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

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  • Meet a new breed of prosecutor

    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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  • Nueces County ditches juvenile boot camp for new approach

    In Nueces County, Texas, military-style boot camp was the norm for troubled juveniles, who were forced to complete drills that simulate ROTC with instructors. The newly named Robert N. Barnes Region Juvenile Facility began replacing this antiquated method with therapeutic support and yoga relaxation techniques focus on the psycho-social health of troubled juveniles. The facility serves as a model of what boot camps could become.

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  • Addicts Need Help. Jails Could Have the Answer.

    Kentucky is rethinking its penal system for dealing with drug offenders and has shown success in reducing recidivism and relapse rates. Instead of leaving addicts to languish in the typical jailhouse environment of "extortion, violence and tedium," more than two dozen of the state's county jails have created separate units devoted to full-time addiction treatment and support-services for prisoners that involve peer-policing.

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  • This Camden Halfway Home is Reducing Recidivism Across the River

    Many previously incarcerated people struggle to both rehabilitate and gain the necessary skills for a successful post-prison life. This article looks at Hope Hall, a halfway house using a comprehensive approach meant to address underlying issues of incarceration as well as prepare participants for future employment.

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  • Philadelphia Treatment Court gives a 'second chance'

    In Philadelphia, people facing felony drug charges can opt for a yearlong program in a treatment court where their progress is monitored to ensure they avoid substance use, get treatment and stay in contact with their case managers. Judges presiding over the court work with those who miss those goals to help them reflect on how they can graduate, even if there are stumbles along the way. Those who successfully complete the program can work to get the felonies expunged from their records.

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  • Battling Meth: A Rural Montana County is on the Frontline of National Foster Care Surge

    The drug crisis has reached new extremes in many parts of the country, as meth and opioids continue to tear families apart and funnel even more children into an already-strapped foster care system. In rural Montana, law enforcement and communities are trying a new approach to battling drug addiction, focusing on supportive family counseling and "drug courts" to help treat - rather than imprison - those struggling with addiction. In Lake County, Family Drug Treatment Courts are working to divert addicts from the vicious cycle and keep more families together.

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  • Has a bold reform plan helped to shrink Philly's prison population?

    Philadelphia has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, but with a $3.5 million McArthur Foundation grant the city has used several initiatives to change that. The efforts appear to be working, with the number of inmates falling by 12 percent over one year. Programs include getting addicts treatment instead of more jail time, working to release those who cannot afford bail ahead of a trial and making attorneys more available for those who want to seek early parole.

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  • Mentally ill man worse off after acquittal

    “Two million people with mental illness are booked into jails every year.” Mental health courts, would take into accounts a person’s illness, rather than solely focusing on the crime.

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  • This former Philadelphia cop had an incredibly simple plan to keep kids out of prison: Don't arrest them.

    The zero-tolerance of Philadelphia's school system towards even minor infractions from students was creating a detrimental school-to-prison pipeline that was doing more long term harm to youth than good. But one former officer took the initiative to break the cycle, founding the Police School Diversion Program to drastically reduce arrests and offer students supportive services such as counseling instead, helping create a more constructive environment for children, educators, and officers alike.

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  • Even in Texas, Mass Imprisonment Is Going Out of Style

    In Texas, Mass-Incarceration is becoming a surprising hub of bi-partisan reform. By finding common ground, and brainstorming new solutions and alternatives to mass incarceration, the state has seen a drop in incarceration and crime rates.

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