One of the most confounding recent trends in the criminal justice system is the disproportional increase in incarceration in rural areas. The main motivating factors of this trend have yet to be uncovered in their totality. This page seeks to explore the potential driving forces behind this pattern, along with highlighting the rural counties which are fighting this concerning, recent trend.
“Now more than ever, urban and rural communities must come together to solve problems in and across our communities. Bentley and Hower prove we can do it. Join this movement for local action and national unity. We all have a role in shaping the country we wish to live in.“
Philadelphia Inquirer
November 21, 2019
Read More“The scale of the installation, called “Voices from the Heartland: Safety, Justice, and Community in Small and Rural America,” is ambitious and its components intricately detailed. But perhaps most striking is Krimes’s use of artwork and stories from incarcerated people themselves.“
The Marshall Project
September 20, 2019
Read More“The various government agencies involved in the justice system collect a lot of critical data, but it is not designed to help policymakers or the public understand what’s going on. As public support for criminal justice reform continues to build, however, it’s more important than ever that we get the facts straight and understand the big picture.“
Prison Policy Initiative
March 19, 2019
Read More“As one jail administrator said, the reality in the Kentucky coalfields today is that “state prisoners keep the lights on,” at least when it comes to county jails. The money that the state pays out for locking up state prisoners in local jails has supplanted the role of coal as a revenue source for county budgets.“
Vera Institute
March 4, 2019
Read More“‘The research is very clear: There's no increased risk to children on Halloween,’ says Sandy Rozek, communications director for the National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws. ‘Virtually all sexual offenses against children are committed by those in their lives, those they already know or are close to—often family members, peers, and authority figures’.“
Reason Magazine
October 22, 2018
Read More“Corey Wayne Dean and Zepplin Lee Kennedy escaped the Marion County Jail in Hamilton, Ala., near the Mississippi line, around 1:30 a.m. on March 17, touching off a two-week manhunt. Jail escapes don't happen every day - but they aren't as rare as you might think. An analysis of court records found 45 in 2017.“
Birmingham News
October 9, 2018
Read More"To try and address these issues of overcrowding, the Population Review Team meets once a week to review the county’s jail cases to find ways to reduce bail, alter criminal offenses and, in some cases, eliminate or reduce jail time completely."
The Crime Report
September 5, 2018
Read More"Each dot represents one of the 1,942,600 people in state prisons and jails in the U.S. The Smart Justice 50-State Blueprints show how each state can cut the number of people behind bars by half."
ACLU
September 5, 2018
Read More"With more than two million Americans behind prison and jail bars on any given day, many state leaders have been struggling with how to reduce that total while maintaining public safety. The Urban Institute released on Wednesday a new tool allowing users to project prison populations state-by-state by experimenting with different variables."
The Crime Report
September 5, 2018
Read More"I’m not sure what to make of the fact that Blackwell got more money than the families of Bauer and Hebert, one of whom was severely injured and one of whom is dead. But it’s just as telling that the police chief who tried to change the culture in Cincinnati got fired, while cops who seemingly kill and maim city residents without cause seem to get promoted."
Washington Post
August 28, 2018
Read More"Between 2000 and 2017, the Rhode Island General Assembly created more than 170 new crimes and enhanced penalties that expand the number of felonies. This represents a continuation of a retrograde “tough on crime” mentality. The fact is that while Rhode Island brags about leading the way to lowering the prison population, the state uses probation as a mechanism to surveil, stigmatize, and marginalize whole communities."
Providence Journal
August 24, 2018
Read More"In 2005, Tompkins began a program called the CHOICE program where officers were sent into schools to talk to kids about criminality, bullying, and making wise choices. The program was created in the hopes of interrupting the cycle of people going into the Department of Youth Services, then graduating to a high form of penal incarceration. He also helps rehabilitate a select group of inmates by offering them services to get an education/succeed in a vocational career."
Now This News
August 21, 2018
Read More"Last year, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance analyzed the impact of closing any one of three prisons in that corner of the state. It found that if one were to close, not only would 400 or more prison employees be out of work, but more than 100 other jobs, like those at restaurants frequented by staff and visitors, would disappear, sapping tens of millions of dollars from the regional economy."
Philadelphia Inquirer
June 7, 2018
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