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Prison Reform

From legislation, calls to action, and how prison systems around the world are implementing new policies and procedures, the Prison Reform topic covers everything you need to know about corrections in the modern era.

“The inmates and dogs get along great. The program not only helps clear a local shelter, but it also gives the inmates a sense of purpose,” FCI Terre Haute said
The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office received K-9 Mary from a program called Puppies Behind Bars, a program that trains inmates to raise puppies that are sent to law enforcement agencies, first responders and wounded veterans
The order “charts a new path for us to collaborate with all state agencies to address the needs of justice-involved people in every space,” Adult Correction Secretary Todd Ishee said
The pilot program would use taxpayer money to provide cash assistance to people leaving Colorado prisons if they agree to participate in a workforce development program
This program at the Denver County Jail will help people to get back on their feet and be productive citizens after they leave, which will in turn hopefully lead to reducing recidivism in Denver, Sheriff Elias Diggins said
“Generally, we believe in the use of capital punishment. But we are in agreement that the death penalty is not the appropriate punishment for Brian Dorsey,” a letter from dozens of former and current Missouri DOC employees stated
The council suggests retraining corrections officers, reducing inmate numbers for individual cells, enhancing staff amenities and creating re-entry beds for post-release transition
Lancaster County Prison officials highlighted the work of employees throughout the facility in 2023, saying they had consistently gone beyond their everyday duties, particularly during logistical crises and complications with prisoners
Among the states that reported lower recidivism, Iowa, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia all have pointed to reentry or other rehabilitative programs as part of the reason
CDCR prison officials have touted the revitalized degree as a pioneering program that could serve as a national model, created exclusively for incarcerated students
CDCR’s new regulations would give solitary inmates up to 20 hours of outside cell time per week, up from the 10 hours they are currently allowed
Unless prison reformers intentionally and deliberately pursue the improvement of staff working conditions, the desired outcomes of prison reform will remain elusive
A portion of the prison will be turned into a rehabilitation center in the style of Scandinavian correctional facilities
The Florida DOC plans to allocate $1 million to a new program that will make a small number of phone calls free for some inmates
Most prisoners get their college tuition paid for by the federal Pell Grant program, which gives 30,000 more students behind bars some $130M in financial aid
Currently, Mississippi has the highest imprisonment rate; The report states this is a key reason the state also has the nation’s lowest labor force participation rate
While the puppies are at the jail, they will be cared for by incarcerated women ages 18-25 housed in the drug treatment program
The decline in work crew sentences is attributed to the success of criminal justice reforms, department officials said
“I’m one of the first to say we need to hold people accountable to their crimes, but we need to offer programs so that we don’t see them in correctional facilities again,” the sheriff said
Making prisons more “normal and humane” will also create better work environments for correctional officers, the Bureau of Prisons director said
In the program, inmates can take online classes on information technology, problem-solving, personal development, job skills and other areas
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law that will require anyone convicted of any of 18 violent offenses to serve 100% of their sentences
Colette Peters wants to change hiring practices to find candidates who want to “change hearts and minds”
The prisons are resuming regular meal service, regular inmate movement, and inmate programs, the ADOC said
Investigation cited a failure to release information, as required by law, about incriminating statements gathered by informants to lawyers for the accused
As part of the jail’s focus on preventing recidivism, researchers are examining racial inequities in jail policies, practices and culture
“Unethical” medical experiments were performed on mostly Black inmates at its Holmesburg Prison from the 1950s through the 1970s