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

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 420 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • KC court's pandemic program dismisses 5,000 warrants

    April 07, 2021 |

    The Kansas City Beacon |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

    A virtual opportunity to have warrants dismissed and fines reduced resulted in thousands of dismissals for residents of Kansas City. The virtual nature of the program encouraged many people to take advantage of interacting with the court system without the threat of being arrested.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Juvenile (in)justice

    March 20, 2021 |

    Reveal |

    Podcast |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Mitchell, South Dakota

    Five years after South Dakota replaced a failing, punitive juvenile justice system that emphasized incarceration and probation with approaches focused on rehabilitation and local services for youth, the state's investment has paid off in far lower recidivism, incarceration, and expense. Counties have financial, justice, and moral incentives to follow the evidence of what works and help teens improve their lives. The state also keeps the data needed to track what is working. Neighboring Wyoming does the opposite on all counts, and it has the wrecked lives and high costs to show for it.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • The human right that benefits nature

    March 16, 2021 |

    BBC |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Costa Rica

    A court in Costa Rica decided that a local municipality was illegally polluting a stream and this ruling set the stage for the country to ensure that a clean and healthy environment is a human right. They ingrained this right in their constitution joining about 110 other countries that have constitutionally recognized it. Although the law is not perfect, it has allowed courts to rule that killing endangered green sea turtles is unconstitutional, for example. Costa Rica’s success with this legal pathway could be used in other countries seeking to adopt the right to a healthy environment.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Koori hearings

    March 01, 2021 |

    The Monthly |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Australia, Melbourne

    The Marram-Ngala Ganbu program, also known as Koori Family Hearing Day, provides a child-protection specialist to support Indigenous families before family court hearings, support them in the hearing, connect them to services as needed, and ensure cases are managed in culturally appropriate ways. The hearings incorporate aspects of the family’s culture, such as their totem, and community elders can participate. About 400 families have participated in the program and an independent evaluation found that the Indigenous community believe the program gives them a voice and makes a difference for their children.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Instead of Eviction, Landlords and Tenants Talk It Out

    February 19, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Philadelphia's Eviction Diversion Program has helped keep more than 400 landlord-tenant disputes out of eviction court proceedings, mainly by using volunteer mediators to work out mutually agreeable plans for tenants to get caught up on their rent payments. The program started in 2020 as a way to keep people housed during the pandemic. By giving landlords and tenants a place to talk out their issues without the expense and repercussions of going to court, and by connecting tenants with rent-assistance aid, the program's launch was successful enough to win an extension throughout 2021.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Youth incarceration fell when California required counties to pay more for juvenile detention: New research

    February 02, 2021 |

    Journalist's Resource |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, California

    When a California law shifted the costs of incarcerating youth from the state to its counties, judges suddenly sent 40% fewer youth to state-run juvenile facilities. That reduction began a long-term trend that combined with a state commitment to evidence-based approaches to rehabilitation instead of punishment, especially for less-serious offenses. The end result is that state juvenile jails have been all but phased out of existence and California, a longtime tough-on-crime state, now has what one advocacy group considers the nation's most humane juvenile justice system.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Should Abusers Keep Their Guns? In These 13 States, Judges Choose.

    January 26, 2021 |

    The Trace |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States

    In four of the 13 states where judges have the power to deny domestic-violence abusers access to guns, arbitrarily applied standards lead to a patchwork of enforcement of the laws. A review of cases heard in Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, and South Dakota shows that outcomes depend more on the county in which a case is heard, or a particular judge's beliefs about guns, than on a consistent application of the laws' standards. In some cases, clear allegations of a dire threat did not win approval of a domestic protection order. In others, orders were granted without allegations that guns posed a threat.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • More Dayton residents have conflict during COVID-19. Mediation comes to the rescue.

    January 18, 2021 |

    Dayton Daily News |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Dayton, Ohio

    In Dayton, neighbor disputes and other conflicts ended up in mediation far more often in 2020, thanks to the Dayton Mediation Center's online services at a time when local court operations were limited by the pandemic. A 23% increase in cases can be seen as both bad news and good: more conflicts among people frustrated by social distancing, but more willingness to address conflicts constructively through dialogue mediated by trained volunteers. Dayton police, who are often called to intervene in neighborhood and domestic spats, will be trained to refer cases to the free mediation center in 2021.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • How Genesee County wants to change criminal justice: A New Juvenile Justice Center

    January 10, 2021 |

    Flint Beat |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Flint, Michigan

    A new Juvenile Justice Center that will focus on trauma-informed treatment of children rather than simply jailing them is still more than one year from completion. But, in the years leading to its opening, the county's family courts have cut in half the numbers of children held in detention by emphasizing rehabilitation programs over jail. Many of the services are based on the "Missouri Model" of juvenile justice, which has been shown to reduce incarceration and prevent crime through evidence-based approaches that are more therapeutic than punitive.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • CASA program uses volunteers to advocate for kids

    January 04, 2021 |

    Knox Pages |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Mount Vernon, Ohio

    In 55 Ohio counties, judges can appoint volunteers from Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs to represent the interests of children when their families' struggles end up in court. CASA volunteers act as a judge's eyes and ears in the lives of children who are suspected of being victims of abuse or neglect, or who at least need a more stable home. They recommend placement options and treatment services. Such programs can save counties money, by replacing paid lawyers serving as guardians, and volunteers can be more attentive to children's needs.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

Go to All Solutions in Focus