Housing-Challenged Philadelphians Find Help

    Housing is one of the major hurdles former prisoners have to tackle when they get out of prison. Two judges know this, that’s why they created a re-entry program that offers prisoners numerous services. The results? “Over the past 10 years, only 13 percent of graduates and 21 percent of all participants were arrested or had their parole revoked — compared to a 41 percent revocation rate for other returning citizens in the Philadelphia area.”

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  • Battling Meth: A Rural Montana County is on the Frontline of National Foster Care Surge

    The drug crisis has reached new extremes in many parts of the country, as meth and opioids continue to tear families apart and funnel even more children into an already-strapped foster care system. In rural Montana, law enforcement and communities are trying a new approach to battling drug addiction, focusing on supportive family counseling and "drug courts" to help treat - rather than imprison - those struggling with addiction. In Lake County, Family Drug Treatment Courts are working to divert addicts from the vicious cycle and keep more families together.

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