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Texas Prisons Are Not Cool – Summertime Blues
Texas prisons are not cool 'Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone We're setting fire to our insides for fun - Daughter - Youth Texas prisons are not cool in the summertime. The first year I spent in a Texas prison was in 2015 and I began my stay...
Why Long Prison Sentences Don’t Help
Mary Ann MgGivern writes in the National Catholic Reporter: [...]I was on the elevator with one of the governor's aides, who said, "Oh, yes, the governor is committed to addressing mandatory minimums." I said, "For violent crimes?" He said, "Oh, not violent crimes,...
Don’t React â Respond!Â
This past week came with one of the biggest shocks of my fifteen years of incarceration. My unit ('incentive housing' with extra privileges for those of us who have exhibited at least 18 months of clear conduct) was inspected by the administration. We had been duly...
Mercy Works Best: Finland vs. Los Angeles
In Finland, they've reduced homelessness by 35% because they attacked the problem radically. They tried a little bit of mercy. From the Daily Mall: âWe decided to make the housing unconditional,â says Kaakinen. âTo say, look, you donât need to solve your problems...
URGENT: Help Eleazar Cabrera Safely Return to his Family
In a bold move on May 22, 2019, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee expanded an earlier executive order imposing provisions on state agencies, which immigration advocates argued didn't go far enough. The added provisions make it illegal under state law to comply with...
Retribution vs. Rehabilitation
What is the most effective approach to dealing with crime and punishment? Should the criminal justice system primarily be used to punish those who violate the law by sending them to prison for lengthy terms? Or should it rather serve as a mechanism for rehabilitation?...