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

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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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  • Can Screen Time Reduce Prison Time?

    Doug Bierend

    October 31, 2017 |

    Bright Magazine |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, California

    In Madera Juvenile Detention Facility, teens have access 6 hours a day to tablets loaded with learning and entertainment materials. The program aims to help teens productively use their time in prison and advance their education. Even though there are some positive outcomes, many critics argue that the program only treats a symptom and not the overarching problem of the juvenile prison system that needs reform.

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  • A prosecutor meets the juvenile lifer he locked up for 40 years - and apologizes

    Samantha Melamed

    October 26, 2017 |

    The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    A Philadelphia man imprisoned for 40 years for a crime he did not commit was finally freed when the prosecutor who helped put him behind bars realized he made a mistake and worked to get him out. The U.S. Supreme Court found automatic life sentences for juveniles unconstitutional, but despite that and the previous prosecutor's change of heart, Ronald Brinkley has not been exonerated and the current district attorney stands by the case. However, the former prosecutor has offered to help Brinkley as he transitions back to the outside world.

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  • When he was 13, he shot her in the face. 20 years later, she helped get him his freedom.

    Ally Hirschlag

    October 26, 2017 |

    Upworthy |

    Multi-Media |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Tampa, Florida

    A man convicted to a life sentence for a shooting he took part in at age 13 reached out to the woman he injured from prison and over the years they built a friendship based on forgiveness and trust. She helped him win an appeal for release after 26 years and has been part of his support network as he learns to navigate the world as an adult. Their story offers a great example of the power of forgiveness and building personal connections.

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  • The Fight to Fix America's Broken Bail System

    John Buntin

    October 25, 2017 |

    Governing |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    Jails are overcrowded with inmates awaiting their trial and who didn't have the money to make bail. Across the country states are trying to implement new policies to deny high-risk felons bail, while conducting risk assessments to see if inmates would be a safety concern if they were released until their trial. Many plans have been developed but the big bail business remains a barrier.

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  • ‘We can't just keep doing what we've been doing': King County tries risky alternative to youth jail

    Claudia Rowe

    October 23, 2017 |

    The Seattle Times |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

    As Seattle’s Central District continues plans to expand their juvenile detention center, one prosecutor is looking for ways to keep kids out of it. "Our system has proven woefully inadequate, so we can’t just keep doing what we’ve been doing," explains Jimmy Hung, the prosecutor behind this hope. Hung, in partnership with the chief deputy prosecutor, faith workers, police officers and the director of King County’s juvenile detention center are now piloting peace circles with incoming detained juveniles with a goal of seeing a behavior and lifestyle switch.

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  • Philly activists raising money to bail poor defendants out of jail

    Dana Difilippo

    October 23, 2017 |

    WHYY |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    For many low-income people who are arrested, coming up with even a small amount of bail money is nearly impossible, leaving them to languish for months before their cases are ever adjudicated. That means lost jobs and housing and sometimes custody of their kids. In Philadelphia, a number of groups have banded together and raised funds to bail out inmates, following examples in other cities, as a temporary measure until policymakers can enact long-term bail reform.

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  • Courts That Save Opioid Victims' Family Life

    Amelia Schonbek

    September 26, 2017 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Dunkirk, New York

    The rampant opioid epidemic tearing through communities across the United States is exacerbated by a rigid court system that fails to address individual needs and a severe lack of comprehensive treatment options, even for those who want to get clean. Family Treatment Court, like the one in Chautauqua County, N.Y., provides parents who are addicts an innovative intervention program that includes a broad range of custom-tailored services to permanently quit their drug use and keep their families together.

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  • Bound to Pay

    Gus Bova

    September 26, 2017 |

    Texas Observer |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

    Libre by Nexus helps immigrants get out of jail, and makes more than $30 million a year doing it. In exchange for providing collateral to bondsmen, the company charges clients, including asylum seekers in desperate situations, huge upfront fees and a $420 monthly rental charge for a required ankle monitor. Multiple lawsuits accuse the company of profiteering off vulnerable people.

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  • How Conservatives Learned to Love Free Lawyers for the Poor

    Alysia Santo

    September 22, 2017 |

    The Marshall Project |

    Multi-Media |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    Public defender systems across the country are underfunded and understaffed. Viewed by progressives as a racial and class inequality problem, the issue is gaining major traction in red states under a different framing: defense against government tyranny. “If there’s one thing the government must get right,” said conservative lawmaker Tom McMillin, “it’s whether or not we’re locking up the right people.”

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