Articles

One reason capital punishment should end:

https://eji.org/news/charles-ray-finch-exonerated-43-years-after-being-sentenced-to-death?fbclid=IwAR10mC65E1wnRBErnYCTM7f6Em0fCenipVixNJ5N_5Y2CZYSVQz-c2Mwzx8 Charles Ray Finch Exonerated 43 Years After He Was Sentenced to Death in North Carolina June 28, 2019Charles Ray Finch, now 81 years old, became the 166th person in the United States since 1973 to be exonerated after having been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death when the district attorney in Wilson County, North … Continue reading One reason capital punishment should end: →

Report: Restorative Justice for Juveniles Works Better Than Jail Time

https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2019-05-30/juvenile-justice/report-restorative-justice-for-juveniles-works-better-than-jail-time/a66625-1?fbclid=IwAR08s2RS52btxOslO1SULpTWUGc7O513kSNxet5GD0c7rziaT6ysI1Z_QlM A new report says restorative-justice programs for young people work better to reduce repeat offenses and cost considerably less than traditional prosecution, incarceration and probation. (Los Angeles Youth Justice Coalition)May 30, 2019 OAKLAND, Calif. – When a juvenile is accused of a crime, making them face the victim, take responsibility and make amends works … Continue reading Report: Restorative Justice for Juveniles Works Better Than Jail Time →

A conversation with author Jason Trask (with David Daniel)

Back in December as part of our Literary Lowell series, we profiled local author David Daniel, author of the Alex Rasmussen detective series and a number of other books. Now it’s David’s turn to contribute a new author profile to the blog. He recently caught up with Jason Trask who now lives in Maine but who spent … Continue reading A conversation with author Jason Trask (with David Daniel) →

From The Atlantic: The War on Drugs Made It Harder for Black Men to Attend College

TAMARA GILKES BORR - MAY 15, 2019 The War on Drugs locked up thousands of black men, and a new study finds that it may have also locked many out of the college classroom—and all the benefits that come with a college degree. There was a time when black men’s college enrollment was gaining ground, as compared … Continue reading From The Atlantic: The War on Drugs Made It Harder for Black Men to Attend College →

‘The Peculiar Patriot’ takes an unflinching look at mass incarceration

https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/2019/03/27/peculiar-patriot-takes-an-unflinching-look-mass-incarceration/?utm_term=.0c29758e86fd Liza Jessie Peterson dissects the prison-industrial complex in her one-woman show, "The Peculiar Patriot." (Christine Jean Chambers/Christine Jean Chambers) By Thomas Floyd March 27 Liza Jessie Peterson had just started teaching poetry workshops at Rikers Island in 1998 when a correctional officer asked if she knew where she was. “I said, ‘Yes, I’m at Rikers … Continue reading ‘The Peculiar Patriot’ takes an unflinching look at mass incarceration →

EXCLUSIVE: Could This Program Stem Surging Violence at Rikers Island?

https://observer.com/2015/07/inside-the-new-classes-aimed-at-reducing-violence-at-rikers-island/ The Observer takes an exclusive first look inside the Next Steps program, new classes offered to adult inmates at scandal-scarred Rikers Island By Jillian Jorgensen • 07/30/15 2:12pm Frank Horton, an instructor with STRIVE International, teaches a class in the George Motchan Detention Center on Rikers Island. (Photo: Emily Assiran for Observer) Inside a small classroom, Frank … Continue reading EXCLUSIVE: Could This Program Stem Surging Violence at Rikers Island? →