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

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  • A Year of Bail Reform in New Jersey

    As New Jersey continues to reform its cash bail system, other states in the region look to it as an example. The state developed an algorithm called the Public Safety Assessment that considers an individual’s likeliness to appear for their court date and whether they pose a risk of committing another crime and presents these findings and corresponding recommendations to a judge. Since the reforms have been in place, the state has seen a 20% decrease in the pre-trial jail population and an overall decrease in crime.

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  • Some court systems are texting people to get them to show up. Could it work here?

    When a defendant misses a court date, it can lead to more severe charges for the defendant, more work for justice professionals, and difficulties for people involved in the case such as witnesses. In order to decrease the amount of missed dates, New York City has began texting people providing a reminder about the time and location. While the large percentage of people who own cell phones make this a cheap and—as early results has shown—effective tool, the spread of the idea is hampered by a lack of cell phone numbers on file.

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  • After Unthinkable Loss

    A healing circle in Chicago brings together women who have lost their children through violence or incarceration to give one another support through the grieving process. It's part of an overall move toward restorative justice in Chicago, but is the only peace circle in the city devoted exclusively to mothers, who were often overlooked in outreach efforts, according to the nun who helped launch it. Many of the women cannot afford therapy and the group helps them avoid isolation.

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  • Domestic Violence court offers alternatives, hope for future

    In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a domestic violence court offers funnels perpetrators into programs that offer counseling and other services to address the root causes of their behavior. Its two tracks focus on first-time offenders to short-circuit any escalation into chronic abuse, as well as those with multiple domestic violence charges. Judges work closely with participants to encourage them and call them out when they aren't meeting their obligations, and recidivism rates among those who complete the programs are far lower than those who do not.

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  • Redemption for Offenders and Victims

    In Boston federal courts, select criminal defendants can participate in a restorative justice program called RISE (Repair, Invest, Succeed, Emerge) that delays sentencing while defendants engage in dialogue with crime victims, family, and others. The restorative dialogues are designed for a type of accountability unlike a prison sentence. Eligible defendants must admit their crime, have a history of addiction or other deprivation, and get jobs or attend school. By addressing the harms they have inflicted and the obligations they have to make things right, defendants can earn a more lenient sentence.

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  • Is School-Discipline Reform Moving Too Fast?

    As the national education discussion has shifted away from zero tolerance discipline policies towards reduction of suspensions and the introduction of restorative justice tactics, some teachers and administrators say the change is happening too fast. Following the elimination of suspensions, at one school in Washington state, each year almost 13 percent of district staff left. Teachers cited lack of training and inconsistencies between standards and implementation in different classrooms as reasons for departing.

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  • A Year of Pushback to Save Social Innovation

    When the federal government fails to stimulate social change, local areas step up. Tennessee is giving more structure and funding to community college education, and it’s drastically increasing graduation rates. Alaska and other states are getting rid of money bail. All around the country, citizen activists are becoming advocates and attempting to make our political system accessible to everyone. Despite partisan politics in Washington, D.C., the country is nonetheless experiencing social progress.

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  • What Can New York Learn from New Jersey's Bail Reform?

    In 2017, New Jersey eliminated the cash bail system – meaning that potential offenders awaiting court could not be held in jail for money. Instead, judges use an algorithm that considers the individual’s criminal history, flight risk, and threat level to the community. As New York considers doing the same, it looks the impact it has made in New Jersey.

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  • How Texas' Harris County went from ‘capital of capital punishment' to zero executions

    In 2017, Harris County, TX saw a year where no one was sentenced to death and no one was executed. The county, nicknamed as the capital of capital punishment, is seeing a shift in the support of the death penalty. While studies haven’t shown a definitive answer, it has been linked to new, reform-focused DAs, the introduction of life sentences without parole, and Supreme Court decisions that likely diminished the use of capital punishment.

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  • Bernalillo County partners with South Valley community programs to end racial and ethnic disparities in juvenile justice

    A program in Albuquerque, New Mexico that successfully diverted young offenders from the criminal justice system still grappled with kids running away while under house arrest. This defeats the purpose of diversion since they can end up in jail, so county officials found another option for kids who might have chaotic home lives. They partnered with a community organization where kids can go if they need a safe space without violating their probation orders and learn skills like gardening and screen printing.

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