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How Philly plans to ditch cash bail and what stands in the way

Anna Orso

September 11, 2017 |

Billy Penn |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A candidate for district attorney in Philadelphia is pushing to do away with cash bail entirely as other places have done, including Washington D.C., and New Jersey. Both of those places have seen their jail populations drop, and Philadelphia has taken some initial steps that reduce pre-trial populations in jail, but it faces a number of challenges in implementing no-cash bail. Those include getting widespread buy-in and a conservative legislature.

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Justice, Restored? New North Lawndale Court Aims to Change Punitive System

Resita Cox Jenny Casas Sarah Conway

August 27, 2017 |

City Bureau |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

A new restorative justice court in a Chicago neighborhood shows promise in bringing healing to the community through having defendants repair harm they’ve done and reintegrate into the community. It has support from key members of the criminal justice system but it faces funding issues and getting buyin from the community. Some argue restorative justice cannot operate effectively within the existing criminal justice system.

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Courting The Ones Who Need It

Kaylee Tornay Brittany Norton Sam Felton Natalia Riccardi

August 24, 2017 |

Eugene Weekly |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

Developed in 2016, the Eugene Community Court program offers individuals cited for nonviolent, minor crimes an alternative to prison. If a person agrees to participate, they are matched with a case manager who connects them to the resources they need, like substance abuse treatment or job training services. The city hopes to decrease the rate of recidivism by creating tailored programs for each individual and spark a societal shift that has long criminalized poverty.

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Can an Algorithm Save America's Justice System?

Jon Schuppe Matt Toder

August 22, 2017 |

NBC News |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New Jersey

Although the cash bail system has long been used in the US criminal justice system, many argue that it is biased based on socioeconomic levels. To reduce this bias, criminal justice researchers and data scientists have created a new risk assessment tool that uses an algorithm taking age, history of missing court and former crimes into account before making a recommendation on bail.

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New York Just Gave Low-Income Tenants a Big Weapon in Housing Court: A Lawyer

Henry Grabar

July 21, 2017 |

Slate |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

"Nationwide, 90 percent of landlords have attorneys, but 90 percent of tenants do not." New York City is combating this inequality with a new law guaranteeing lawyers to defend low-income tenants in housing court. The goal: prevent unjustified evictions and keep people housed.

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The Right to Pre-Trial Justice for All?

Arielle Dreher

July 19, 2017 |

Jackson Free Press |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Jackson, Mississippi

The idea that someone should not languish in jail because they cannot afford bail is gaining more support around the country, including Mississippi thanks to a lawsuit challenging lengthy detentions of two men. In the lawsuit's wake the state's high court released rules of criminal procedure that grant a minimum bail bond if an initial hearing is delayed more than 48 hours. It also guarantees a right to legal representation early on in the legal process, a key factor in how long someone is in jail.

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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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Land-conflict mediation in the Great Lakes region

Maroussia Klep

July 11, 2017 |

Impact Storytelling |

Video |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Rwanda

In the Great Lakes region of Africa, land disputes can escalate to violence. Subsistence agriculture is the dominant source of income, making land precious, and as populations increase and refugees return home, property rights are not always clear. Search for Common Ground is reducing violence by training mediators to find peaceful ways of resolving these high-stakes conflicts.

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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) |

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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 offers a new 'smart on crime' approach. But does it actually work?

Samantha Melamed

June 26, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

In an effort to reduce prison populations, some U.S. cities are enacting reforms that emphasize short, swift, and certain punishments for minor violations. Despite the hype, such reforms may be no better than existing practices.

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