Civil Society Issues — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Civil Society Issues

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.

It’s hard to land a bank job if you have a record. But JPMorgan Chase tells people in Chicago with criminal records: ‘We’re hiring.’

“The nation’s largest bank by deposits has partnered with several Chicago nonprofits to mentor, train and recruit applicants who might otherwise not have considered banking because they thought their criminal records would preclude them from working at financial institutions. Since launching the pilot a month ago, Chase said it has made nine offers for positions such as associate bankers, personal bankers and remittance processors. The recruits tended to have records for drug possession or driving under the influence.“

Chicago Tribune

October 21, 2019

Employment, Civil Society SolutionsPhillip ReevesOctober 21, 2019Chicago Tribune, JPMorgan Chase, ChicagoComment

Reforming the criminal justice system

The Church, Mass IncarcerationAnthony BradleyOctober 17, 2019Harvard Gazette, Ebenezer Baptist ChurchComment

Project Reset: Avoiding prosecution of minor offenses through art

“A new partnership between the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office and the Brooklyn Museum will allow those arrested for certain minor offenses to avoid prosecution through art. District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced the launch of Project Reset, a diversion program that holds people accountable for minor crimes without prosecuting them. He said a pilot program that launched in 2015 proved to be more effective than traditional prosecution.“

ABC 7 New York

October 2, 2019

Civil Society SolutionsPhillip ReevesOctober 2, 2019ABC 7 New York, Brooklyn, New York CityComment

Elections Could Expand Voting Rights This Fall. They Will Take Place in an “Intolerable Condition.”

“All three states have exceptionally harsh disenfranchisement laws. Kentucky and Virginia laws provide for a lifetime voting ban on anyone convicted of a felony; Mississippi imposes a lifetime ban for a long list of offenses, which range from perjury and theft to murder. Although Virginia law is as harsh as Kentucky’s, in practice voting rights have been considerably more expansive there since 2016.“

The Appeal Political Report

September 26, 2019

Felon DisenfranchisementPhillip ReevesSeptember 26, 2019The Appeal Political Report, Virginia, Kentucky, MississippiComment

It's Time to Change the Way the Media Covers Crime

“But we journalists have also helped drive decades of harsh criminal justice policy. In the American media, coverage of violent crime rose sharply just as the rate of violent crime actually began to fall. From 1990 to 1992, the evening broadcasts of the three major networks averaged fewer than 100 murder stories each year. By 1999, they were broadcasting an average of 511 murder stories per year, although the murder rate plummeted 40 percent during the 1990s.”

The Marshall Project

May 31, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesSeptember 23, 2019The Marshall ProjectComment

What's The Story? Criminal Justice and Sports

““What’s the Story?” is a monthly speaker series hosted by The Marshall Project, featuring prominent Americans as they explore how to create and disrupt narratives around criminal justice. This series will feature a conversation with Maya Moore, Michael Rubin and Clinton Yates, moderated by Carroll Bogert, President of The Marshall Project.“

The Marshall Project

September 17, 2019

Phillip ReevesSeptember 17, 2019The Marshall Project, Sports, Maya Moore, Michael Rubin, Clinton YatesComment

Kurt Evans Is Cooking to End Mass Incarceration

“Learning from and underscoring the brilliance of cooks like his grandmother inspires him when creating menus for his EMI dinners. Evans has hosted over 25 dinners, featuring dishes like piri piri prawns and roasted cauliflower and fonio salad, alongside a "chi chi," or a "correctional cake,” a microwaved cake made from commissary ingredients like M&M’s, Oreo cream filling, and mayonnaise, which acts a binder. Evans hopes to show diners the creative depth and ingenuity of incarcerated people, through the lens of cooking. The intent is not to objectify, but rather to illustrate the nuanced reality of the prison experience. “These people are really passionate and resilient," he says.“

Food & Wine

September 13, 2019

Civil Society Solutions, EmploymentPhillip ReevesSeptember 13, 2019Drive Change, Kurt Evans, New York City, Philadelphia, Food and WineComment

Using Plants to Combat Prison Recidivism

“The results and information gathered support the notion that horticultural activities can play an important role in influencing an offender’s successful reentry into society. The researchers found that individuals who engaged in horticultural programs demonstrated the lowest rate of recidivism over all other categories of released inmates.“

Sci-tech Daily

September 8, 2019

Civil Society SolutionsAnthony BradleySeptember 8, 2019Sci-tech Dailiy, HorticultureComment

A Producer's Notebook: The story behind 'Justice For All'

“It was the middle of the night, and I was staring at the chipped ceiling of my dimly lit cell inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola. It was hot, and loud, especially when a flushing toilet echoed down the hallway … or when one of the men on the tier would scream out in the darkness. Thoughts were circling my mind.“

NBC Dateline

September 6, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesSeptember 6, 2019NBC Dateline, Justice for AllComment

In Prison, and Fighting to Vote

“Still, it’s taken a while for even post-incarceration enfranchisement to get on liberal legislators’ agendas, Marc Mauer, the executive director of the Sentencing Project, told me. That’s gradually changing. In 2019 alone, state lawmakers introduced proposals in at least 16 states and Washington, D.C., to expand, study, or facilitate voting for people with felony convictions. In some places, this would apply to people still in prison.“

The Atlantic

September 6, 2019

Felon DisenfranchisementPhillip ReevesSeptember 6, 2019The AtlanticComment

In his fight for prison reform, Pusha T spotlights the 'domino effect' of mass incarceration

