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Thousands of eligible Wisconsin voters face ballot barriers in jail

Matt Mencarini Erin McGroarty Phoebe Petrovic

October 18, 2022 |

Wisconsin Watch |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Jails in Illinois and Texas have improved voting access for people who are incarcerated by coordinating with voting rights advocacy groups and bringing the polls on-site. In June, voter turnout at the Cook County Jail in Illinois exceeded that of the city of Chicago as a whole, and the Harris County Jail in Texas saw 96 people vote in-person in November 2021 and about 200 cast ballots in the March primary.

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Bail Reform Is Picking Up Across Counties Nationwide

Jamal Andress

September 26, 2022 |

Newsy |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

The Bail Project allows defendants to go free while awaiting trial. Bail reform takes the burden off of the poor and prevents people from losing their jobs while sitting in jail awaiting trial because they can’t afford to pay their bail, specifically for those with misdemeanor charges. In the first six months following the bail reform, there were 1,500 more people released. Following them for three years, there was a 6% decrease in prosecutions and guilty pleas and time served also dropped.

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Incarcerated People Are Saving a Disappearing Plant

Peter Yeung

September 08, 2022 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boise, Idaho

Sagebrush in Prisons Project allows incarcerated people to restore sagebrush, a threatened plant that plays a crucial role in U.S. ecosystems. The program provides opportunities for incarcerated adults to cultivate team building and horticulture skills, hone an interest in ecology, and improve employability outside of the prison system.

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What It's Like To Make A Film Almost Entirely In Prison

Ryan M. Moser

September 07, 2022 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Miami, Florida

Inmates taking a credit-bearing film course through Miami Dade College created a short film while inside Everglades Correctional Institution in Florida. The program helps incarcerated students get credits towards degrees and gain skills they could use for employment when they leave.

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How this California program is making it easier for those leaving prison to earn degrees

Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado

August 09, 2022 |

PBS NewsHour |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Fresno

Through targeted outreach and support across 15 campuses in the California State University system, Project Rebound has helped formerly incarcerated students earn nearly 500 university degrees since 2016, with a recidivism rate of less than one percent. Though the students still face stigma after release, they say Project Rebound provides a safe space for them to find stability and fellowship and connect over shared experiences.

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For People Just Leaving Prison, a Novel Kind of Support: Cash

Patricia Leigh Brown

July 07, 2022 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The Returning Citizen Stimulus program provides temporary cash assistance to people recently released from prison, who face steep barriers to finding jobs and stable housing when transitioning out of incarceration. The payments started in 2020 and have helped more than 10,000 former inmates get on their feet, with 42 percent of recipients finding employment within five months of their release.

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India's 'Open Prisons' Are a Marvel of Trust-Based Incarceration

Kavitha Yarlagadda

May 12, 2022 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Rajasthan

The Sanganer open prison serves as an important alternative to traditional incarceration in India by remaining open for 12 hours a day and allowing inmates to go out. It is one of 88 open prisons in India that works on a model of reform and helps inmates to keep their connection with work, family, and society. In doing so, it enables the development of trust as well as skills that can help them not just during incarceration but also after release.

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Online network matches inmates with services after release, similar to a dating site

Caitlin Schmidt

March 05, 2022 |

Arizona Daily Star |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tucson, Arizona

The Inside Out Network is an online service that allows people who are incarcerated to search for and connect with organizations providing re-entry support, helping them begin to create a plan before they are released. So far, at least 1,600 people incarcerated in Arizona have enrolled in the program.

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Prison reform curbs some solitary confinement, but how much?

Rachel Riley

October 10, 2021 |

The Everett Daily Herald (HeraldNet) |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

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 euphemisms. Pending legislation would impose stricter limits, which prison officials oppose on safety grounds.

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People in Solitary Confinement and Volunteers Team Up to Garden, Imagine a World Without Prisons

Roshan Abraham

May 27, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

The Solitary Gardens project started in New Orleans and has been copied in multiple other places as a combination art exhibit and therapeutic link between incarcerated people and the outside world. People on both sides of the prison walls collaborate in pairs to design a garden that grows flowers and herbs chosen by the incarcerated person. The gardens match the tiny dimensions of a solitary-confinement cell. The healing herbs are used to help others, and the exercise overall gives incarcerated people a sense of connection to the earth, part of the project's prison-abolition message.

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