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

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  • From prison to freedom: How a firm is helping detainees get justice

    The Headfort Foundation runs pro bono cases for incarcerated people in need of legal representation. The Foundation recently launched a Lawyers Without Borders initiative that grants easily accessible, free legal services to those in need by setting up mobile offices. This initiative alone has helped more than 175 people thus far.

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  • In French Presidential Election, Thousands More Vote from Prison

    Outside pressure and legal reforms made it easier for people who are incarcerated to vote. The small nonprofit, Robin des Lois, fought to install regular voting booths in prisons, just like any other precinct. After a long public and legal battle, French legislators approved measures allowing in-person voting in prisons, which significantly increased voter turnout.

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  • Interrupting Cycles of Harm, Inside and Outside Prison Walls

    A growing number of programs are working to interrupt cycles of trauma and harm with currently and formerly incarcerated individuals. Beyond Violence uses curriculum co-designed by women currently incarcerated and uses peer co-facilitation to address the aggression and violence women have experienced personally, as well as been perpetrators of. The curriculum, which also highlights the impact of individuals’ communities, relationships, and social structures, improves mental health and facilitates long-term healing.

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

    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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  • How a Two-Way Text Messaging System Keeps People Out of Jail

    An app is simplifying communication within the legal system. People on probation, probation officers, and public defenders can all see appointments, check-ins, and course loads. Uptrust helps prevent violations by providing an easy way to organize court dates, tests, and to facilitate check-ins. The application also helps clients search for social services nearby.

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  • The Biggest Crop in Prison Gardens: Hope

    A gardening program for correctional facilities is introducing incarcerees to vocational gardening and landscaping, but also provides much more than a chance to get their hands dirty. Insight Garden Program provided a “safe space” for introspection and growth, reduced anxiety and depression, and then eventually helped formerly incarcerated people adjust to life after prison with services that include housing.

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  • The Prisoner-Run Radio Station That's Reaching Men on Death Row

    At Texas’ Polunsky Unit, 106.5FM The Tank is a prison radio station run by and for the prison's incarcerated men, including nearly 200 on death row for whom the radio's shows form "a community center for men who can never leave their cells." The death-row prisoners, like many others in the prison, live in solitary confinement with no access to classes, jobs, or TVs. But they are allowed radios, and the prison warden allowed the creation of The Tank using donated equipment. Shows range from advice and religion to music of all sorts. All the shows are recorded as a security precaution.

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  • 'A clear winner': How education in prison can help people after release

    Correctional education opportunities provide a number of benefits: Skills, self-esteem, job opportunities, and lower chances of going back to prison. Educational opportunities for people serving prison time decrease the possibility of recidivism by 30 percent.

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  • This NGO's Strategy Helps Ex-convicts Avoid Repeating Crime

    In the nine years since its founding, Dream Again Prison and Youth Initiative has helped more than 2,000 incarcerated Nigerians prepare for success in work and life after they leave prison. Using mental health support, vocational training, and financial aid after graduates leave prison, the program works in six prisons in an effort to combat the country's rising recidivism rate. Much of the focus is on helping would-be entrepreneurs start their own businesses rather than rely on existing businesses that may not want to give the formerly incarcerated a second chance.

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  • Prisoners hope that education can erase a stigma

    Idaho's nine prisons have more than 30 postsecondary educational programs geared to helping incarcerated people get hired in career-track, technical jobs after their release from prison. The prisons focus on jobs in demand and woo potential employers with tours of their well-equipped classrooms. They also focus on education that produces certifications that carry more weight in industry. Studies show those credentials produce better odds against people returning to prison. Such programs nationwide have suffered from inadequate funding, but more federal money is in the pipeline.

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