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  • By Forgiving Warrants and Fines, Communities Give People a Fresh Start

    April 09, 2019 |

    Yes! Magazine |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

    Stand With Dignity, a grassroots, community organizing group in New Orleans, has coordinated warrant clinics for those driving with suspended licenses. These clinics have forgiven $2 million worth of traffic fines and reinstated licenses for hundreds of individuals, in the hopes of breaking the cycle of unpaid fines, which is often a driver of unemployment and poverty.

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  • SEPTA quietly decriminalizes jumping turnstiles, lowers fines

    April 03, 2019 |

    WHYY |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania’s Transit Authority, SEPTA, has decriminalized fare evasion, with those who are caught facing a $25 fine. This is down from the prior $300 tickets that were issued in the past. The move toward decriminalization is part of a larger shift in the region for the criminal justice system to be less punitive and more rehabilitative, focusing more on addressing root causes of behavior.

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  • Native justice: How tribal values shape Judge Abby's court

    March 27, 2019 |

    The Christian Science Monitor |

    Multi-Media |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: Yurok Reservation, United States, Klamath, California

    Across the country, tribal courts are seeking to break the cycle of recidivism and instead focus their efforts on rehabilitation and community. Judge Abinanti’s Yurok Tribal Court in California applies traditional Yurok values – responsibility, renewal, and restorative justice – in a way that builds compassion and addresses the deep trauma held by the people entering her court.

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  • For Red Hook, Justice Center is Much More than a Court

    March 26, 2019 |

    Bklynr |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    The Red Hook Community Justice Center is a community center that also functions as a court hearing family, housing, and criminal cases. Defendants get on-site social services, like support groups and counseling, with an approach called procedural justice: cultivating public respect for the system by giving people a voice in it and by showing respect and transparency. A 2016 survey found 80% of local residents held positive feelings about the court, which was founded in 2000. People in the neighborhood can use the center's services even if they are not in a court case.

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  • New York City's Bail Success Story

    March 14, 2019 |

    The Marshall Project |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    Around the country, states like California, New Jersey, and Maryland are implementing legislation that eliminates the cash bail system. While this is one way of addressing that system’s growing unpopularity, New York City has recognized a different approach. By taking advantage of a growing cultural shift in how individuals think about bail, jail time, and criminal justice reform at large, the city has seen an organic decrease in the use of cash bail within courtrooms and judges’ decisions.

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  • A different kind of court: How a Miami judge pioneered a new way of handling minor human trafficking cases

    March 07, 2019 |

    The Montgomery Advertiser |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Miami, Florida

    Human trafficking has become an increasingly prevalent problem, especially in states such as Florida that host a large tourist population. To better serve the victims, Miami-Dade County has created a trauma-focused court that directs adolescents to support services rather than prostitution charges.

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  • ‘Scrap it, start fresh, and think:' What Milwaukee can learn from New York City on housing young offenders

    March 06, 2019 |

    Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    As Wisconsin’s Milwaukee County seeks to transform how it handles young offenders, it looks to New York City as a model for change. In New York, the city has shifted its focus from large, state-run facilities to community-based programs and secured, residential homes. Milwaukee County weighs the lessons learned from this initiative and seeks to re-evaluate the services and long-term effects of its criminal justice programming.

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  • How Tech Helped San Francisco Clear 9,300 Marijuana Convictions

    February 26, 2019 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

    Using an algorithm designed by Code for America, the city of San Francisco has been able to identify and start the process of expunging almost 10,000 marijuana-related convictions. While the initiative has faced some opposition, the city’s District Attorney asserts that convicted individuals should be given dignity and respect by not have to carry the weight of crime for something that’s no longer illegal.

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  • What Colorado can learn from “red flag” gun laws in other states as lawmakers debate passing their own version

    February 25, 2019 |

    The Denver Post |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

    Around the country, a dozen states have passed “red flag” gun laws. These laws allow officials to temporarily take away legally owned guns from individuals who are deemed either at-risk of suicide, or a danger to others. Colorado is the most recent state to introduce a similar law to legislation, and if passed would allow law enforcement to initially seize guns for 14 days while a judge hears the case.

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  • Special Courts for Veterans Languish

    February 19, 2019 |

    The Marshall Project |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

    Veterans treatment courts were developed in 2008 as a way for veterans to receive mental health counseling and substance abuse treatment rather than face incarceration. Created to address the mental health concerns that can lead to drug abuse and other issues, the courts have not seen the successes that were originally anticipated. Due to little demand, inconvenient locations, and mixed results, experts are calling into question the existence of such specialized courts.

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