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I Am Evidence

Mariska Hargitay Trish Adlesic Geeta Gandbhir

December 08, 2017 |

HBO |

Documentary |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

Hundreds of thousands of rape evidence kits went untested around the nation, in large part because police and prosecutors disbelieved victims on grounds of race and class. When crimes went unexamined, serial rapists continued to commit crimes and more victims were left with their trauma unaddressed. Prosecutors in Detroit and Cleveland fought for the resources to test the "rape kits" and found through DNA evidence thousands of suspects, large numbers of whom were connected to serial rapes. This film takes an intimate look at some victims, police, and prosecutors to show what clearing the backlog means.

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As shootings and homicides drop in Englewood, a new optimism grows

Annie Sweeney

December 08, 2017 |

Chicago Tribune |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

In Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, a name long synonymous with violence and gang activity, a mix of robust, data-driven policing and community engagement reversed a spike in violence from 2016 to 2017 to a degree unmatched anywhere else in the city. A $1.5 million investment in the Strategic Decision Support Center enabled Chicago Crime Lab analysts working with police at the neighborhood level to pinpoint problems and respond quickly. At the same time, police took a less antagonistic stance toward residents. That and lowered violence produced healthier activities like block parties and job fairs.

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Native American peacemaking courts offer a model for reform

Rebecca Clarren

November 30, 2017 |

InvestigateWest |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Yurok Reservation, United States, Klamath, California

A growing number of tribal judges nationwide - including Judge Abby Abinanti of the Yurok Tribal Court - are using a framework of traditional culture and an approach known as "restorative justice" to address both the need for rehabilitation of offenders and resolution for people often failed by the dominant criminal justice system.

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Young Perps: The Costs of Sensationalizing Youth Crime

Ko Bragg

November 29, 2017 |

Jackson Free Press |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Jackson, Mississippi

Media and public scrutiny as well as the experience of being detained can worsen the outlook for juvenile offenders. Increasing court involvement, keeping the media at bay, and having a juvenile facility can help the circumstances.

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What Happens When a School Stops Arresting Kids for Throwing Skittles

Aviva Shen

November 27, 2017 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana

After a school in Jefferson Parish gained national notoriety for having an 8th grader sent to juvenile jail for six days for tossing Skittles on a school bus, the area's schools reformed school discipline by adopting a system of mediation and community conflict resolution based on restorative justice principles. In the first year, one middle school's suspensions have dropped by more than half. Racial disparities in school suspensions or arrests have led many other schools to follow a similar path. Success seems to depend on making restorative justice central to the mission, not just a disciplinary add-on.

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Can a Philly community bail fund fix our criminal-justice system?

Samantha Melamed

November 08, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Crowdfunding initiatives in Philadelphia offer an alternative to the cash bail process that disproportionately affects African Americans in problematic ways. “Community bail fund activists” raised almost $60,000 for Black Mama’s Bail-Out Day. Now, they are scaling the effort into a Philly Community Bail Fund to help not just Black mothers, but any of the poor, who are detained and kept away from their families and jobs while they await trial. Other crowdsourcing initiatives are springing up in the city, and all are needed to address the problem.

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In a City Where 15 Percent of Voters Elected the Mayor, Downtown Is Claiming Power

Sara Vigneri

November 06, 2017 |

Next City |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Allentown, Pennsylvania

POWER Northeast is trying to fight against voter disenchantment and reach the parts of the community that usually feel excluded and disillusioned by politics. This organization goes all over Allentown, Pennsylvania speaking to the formally incarcerated and minorities, advocating to political leaders on behalf of the public, and helping make voter registration easier.

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In Extreme Community Policing, Cops Become the Neighbor

John Buntin

July 22, 2017 |

Governing |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rockford, Illinois

In efforts to diminish violent crime, police agencies are revisiting a model law enforcement strategy of the 1970s, "community policing," as an alternative to the more recent "broken windows" style of the late nineties. Research substantiates its effectiveness, too, in building citizens' trust of law enforcement, helping a community's ability to solve its own problems, and, in turn, decreasing crime rates. Despite redefined priorities in the wake of 9/11 and post-recession budget cuts, community policing is again on the rise and bringing positive results, too.

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Survivors of Torture Under Jon Burge Find a Place of Respite

Brandis Friedman

May 25, 2017 |

WTTW-PBS |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Two years after the city of Chicago approved reparations for the dozens of men tortured by a squad of police, one part of the plan, the Chicago Torture Justice Center, opened as a provider of mental health counseling and other services needed by the survivors. Under the direction of police detective Jon Burge, white police officers used electric shocks, suffocation, beatings, and racial slurs to coerce confessions from black suspects. One survivor, Darrell Cannon, served 24 years in prison before being released in 2007, but until the center opened in 2017 he had received no counseling.

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What cops aren't learning

Curtis Gilbert

May 06, 2017 |

Reveal |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

A Minneapolis police department has placed a new focus on equipping its officers with conflict de-escalation techniques. After incorporating communication and listening skills into its training, the department has seen a decrease in the use of force.

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