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Pennsylvania training mentally ill inmates to help others on the cellblock

Katie Colaneri

August 01, 2017 |

WHYY |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

Peer to peer programs have existed since the 1980s. These programs pair up a person with mental health illness, with one another. The concept, is relatively new in the prison systems, and is gaining traction in states like Pennsylvania.

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Conservation Meets Corrections

Katie Jewett

July 26, 2017 |

bioGraphic |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Evergreen, Washington

There are currently 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States. According to rainforest ecologist Nalini Nadkarni, that's a lot of brainpower and potential sitting unused. It was this thought that inspired the start of the Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP). As a collaboration between the Washington State Department of Corrections and The Evergreen State College, SPP aims to bring science and education within the walls of confinement – all while promoting the conservation of both plant and animal species.

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In Chicago and Beyond, Bail Reformers Win Big in Fight to End Money Bail

Sharlyn Grace

July 25, 2017 |

Truthout |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

In Chicago’s Cook County Circuit Court, a new order was introduced to ask judges to only assign bail that could actually be paid by the individual. This new order could reduce the number of people who are in jail due to their inability to pay the bail and opens the door for new strategies that are more effective in getting people to return to court.

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Supporters of juvenile lifer gather for a 'community resentencing'

Kristen E. Holmes

July 23, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Supreme Court ruled about 2,500 life sentences handed down to juveniles were unconstitutional and resentencing hearings are taking place to decide if these men and women will receive parole. In Philadelphia, a grass roots effort called Community Resentencing is designed to give family and friends an opportunity to weigh in on options for one man in a way that satisfies the need for him to repent and seek forgiveness from those he wronged while also serving the community through community service and mentoring.

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Meet a new breed of prosecutor

Henry Gass

July 17, 2017 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Texas

Across the country, a small number of young prosecutors are changing the face of our current criminal justice system. They are moving away from the “strict law-and-order practices of the past,” and employing a more liberal approach: “eschewing the death penalty, talking rehabilitation as much as punishment, and often refusing to charge people for minor offenses.”

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As Philly's inmate population plummets, why aren't we saving any money?

Anna Orso

July 12, 2017 |

Billy Penn |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Reducing inmate populations doesn’t necessarily cut costs. The funding equation is far more complex. Complying with employee pension laws, offering more services to inmates, and other growing costs can replace any savings from reforms that shrink the incarcerated population.

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A Fairhill church is redemption central for ex-offenders

Kristen E. Holmes

July 07, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A church in Philadelphia is adept at ministering to those coming out of incarceration and drug use because its two pastors come from that very same world. They hold members accountable, which could mean a required stint in rehab before folks can use the various services of the church like housing, food and help with employment. As a result the recidivism rate of members is about five percent, far lower that the state-wide rate.

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Delivering Gourmet Pizza, and Jobs Training, in Cook County Jail

Serena Maria Daniels

July 06, 2017 |

Next City |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Recipe for Change is a program that teaches incarcerated people Italian cuisine skills, which is meant to help them gain employment when they reenter society. An estimated 200 people have gone through the program. Similarly, other programs are focusing on helping formerly incarcerated people gain employment.

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In Philly courts, whether they'll die in prison comes down to their birthday

Samantha Melamed

July 06, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A 2016 U.S. Supreme Court decision allows those sentenced to life for crimes committed as juveniles to seek parole. These people make up more than half of lifers in Pennsylvania, which is considering numerous appeals, but now those sentenced when they were slightly older are arguing the impulsivity and immaturity that makes juveniles less culpable are also present in the brains of those in their 20s. They are seeking to ensure the same legal rulings also apply to them and the legal system is trying to reconcile legal definitions of adulthood with evolving brain science.

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Pennsylvania's top court just made it way harder to sentence kids to life in prison

Samantha Melamed

June 26, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

To sentence a minor to life in prison without parole, prosecutors in Pennsylvania must now prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the minor is incapable of rehabilitation. The state supreme court ruling is meant to recognize most children’s impulsivity and their ability to change. The ruling is a significant step in Pennsylvania, which is home to the largest population of juvenile lifers in the nation.

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