- Filter
- Showing 10 posts filed under: Region: North America and Caribbean [–] [Show all]
Lost Dog Restorative Justice provides a positive vision
from the "Restorative Justice" page of the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation:
In order to rescue more dogs from being put to sleep, we are in need of more foster homes. The Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI) in Hagerstown, Maryland is working with the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation to implement a Restorative Justice Program. Utilizing the prison system and appropriate inmates to serve as foster caregivers can greatly increase our capacity to rescue dogs from the threat of euthanasia.
Oct 03, 2012 Region: North America and Caribbean, Prison, Transformation, Country:USA, Restitution
How the 2012 GOP platform tackles criminal justice
from Vikrant P. Reddy's entry on Right on Crime:
This week, during its quadrennial national convention, the Republican Party released its 2012 platform. The platform is yet another indicator of how conservative leaders are reapplying basic conservative principles to criminal justice. For example, the new platform contains language explicitly emphasizing the importance of prisoner reentry, a notable change from the 2008 platform which contained none. The new platform urges that “[p]risons should do more than punish; they should attempt to rehabilitate and institute proven prisoner reentry systems to reduce recidivism and future victimization.”
Sep 28, 2012 Policy, Politics, Region: North America and Caribbean, Country:USA
2012 party platforms on criminal justice policy (US)
from the report by the Sentencing Project:
The Washington Post recently reported that the gulf between Republicans and Democrats has never been wider. On issue after issue, the two major political parties often disagree in substantial ways. But in the area of criminal justice policy, we have seen in recent years the potential for a bipartisan consensus. A plurality of American voters say that too many people are in prison, and an overwhelming majority -- including voters across political, generational, and racial lines -- want policies that would exchange prisons for more effective alternatives. After nearly four decades of unprecedented expansion, a number of states have reduced prison capacity, even closing prisons, in recent years, thanks to innovative public policy. These advances suggest real momentum for reform.
Sep 27, 2012 Policy, Politics, Region: North America and Caribbean, Country:USA
Parent-to-parent guide: Restorative justice in Chicago Public Schools
from the booklet by the Parents of POWER-PAC:
For too many of our children, “school discipline” has meant getting suspended or expelled—starting as young as kindergarten—being arrested, even in grade school—and ending up on the streets or in jail— without an education.
We are Chicago Public School parents, from many different neighborhoods and backgrounds, raising kids of all ages. We work together in POWER-PAC, and built our “Elementary Justice Campaign: Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline” because we’ve felt at times that school discipline works against—not with—our children and families.
Sep 18, 2012 School, Practice, Region: North America and Caribbean, Policy, Teacher, Country:USA
Restorative justice behind bars
from the article by Stacy Howard on the Criminal Justice section of Seattle University's website:
This summer, Seattle University's Criminal Justice program took students out of the classroom and into prison cells. SU’s criminal justice chair and a sociology professor teamed up to create a new pilot course that provided a unique learning experience for students.
Sep 14, 2012 Region: North America and Caribbean, Other, Victim, Prison, Country:USA
An outcome evaluation of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative
from the research brief produced by the Minnesota Department of Corrections:
To evaluate the effectiveness of the InnerChange program for male inmates at MCFLino Lakes, the DOC examined recidivism outcomes among 732 offenders released from prison between 2003 and 2009. There were 366 offenders who participated in InnerChange, had their recidivism risk assessed, and had been released from prison during the 2003-2009 period. Offenders whose recidivism risk had been assessed and had been released during the 2003-2009 period, but did not participate in InnerChange, were matched to those in the InnerChange group on commonly-known risk factors.
Multivariate statistical analyses were performed to further control for other factors besides InnerChange participation that may have had an impact on recidivism. These measures were used to ensure that any observed differences in recidivism between the 366 InnerChange participants and the 366 offenders in the comparison group were due strictly to participation in InnerChange.
Sep 13, 2012 Region: North America and Caribbean, Prison, Report, Evaluation, Transformation, Country:USA
Restorative justice is the law
by Dan Van Ness
Heartspeak Productions is a remarkable Canadian group that describes itself as "on a continual quest to learn about & share the principles and best practices of restorative justice." It does this by creating excellent videos exploring dimensions of restoration. Fraser Community Justice Initiatives Association is a community NGO also in Canada that for 25 years has developed programs and training that help people in conflict find good resolutions.
Sep 04, 2012 Human Rights, Court, Government, Support, Video Review, Policy, Region: North America and Caribbean, Country:Canada, Politics, Conceptual
In sentencing criminals, is Norway too soft? Or are we too harsh?
from the article by Liliana Segura in The Nation responding to this article:
....“Western Europeans regard 10 or 12 years as an extremely long term, even for offenders sentenced in theory to life,” he said.
Today, there are more than 41,000 people serving life without parole in the United States compared to fifty-nine in Australia, forty-one in England and thirty-seven in the Netherlands. That’s according to a study released this spring, which found that we are “in the minority of countries using several sentencing practices, such as life without parole, consecutive sentences, juvenile life without parole, juvenile transfer to adult courts, and successive prosecution of the same defendant by the state and federal government.”
Aug 31, 2012 Definition, Country:Norway, Region: North America and Caribbean, Distinguishing, Case:Violence, Region: Europe, Case:Homicide, Country:USA, Theory
BC gang activity wilting under police heat
from the article by Robert Freeman in the Chilliwak Progress:
Gang activity in B.C. has wilted under the heat of Lower Mainland police forces, including the Chilliwack RCMP, says UFV criminologist Darryl Plecas.
While the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit has put a “significant dent” in gang leadership, according to CFSEU spokesman Sgt. Bill Whelan, Plecas said “proactive” policing by municipal police forces like those in Chilliwack, Abbotsford and West Vancouver has given new recruits second thoughts about the gang lifestyle.
Aug 29, 2012 Country:Canada, Diversion, Police, Gang, Region: North America and Caribbean
Restorative justice for veterans: The San Francisco Sheriff 's Department's Community of Veterans Engaged in Restoration (COVER)
from the article by Sunny Schwartz and Leslie Levitas:
....Veterans represent a rapidly growing segment of the jail population whose characteristics mirror those of the general jail population and include histories of substance abuse, inconsistent work histories and challenges related to maintaining family relationships.
Like most prisoners, they receive few services while incarcerated to address the myriad of health, mental health, and psychosocial issues that contribute to their incarceration and pose challenges upon release. The military discharge status of most justice-involved vets—less than honorable—makes them ineligible for many of the benefits and services offered by the Veterans Administration (VA).
Aug 22, 2012 Offender, Reform, Community, Other, Case:Violence, Region: North America and Caribbean, Prison, Country:USA