“"We never speak in terms of fathers, grandfathers, grandmothers, mothers," the rapper said. "We never speak in a family sense and I think everyone seems more focused on stats and numbers. If people just thought about it and spoke about it more in a family sense maybe the sensitivity and the compassion would come back to the issue."“

ABC News

September 4, 2019

Civil Society Solutions, Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesSeptember 4, 2019ABC News, Pusha TComment

Lester Holt Slept in a Maximum-Security Prison for His Upcoming Dateline Special

““The important thing for me was that we didn’t go as some kind of a gimmick, that this would be a reporting device,” Holt tells PEOPLE. “We tried to be as unobtrusive with the cameras as possible, which allowed me to have organic conversations with people. I think we built a level of trust with those we spoke with.”“

People Magazine

September 4, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesSeptember 4, 2019People Magazine, Lester Holt, Dateline, Angola PrisonComment

Assuming Guilt While Reporting on Mass Arrests

“The headlines and ledes of these reports leave no doubt that those accused were guilty. How, one might ask, would these media outlets know all 355 people arrested were “violent criminals” before they’ve had a trial, much less been convicted of anything? Only 41 of the arrests disclosed by prosecutors were for violent offenses (22 for assault, eight for homicide, six for sexual offenses, four for sexual assault, and one for arson). The rest are either unknown or for drugs, burglary, failure to register as a sex offender, or weapons possession.“

The Appeal

September 3, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesSeptember 3, 2019The AppealComment

Oakland's Restorative-Justice Hub Wants to Redefine Public Safety

“For years, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a local nonprofit focused on community-building and reducing incarceration, and the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC United), which fights for fair wages for restaurant workers, collaborated to develop the concept for Restore Oakland, a nonprofit hub and community center. In a 20,000-square-foot building catty-corner from the Fruitvale BART station,Restore Oakland will house local organizations and provide job training and housing assistance“

City Hub

August 23, 2019

Civil Society SolutionsPhillip ReevesAugust 23, 2019City Hub, Oakland, Restorative JusticeComment

In America, art is helping prisoners adapt to life outside

“Art “makes you come to your own realisation,” observes Kirn Kim. “It’s not about someone telling you what to think. It opens up different parts of your brain.” As a juvenile, he was convicted for aiding and abetting a murder and served 20 years. He took part in the workshop two years after he got out, while “really struggling” in an Asian-American culture in which he felt shamed. Deciding what to draw helped him see that he no longer had to hide, he says. The image on his new id shows him holding a microphone and addressing a prison yard—a version of the community organiser that, at 43, he has now become.“

The Economist

August 22, 2019

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesAugust 22, 2019The EconomistComment

Ebenezer Baptist’s pastor says ministers shouldn’t stay silent on issues of race

“The Rev. Raphael G. Warnock has had a busy couple of weeks. After co-hosting and delivering the opening sermon at a conference on ending mass incarceration in the United States, he was off to the American Baptist Churches USA Biennial Mission Summit in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he led two workshops on the same topic. And less than 24 hours later, he was back at Ebenezer to preach his weekend services and for the 45th annual scholarship concert honoring the memory of the late Alberta Christine Williams King.“

Atlanta Journal Constitution

July 28, 2019

The ChurchPhillip ReevesJuly 28, 2019Atlanta Journal Constitution, Atlanta, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Raphael WarnockComment

How Orange Is The New Black Plans to Aid Criminal Justice Reform Offscreen

“Said series creator Jenji Kohan, ‘Through the Poussey Washington Fund, our characters can live on and continue to make an impact after the show has come to an end. Taystee recognized an opportunity to make a difference for her fellow inmates, and we saw no reason why we couldn’t launch our own initiative to have an effect in the real world’.“

Vanity Fair

July 26, 2019

Civil Society SolutionsPhillip ReevesJuly 26, 2019Vanity Fair, Orange is the New Black, Poussey Washington FundComment

Atlanta nonprofit to spearhead criminal justice push

“Now the state will serve as a hub, pushing criminal justice issues nationwide with a newly formed nonprofit based in Atlanta. Members hail from across the political landscape. Its advisory board includes prominent Democrats, such as former California Gov. Jerry Brown and ex-Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, and Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky.“

Atlanta Journal Constitution

July 23, 2019

Civil Society SolutionsPhillip ReevesJuly 23, 2019Atlanta Journal Constitution, Atlanta, Council on Criminal JusticeComment

Group helps felons restore their voting rights

““Caldwell said if you were convicted of a felony after 1981 you lost your voting rights, but can be eligible to restore them after serving your sentence. To restore your voting rights you can either get an expungement or apply for a certificate of restoration. To do that you can't have any outstanding court costs, restitution and, what advocates say is sometimes someone's biggest barrier, back child support."

WMC 5 Memphis

July 17, 2019

Felon DisenfranchisementPhillip ReevesJuly 17, 2019WMC 5 Memphis, Memphis, TennesseeComment

Everyone at this new advertising agency has served time in prison

“The original idea for ConCreates came to Bragg while serving time. While in prison, ConCreates contributor Joe Nickson consulted with MeUndies cofounder Jonathan Shokrian on a few campaigns. ‘We were able to give that founder some ideas that took his company from doing $50,000 in sales a month to $934,000 with only two campaigns,’ says Bragg. ‘That was the birth of ConCreates’.“

Fast Company

July 17, 2019

EmploymentPhillip ReevesJuly 17, 2019Fast Company, ConCreatesComment