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Bureau of Prisons Cuts Back on Halfway Houses and Services

Federal inmates expecting to be transferred from a prison to a halfway house — what the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) calls a “residential reentry center” — are being informed shortages of spaces mean they’ll face delays in their transfer and consequently more time in prison. BOP can let federal inmates with good-time credit spend up

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Michigan Helps Inmates Re-enter Society with Ban the Box Movement

On September 7, Michigan announced it would stop requiring applicants for most occupational and construction code licenses to check a box on the application form disclosing whether they have ever been convicted of a felony. Governor Rick Snyder (R) announced the policy change by the state’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). Snyder also

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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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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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Students Partner With Prisoners to Learn Problem-Solving Skills

STUDENTS FROM A WHITMAN COLLEGE AND INMATES AT WASHINGTON STATE PENITENTIARY ARE LEARNING PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS TOGETHER. Anthony Covert made a bad decision. At just 18 years of age, he had a disagreement with a peer over a girl. The two decided to duke it out, but Covert upped the ante by bringing a stolen gun

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Pups in Prison a Promising Rehabilitative Tool

PEP WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ANIMAL THERAPY DOGS USED IN A PRISON SETTING. IN THE 1920S, INMATES AT EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY LEARNED THE CARE AND TRAINING OF PETS AS PART OF THEIR REHABILITATION. CREDIT: EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY. It’s the 1920s, and Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary is both the biggest and the most expensive public

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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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North Carolina Prisons Add Technology to Rehabilitation Toolbox

Edovo tablets deliver an array of educational and life skills programming, also offer prisoners incentives in the form of rewards points for hitting milestones. There are more than 37,000 inmates in 55 prison facilities in North Carolina. Each year, more than 20,000 inmates are released. In fact, 98% of the entire country’s inmates will be released

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Prison Shakespeare Programs Have Dramatic Impact on Inmates

By Christopher Zoukis Prison might be the last place you would expect to see a great performance of Shakespeare. But for more than a decade, Marin Shakespeare Company in California has taught Shakespeare in several prisons, and to rave reviews. In 1989, the company launched to reinvigorate Shakespeare in Northern California, but has expanded its

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