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

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  • Can the U.S. Make Prisons More Rehabilitative? Here's a Major Test Case

    The national initiative Restoring Promise works with states to create criminal justice reform initiatives that draw inspiration from rehabilitation-focused German prisons. The program at Lee Correctional Institution in South Carolina allows participants to customize their individual cells and focuses on mentorships, educational classes, and self-governance.

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  • Writing within prison walls

    The American Prison Writing Archive hosts almost 4,000 pieces of writing by people who are incarcerated. It offers a glimpse into the system that is not usually available to the public, a critical outlet for writers, and a social connection to the rest of the world.

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  • Model Prisons: California's Push for Reform

    California is taking a new approach to reducing recidivism, known as The California Model, by providing people who are incarcerated with rehabilitative and educational programming.

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  • New Jersey Ditched Cash Bail. Research Shows the Reform Didn't Increase Violence.

    New Jersey voters approved an amendment that removed cash bail so people would no longer be incarcerated because they couldn’t afford to pay it. Now, the courts evaluate each person’s risk to the public, of skipping trial, and of reoffense to determine whether they are held in detention until their trial.

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  • A mother's calling: Inside the fight to make prison phone calls free

    Advocates in Connecticut worked with the nonprofit Worth Rises to successfully campaign for a law that made phone calls and emails free in the state’s prison system. Expensive communication was a barrier for people who are incarcerated and their families, often impacting their mental health, relationships, and financial well-being.

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  • At Monroe prison, dog training reshapes lives of humans, canines alike

    A nonprofit that provides service animals to people with disabilities for free works with people who are incarcerated in Washington to train the dogs, giving them a positive way to spend their time and gain useful skills. Trainers help them teach the dogs new tasks every week.

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  • Incarcerated trans women won sweeping prison reforms in Colorado. It could be a model for other states.

    Case lawyers for a lawsuit filed in 2019 worked with Colorado officials to create a settlement with a legally binding agreement that requires the state to make its prisons safer for transgender women and provide medical care to all transgender people who are incarcerated.

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  • Homecoming Project creates safe reentry for incarcerated people

    Impact Justice’s Homecoming Project helps formerly incarcerated individuals secure housing by pairing them with homeowners renting out a spare bedroom or studio space in their homes. Impact Justice pays the homeowner for six months, providing the formerly incarcerated participant with enough time to rebuild and acclimate to life outside of prison without the burden of paying rent. The Homecoming Project is meant to be an alternative to transitional housing that can sabotage the formerly incarcerated person’s independence.

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  • Will Speer Found Hope Enough to Share on Texas's Death Row

    Twenty-eight death row inmates have gone through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Rehabilitation Programs Division’s Faith-Based Program. Over a year and a half, they take classes, participate in community discussions, and attend religious services that encourage a sense of purpose, help them find inner peace with God, and inspire them to make a difference in the prison.

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  • Little Scandinavia looks at whether we can do better in U.S. prisons

    As a part of the Scandinavian Prison Project, a section of the Pennsylvania state prison was remodeled to house fewer people who are incarcerated and include things like a common area, kitchen, and even a fish tank. The community orientation includes the staff, of which the ratio is higher than other sections of the prison, who are specially trained for the program. The effort aims to reduce recidivism rates and make prisons safer and more effective based on successful models from Scandinavian countries.

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