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Prison Education Continues with Released Prisoners

Let’s say you are new in town. A bus drops you off near the city. You are given $40, two weeks’ worth of your medication, and a change of clothes. Good luck. Now you are on your own. It doesn’t sound ideal. How are you going to get around? Find a place to sleep? Afford

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We Know What Works: The Key to Prison Reform

There’s been much talk about prison reform in this country, but to date, not a lot has changed. While prisoner education programs and other reforms are slowly making ground, the U.S. still has the world’s highest prison population, with nearly a half million more in the prison system than China, which ranks second in the

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Soft-Skills Programming a Success in County Jail

Soft skills are essential to social integration. These are skills such as communication, empathy, organization and cognitive reasoning that enable people to interact more positively with each other. They’re non-academic skills that also help people become more accountable for their actions, and to pause and think before acting irrationally. While much focus is put on

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Not So Hard Time: How Some Inmates Find Success Post-release

FORMER INMATE GENE MANIGO PUTS THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON A TABLE HE CREATED AS PART OF THE REFOUNDRY INITIATIVE. IMAGE CREDIT: BROOKLYN BUSINESS NEWS The U.S. may have the worst recidivism rate in the world at 76.6 percent, but that doesn’t mean the system has failed every prisoner. There are a handful of inspiring stories

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U.S. Prisoners Among Least Rehabilitated in World

America lays claim to the highest recidivism rate in the world at a staggering 76 percent. It is often said that the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Is that true? Yes. Statistics from sources like the World Prison Brief, an online database providing a look into prison systems around the world, show

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Not the worst, but not Norway: US prisons vs. other models

America is known for its overcrowded prisons and harsh penitentiary conditions, but how does it rank compared to some of the other prison systems around the world? America – the Supermax: How not to treat mentally ill patients One of the most notorious jails in America is the ADX. The Administrative Maximum Facility, aka the ADX Supermax in Colorado was

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New Utah Prison Opening in 2020 Will Emphasize Rehabilitation

By Christopher Zoukis

Major changes are afoot in Utah’s criminal justice system as part of the state’s Justice Reinvestment Initiative.

Approved in March 2015, the initiative is part of a series of changes approved by Gov. Gary Herbert to reduce incarceration and recidivism rates, save taxpayer dollars and provide solutions to the current system of incarceration, aiming not just to lock up offenders, but to change the lives of those who are incarcerated.

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Florida's Troubled Prison, Juvenile Justice Systems Gearing Up For Overhaul

Proposed reforms to the Florida DOC include reducing harsh penalties on youth offenders. Following the launch of a new goal plan for the Florida Department of Corrections, big changes should be arriving in the beleaguered system, with several new pieces of legislation introduced and new budgetary items requested. All of the proposed changes are meant

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New Programs in Pennsylvania Boost Opportunities for Female Inmates

By Christopher Zoukis For five years, inmates haven’t even had the opportunity to obtain high school equivalency diplomas at the Lackawanna County Prison in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The GED program was scrapped during a county budgeting crisis in 2012 and has yet to be reinstated. Still, positive changes are on the horizon at the facility, with

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