Many issues that are primary drivers of mass incarceration cannot be remedied through government solutions alone. Issues such as broken families and mental health, both forever altered by over criminalization, cannot be simply be repaired through legislation. Civil Society has the unique capability to address certain social issues that government cannot, or to address them more effectively than government can. This section also addresses issues in which over-policing attempts to fix issues that should be handled through the community.
"Being stuck in jail, even for a few days, can have a devastating effect on someone's ability to keep their job, pay rent, or care for their children. And it can be an incentive to just plead guilty — which will often result in immediate release."
The Oregonian
June 13, 2018
Read More"More than 130 organizations from across the country are partnering with Prison Fellowship for the community walk. It’s scheduled to include a prayer walk, personal “second chance” stories, and a re-entry job fair at the D.C. Dream Center, a community center in Washington, D.C., that offers employment counseling and networking for families affected by incarceration."
Daily Signal
April 7, 2018
Read More"Pettus-Davis has devoted most of her career to improving the lives of ex-prisoners, and her latest project is arguably the most significant. In 2018, she will lead a major research initiative, funded by a $1 million grant from the Charles Koch Foundation, to identify the most effective re-entry services for reducing recidivism."
Charles Koch Foundation
January 29, 2018
Read More"Most theories for the great crime decline that swept across nearly every major American city over the last 25 years have focused on the would-be criminals....But none of these explanations have paid much attention to the communities where violence plummeted the most. New research suggests that people there were working hard, with little credit, to address the problem themselves."
The New York Times
November 9, 2017
Read More"Education for me has been the biggest balancer to offset my criminal convictions. Education broadens horizons, tears down fences, and leads to career building. It has helped me build my personal and professional support network."
The Sentencing Project
July 26, 2017
Read More"The programs we met with can serve as examples of innovative, results- and technology-driven approaches to reducing recidivism."
American Enterprise Institute
July 5, 2016
Read More"Children of Inmates, an organization dedicated to bringing incarcerated families together, facilitates these unusual visits on a quarterly basis, where parents can directly interact with their children, with volunteers instructing them to get into full “mommy” or “daddy” mode...."
TIME
May 17, 2016
Read More"The trip, free of charge, was made possible by local philanthropy but also, in a way, by the power of a radio program — “Calls From Home”— that airs once a week on a tiny Kentucky radio station, WMMT....“Calls From Home,” offers prisoners’ relatives the chance to call in and record greetings that are then played from 9 to 10 p.m. on Mondays. Inmates can listen on Mp3 players that are sold at the prison commissary."
The Marshall Project
March 13, 2016
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