Rewriting the narrative

Prisons in the United States are overcrowded with many non-violent offenders and the cost to keep them in jail consumes public budgets. Criminal justice reform has attracted bipartisan interest with diverse proposals to aid adjust the incarceration rate. The Urban Institute has developed an interactive “prison population forecaster,” which helps citizens to assess the impact of different policies.

Several charter school networks have found that a strict and structured approach to instruction, while it may be improving test scores, is not resulting in the anticipated increase in timely college completion rates for its alumni. One network is piloting a new model that aims to develop more adaptable, "independent thinkers" by encouraging "self-directed learning." Can the introduction of online learning tools, immersive career discovery trips, and increased parent involvement into the current charter school environment help students down the road?

Layette is replatforming itself to embrace local culture over a dangerous oil dependency. CREATE, a voter-approved initiative in the city, funds cultural events and festivals to create new economic drivers and to promote the cultural legacy of the region. The fund draws upon money designated from a larger pool of surplus property tax revenue, as well as from philanthropic donations.

By making listening and communication a priority, employers can improve employee retention. In Ohio, Mansfield Plumbing Products designated an employee liaison whose job is to listen to employees and facilitate communication between workers and management. By implementing clear communication channels, employers can better learn how to address their workers' needs.

By rapidly instituting mandatory testing of all inmates at a covid-19-stricken federal prison and segregating ill inmates, authorities reduced the number of new infections within weeks. At one point, nearly 70% of the inmates at the Terminal Island federal prison in San Pedro, California, had tested positive for the coronavirus as it raced through a facility where inmates normally interact constantly in crowded communal areas. As of mid-May, eight inmates had died and more than 500 had recovered.

In Palm Beach County, an automated system sends text-message reminders, instead of just postal mail notices, to people with upcoming court dates. About 14% of those jailed in the county were there on warrants for failure to appear in court, placing a burden both on the system and on people's disrupted lives. Since the system was started, warrants for failure to appear are down by more than half, although other factors are also at play. At the very least, every court appearance someone makes is one less public cost and private hassle.

Building community around storytelling preserves cultural heritage. Across Lebanon, individuals and institutions like the Lebanese Ministry of Culture and the Theatre Monnot in Beirut are working to preserve oral culture as a medium for storytelling. Initiatives, including the long-running International Storytelling Festival and Beirut’s Hakaya, bring together storytellers, known as hakawati and hakawatiye.

The Massachusetts Federal District Court’s RISE rehabilitation program facilitates a restorative justice workshop in which people responsible for crimes have conversations with victims of similar crimes to help them understand the impacts of their crimes and make amends.

A city-sponsored program in Bogotá, Colombia, sends outreach teams to businesses and events to teach men to do household tasks and help them talk about their feelings. The effort aims to redefine what it means to be a man and undo the traditional idea of machismo, or toxic masculinity.

Sin Título started as a socially conscious clothing brand but has since evolved into a mutli-faceted brand that hosts mental health discussion panels and other events that aim to amplify marginalized voices and offer healing opportunities for the local Latinx population. One such event is their journaling series, the first of which, “Self Love Journal Club,” attracted about 100 people.