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Restorative justice solutions for youth are growing abroad, can they become part of the mix in the U.S.

Elizabeth Thompson

March 24, 2022 |

North Carolina Health News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Italy

As North Carolina reevaluates its approach to juvenile justice, the state is looking to examples like Italy, where restorative justice practices such as victim-offender mediation, in which the victim and perpetrator of a crime meet with a mediator to discuss and reconstruct the incident, play a critical role in cases involving youth. The country incarcerates fewer children and young adults on a given day than North Carolina despite its population being roughly six times the size of the state's.

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Pima County programs help keep drug users out of jail, save taxpayers money

Caitlin Schmidt

January 29, 2022 |

Arizona Daily Star |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tucson, Arizona

Tucson’s Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison program, or DTAP, offers intensive treatment and recovery services to certain people convicted of nonviolent offenses as an alternative to serving a sentence behind bars. Participants also receive support and counseling around job and life skills, transportation, and other critical needs, and at least 119 people have successfully completed the program since 2011.

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Can Remote Court Services Help to Improve Digital Equity?

Jule Pattison-Gordon

January 07, 2022 |

Governing |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Utah

Technology has allowed courts across the country to maintain - and even expand, -services during COVID-19. In Utah, courts held remote hearings and used Doodle to schedule hearings and request interpreters. The virtual schedules filled up fast and, in some cases, officials had to bring laptops and tablets to people who lacked access to technology. Spreading the word in unique ways, including social media, and setting up mobile courts addressed some access issues, particularly among people experiencing homelessness.

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A shellfish company gets into the weeds

Sarah Sax

December 28, 2021 |

High Country News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

In their fight to protect eelgrass, The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community sued the Army Corps and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Swinomish Tribe argued that creating wide exemptions to shellfish farming could endanger eelgrass, which they rely on. Their win led to stricter regulations that require individual permits rather than national permits. The tribe also opened its own shellfish operation.

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‘Something major': Wake DA partners with nonprofits to clear people's arrest warrants

Aaron Sánchez-Guerra

December 11, 2021 |

The News & Observer |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Raleigh, North Carolina

The Wake County district attorney worked with criminal-justice reform groups to hold a "warrant clinic" where people could apply to void arrest warrants that could land them in jail, with all of the financial and social costs that come with that. About 45 of 160 applicants were approved in the process, which comes with multiple conditions limiting eligibility to people facing relatively minor charges who missed court dates or had similar reasons for getting named in a warrant. The organizers hope to continue the practice, which also saves the county money.

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The Judge Who Keeps People Out of Jail

Ted Alcorn

November 30, 2021 |

The Washington Post Magazine |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rio Arriba, New Mexico

Since 2018, Judge Jason Lidyard of Rio Arriba County, N.M., has forged a new model for a drug court. Instead of demanding abstinence from drugs as the price to stay out of jail, Lidyard uses respect and personal relationships to seek a redefinition of success: making substance abuse less deadly and less socially crippling. Violating the court's requirements to get treatment results in more help, not jail. The less punitive approach seemed to reduce overdoses until a new fentanyl surge complicated the picture. Almost all of the people who've gone through the court have avoided new felony arrests.

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'You're not alone': New Summit court program helps parents reunite with children

Stephanie Warsmith

November 29, 2021 |

Akron Beacon Journal |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Akron, Ohio

Summit County, Ohio's juvenile court's Multidisciplinary Team Representation assigns a parent advocate and social worker to child-custody cases to help parents reunite with their children much more quickly than the system typically processes cases. The program has just begun in the county, helping a handful of families reunite, but a study in New York City showed the same approach reunited families 43% more often than if just an attorney were helping the family. Parents whose troubles lead to the temporary loss of their children need supports that help them get on firmer ground.

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‘An utter failure': Law meant to clear old convictions, including for marijuana possession, helps few

Dan Adams

November 28, 2021 |

The Boston Globe |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Massachusetts

In 2018, Massachusetts legislators passed a law allowing people with certain lower-level criminal records to seal the records or expunge convictions altogether. The law was meant to remove the burden that a criminal record imposes on people seeking jobs or renting apartments, particularly when the conduct is no longer illegal, such as marijuana possession. Thousands have managed to get their records sealed. But relatively few have sought or won expungement, thanks to an overly restrictive and complicated process that hasn't been explained well to those who could benefit.

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What happens when crime victims and offenders meet? Outagamie County is finding out.

Chris Mueller

November 05, 2021 |

Appleton Post-Crescent |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Appleton, Wisconsin

The Outagamie County Youth and Family Services agency makes restorative justice dialogue available to the victims of crimes committed by juveniles. After preparation with a trained mediator, the two parties meet to discuss the harm suffered by a victim and why a young person committed the offense. Both can be helped through a face-to-face conversation. The county is now considering expanding the program to adults.

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Orlando man's 7th arrest in 7 years raises questions about mental competency system

Erik Sandoval

October 29, 2021 |

WKMG-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Orlando, Florida

Orange County, Florida, courts have ordered thousands of mental-competency hearings in recent years to test whether criminal defendants are mentally capable of facing charges. If they are not, they get released, leaving mental illnesses untreated and leading to repeat cycles of arrest and release that sap public resources and threaten public safety. Miami-Dade’s Criminal Mental Health Project offers a more effective model, in which police officers are trained to call in mental health professionals who can get the person into treatment rather than jail.

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