The Radical Shift in Drug Treatment Happening Inside California Prisons

https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/entry/the-radical-shift-in-drug-treatment-happening-inside-california-prisons

Juan Moreno Haines

Next City

15 October 2021

Text / 1500-3000 Words

To combat opioid overdose deaths among incarcerated people, the California prison system in January 2020 launched a treatment program that combines medication-assisted treatment with counseling by professionals and fellow incarcerated people. The program uses the three most effective medications to reduce opioid dependency. The one-year program features intense counseling, individual and group, based on a workbook that takes gender and trauma-related causes for drug abuse into account. Preliminary data show a decrease in deaths at San Quentin prison. More than 15,000 people have enrolled in the program.

He befriended his brother's murderer. In each other, they found healing

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-11/la-me-col1-victim-offender-dialogue

Leila Miller

Los Angeles Times

11 October 2021

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Since the 1990s, California prisons' victim-aid office has arranged for crime victims to meet with the incarcerated people who harmed them or their family members. These victim-offender dialogues, a restorative-justice method offering alternative forms of accountability, have helped survivors heal by providing information they could not glean from the traditional justice process. Some have also experienced reconciliation and forgiveness. Only victims can initiate the process, and most incarcerated people are deemed ineligible after screening and preparation for the face-to-face dialogues.

Prison reform curbs some solitary confinement, but how much?

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/prison-reform-curbs-some-solitary-confinement-but-how-much

Rachel Riley

The Everett Daily Herald (HeraldNet)

10 October 2021

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Washington state prison officials say they have tried for years to reduce their use of solitary confinement. They made some progress toward that goal until the pandemic. Despite that complication, hundreds still live for months or even years in near-total isolation, which critics liken to torture and blame for psychological damage to incarcerated people. Advocates for strict limits or abolishing the practice say the state has maintained the use of solitary under a variety of euphemistic names. Pending legislation would impose stricter limits, which prison officials oppose on safety grounds.

When Abusers Keep Their Guns

https://revealnews.org/podcast/when-abusers-keep-their-guns

Jennifer Gollan

Reveal

9 October 2021

Podcast / Over 15 Minutes

Starting in 1968, Congress has passed a series of laws, as have some states, stripping gun possession rights from people convicted of felonies or of domestic violence, or who are the subjects of restraining orders. But neither federal nor most state authorities do much to enforce the laws, relying instead on an honor system that often fails. Some places, like Washington's King County (Seattle), have done more to track who has guns they are barred from having. Thorough follow-up enables them to confiscate such guns in a process that can be less potentially violent than assumed.

Dozens of states have tried to end qualified immunity. Police officers and unions helped beat nearly every bill.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/qualified-immunity-police-lobbying-state-legislatures/2021/10/06/60e546bc-0cdf-11ec-aea1-42a8138f132a_story.html

Kimberly Kindy

The Washington Post

7 October 2021

Text / Over 3000 Words

Fifteen months after Colorado became the first state to strip law enforcement officers of their legal immunity from civil lawsuits for misconduct on the job, one lawsuit has been filed over a notorious incident while no real evidence has materialized that police department staffing will be gutted by resignations or recruiting problems. The 2020 social-justice protest movement inspired dozens of proposed laws to end the practice called qualified immunity. All but Colorado's bill failed, based on dire warnings from police unions. The Colorado law exposes officers to damages up to $25,000.

Police face a 'crisis of trust' with Black motorists. One state's surprising policy may help.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/traffic-stops-are-flashpoint-policing-america-reformers-are-winning-big-n1280594

Simone Weichselbaum

Emily R. Siegel

Andrew Blankstein

NBC News

7 October 2021

Text / 1500-3000 Words

A new Virginia law restricts when the police can stop motorists, limiting the chances for inequitable law enforcement. Barred from stopping vehicles based on minor infractions like a broken taillight, police in the first four months under the new law sharply reduced their stops of Black motorists. Police say such stops are a key tactic for getting guns, drugs, and dangerous people off the streets. But they also can be racially motivated, disproportionately punish people of color, and lead to violent confrontations. Many states and cities are considering dialing back traffic enforcement for these reasons.

Why bother? Greater Cleveland's youth rise to the task of local civic engagement

https://www.thelandcle.org/stories/why-bother-greater-clevelands-youth-rise-to-the-task-of-local-civic-engagement

Michael Indriolo

The Land

5 October 2021

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Cleveland high school students created votecle.com, a website that centralizes information about local elections. A “political alignment” survey on the site assesses users’ opinions on important political issues to match them with local candidates. The group focuses outreach on “drop-off voters,” people who reliably vote in national elections but not local ones. These voters tend to be younger, on average, and cite a lack of information about local candidates and issues as the main reason for not voting. After creating the website, the group got a grant from Cleveland Votes to continue engaging young voters.

Tucson police chief says mental health workers in 911 center would ensure callers get the right response

https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/tucson-police-chief-says-mental-health-workers-in-911-center-would-ensure-callers-get-the/article_06fc27da-0a8a-11ec-83eb-4f1d0417a290.html

Caitlin Schmidt

Arizona Daily Star

5 October 2021

Text / 1500-3000 Words

In 2019, Mesa police began diverting calls about suicide threats to a crisis line, where trained mental health professionals could provide counseling or dispatch a mobile crisis unit. Then they placed mental health professionals side by side with police dispatchers to triage 911 calls on the spot. Police now handle many fewer suicide-related crises, saving the city money and giving people more appropriate care. In Tucson, a mobile crisis team operates more independently from police. After two social workers were abducted at gunpoint by a man in crisis, the police chief argued to adopt the Mesa model.

Red Flag Laws Are Saving Lives. They Could Save More.

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2021/10/05/red-flag-laws-are-saving-lives-they-could-save-more

Matt Vasilogambros

Stateline

5 October 2021

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have enacted red-flag laws, most of them since the 2018 Parkland, Fla., school shooting. The laws, also called extreme risk protection order laws, allow law enforcement officials or family members to petition courts to confiscate guns from people deemed a danger to themselves or others. Use of the laws has grown and advocates say they have saved lives. But the growth has been slow, largely because of widespread ignorance of the laws among the public and even police. Some states have begun to fund education and training campaigns to rectify that.

Jharkhand's solar pump scheme aims to improve lives of farmers by increasing irrigation potential

https://india.mongabay.com/2021/10/jharkhands-solar-pump-scheme-aims-to-improve-lives-of-farmers-by-increasing-irrigation-potential

Srikant Chaudhary

Mongabay

4 October 2021

Text / 1500-3000 Words

In India, small farmers face limited access to irrigation. However, a state-run program, which gives them access to solar powered pumps, is alleviating their problems. Not only is it better for their crops, increasing their income, but it's also better for the environment. The solar-powered pumps provide a clean energy option, rather than relying on diesel-powered pumps.