Advanced filters

Search Results

You searched for:  -

There are 396 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • The Judge Who Keeps People Out of Jail

    November 30, 2021 |

    The Washington Post Magazine |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Rio Arriba, New Mexico

    Since 2018, Judge Jason Lidyard of Rio Arriba County, N.M., has forged a new model for a drug court. Instead of demanding abstinence from drugs as the price to stay out of jail, Lidyard uses respect and personal relationships to seek a redefinition of success: making substance abuse less deadly and less socially crippling. Violating the court's requirements to get treatment results in more help, not jail. The less punitive approach seemed to reduce overdoses until a new fentanyl surge complicated the picture. Almost all of the people who've gone through the court have avoided new felony arrests.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • 'You're not alone': New Summit court program helps parents reunite with children

    November 29, 2021 |

    Akron Beacon Journal |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Akron, Ohio

    Summit County, Ohio's juvenile court's Multidisciplinary Team Representation assigns a parent advocate and social worker to child-custody cases to help parents reunite with their children much more quickly than the system typically processes cases. The program has just begun in the county, helping a handful of families reunite, but a study in New York City showed the same approach reunited families 43% more often than if just an attorney were helping the family. Parents whose troubles lead to the temporary loss of their children need supports that help them get on firmer ground.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • ‘An utter failure': Law meant to clear old convictions, including for marijuana possession, helps few

    November 28, 2021 |

    The Boston Globe |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Massachusetts

    In 2018, Massachusetts legislators passed a law allowing people with certain lower-level criminal records to seal the records or expunge convictions altogether. The law was meant to remove the burden that a criminal record imposes on people seeking jobs or renting apartments, particularly when the conduct is no longer illegal, such as marijuana possession. Thousands have managed to get their records sealed. But relatively few have sought or won expungement, thanks to an overly restrictive and complicated process that hasn't been explained well to those who could benefit.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • What happens when crime victims and offenders meet? Outagamie County is finding out.

    November 05, 2021 |

    Appleton Post-Crescent |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Appleton, Wisconsin

    The Outagamie County Youth and Family Services agency makes restorative justice dialogue available to the victims of crimes committed by juveniles. After preparation with a trained mediator, the two parties meet to discuss the harm suffered by a victim and why a young person committed the offense. Both can be helped through a face-to-face conversation. The county is now considering expanding the program to adults.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Orlando man's 7th arrest in 7 years raises questions about mental competency system

    October 29, 2021 |

    WKMG-TV |

    Broadcast TV News |

    3-5 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Orlando, Florida

    Orange County, Florida, courts have ordered thousands of mental-competency hearings in recent years to test whether criminal defendants are mentally capable of facing charges. If they are not, they get released, leaving mental illnesses untreated and leading to repeat cycles of arrest and release that sap public resources and threaten public safety. Miami-Dade’s Criminal Mental Health Project offers a more effective model, in which police officers are trained to call in mental health professionals who can get the person into treatment rather than jail.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • A pilot program in Iowa produces encouraging results for foster kids

    October 27, 2021 |

    Street Roots |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Iowa

    By putting a priority on rescuing children from danger in their homes by reducing the danger or placing the children in relatives' care, Iowa courts have greatly reduced the traumatizing use of emergency foster care placements with strangers. The program, which began with seven judges and has since spread statewide, starts with a simple list of questions that judges or social workers ask to identify specific solutions to problems other than the default mechanism of sending children to live in foster care, which can make their emotional problems worse.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • In Arizona, a radical change in juvenile detention

    September 20, 2021 |

    High Country News |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, St. Johns, Arizona

    Unrealistic fears of a wave of youth violence left rural Apache County, Colorado, with an unused, costly youth detention facility. So the local courts decided to refashion the empty jail into the Loft Legacy Teen Center, an after-school hangout offering a "care-first" approach to teen problems. Mentors and a truancy prevention program help youth avoid trouble and get educations. Youth arrests have dropped, though that might also be credited to the state's risk-assessment tool that is meant to guard against overuse of punishment.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • He Beat Her Repeatedly. Family Court Tried to Give Him Joint Custody of Their Children.

    September 16, 2021 |

    ProPublica |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Wisconsin

    Wisconsin is a leader in the movement to treat fathers as equal caregivers and to prioritize shared custody in divorces. But this fathers' rights reform, combined with outmoded ideas about women who allege domestic violence, often forces domestic violence victims to maintain frequent communication with their abusers and to turn over their children to violent former spouses for visits. Although the shared-custody law does exempt cases of serious domestic violence, advocates say the law allows large exceptions, makes proving allegations too hard, and is overseen by courts dismissive of women's allegations.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Where Juvenile Detention Looks More Like Teens Hanging Out

    September 13, 2021 |

    70 Million |

    Podcast |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, St. Johns, Arizona

    Apache County, Arizona, once had a costly, under-used juvenile detention center and a traditional philosophy that stern punishment would steer young people away from misbehavior. Now the abandoned detention center is The Loft Legacy Teen Center, an after-school hangout with mentors, connections to social services, and a place where youth can go to socialize – a rare commodity in this rural community. It's run and staffed by the court system and its probation department. But its methods are love and support, not threats of arrest and incarceration. Juvenile arrests are now way down.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Eagle County problem-solving courts offer new hope to repeat offenders battling substance abuse

    September 09, 2021 |

    Vail Daily |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Eagle, Colorado

    Eagle County's two problem-solving courts put treatment ahead of punishment when addressing crimes committed by people with substance abuse problems. Originally set up as one court, they now function separately to address drunken driving and drugs and serve people "teetering on the edge of serious prison time" for repeat offenses. More than 90 percent of participants in 2020 maintained sobriety and more than 80 percent avoided new legal troubles. While the threat of punishment is used to win compliance with rules, prosecutors say they're more interested in permanently curing the underlying disease.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

Solutions In Focus

Discover curated content about themes that matter to you, exclusively from the Solutions Story Tracker. Explore collections, resources and more.


Go to All Solutions in Focus