Social and Economic Issues — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Social and Economic Issues

Overcriminalization significantly undermines human flourishing and social well-being by harming the family, social networks, and social citizenship. Additionally, it prevents capable men and women from utilizing their creative capacities in the marketplace. This creates vast issues involving relations with family while incarcerated and reintegration into society after release. On the economic side, draconian cash bail systems undermine justice through basing someone's ability to attain pre-trial release upon their wealth, not their actual threat to society.

How Far Can Cities Go to Police the Homeless? Boise Tests the Limit

“The suit arose when a half-dozen homeless people claimed that local rules prohibiting camping on public property violated the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment. The plaintiffs prevailed at the appellate level last year, putting the city at the center of a national debate on how to tackle homelessness. Now Boise — after hiring a powerhouse legal team that includes Theodore B. Olson and Theane Evangelis of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher — has asked the Supreme Court to take the case, a decision that could come within days.“

New York Times

December 3, 2019

Criminalizing PovertyPhillip ReevesDecember 3, 2019New York Times, Boise, IdahoComment

What Happens When Prison 'Lifers' Get a Chance at Healing and Redemption?

“When Cruz was just 4 or 5, his father was murdered, leaving his mother to raise him and his three sisters. With few outlets to help him cope with his trauma, Cruz said he channeled his pain and anger into the “criminal gang mentality.” Gangs provided a semblance of camaraderie and social support, and they dealt with issues using violence, a language fluent to Cruz. When Cruz wanted something, he was taught to take it. He admitted he was irresponsible, impulsive, and selfish—not exactly unusual behavior for a teenager. But in his neighborhood, it happened to be much easier to get a gun than it was to get help.“

The Appeal

December 3, 2019

Re-entry, PersonalismPhillip ReevesDecember 3, 2019The Appeal, Restorative JusticeComment

The Laws of Forgiveness

“It can, for example, remove the disincentive on health professionals to apologize in the context of potential malpractice, by saying, “Look, anything you say is not going to be admitted into a malpractice case.” That’s not pressing the victim to forgive. It’s just making space. Another way in which the law can make space is by having restorative-justice conversations, so the victims and perpetrators can talk to each other and hear about what happened.“

The New Yorker

November 18, 2019

PersonalismPhillip ReevesNovember 18, 2019The New Yorker, When Should Law Forgive, Martha MinowComment

What I Think About When I Think About Freedom

“Doing time becomes so much harder when you know you are ready to go but are unable to leave. When I am not writing, I am mostly stuck in my head. Soul-crushing depression is a constant blow from within. The outer blows are the aerial assault-like noises in this place: Guards barking over the PA, men yelling up and down the tier, keys jingling, walkie talkies crackling, gates slamming. Your brain automatically tells you what’s to come next. A guard’s round, a cell search, chow run, med run, count clear. Anxiety squeezes my belly.“

The Marshall Project

November 13, 2019

PersonalismPhillip ReevesNovember 13, 2019The Marshall Project, John J LennonComment

How To Give Incarcerated People A Real Second Chance

“Completing a postsecondary degree or credential while incarcerated can have a major impact on a person’s trajectory post-release. Research has already shown those who participate in postsecondary programs have a lower rate of recidivism. Other studies have found that correctional education improved the chances of finding employment by 13%.“

Forbes

November 8, 2019

Employment, Re-entryPhillip ReevesNovember 8, 2019ForbesComment

Why I changed my mind on having second chances at life after prison

““I am no specialist on criminal justice, and my own instincts, based partly on close personal connections to several murder victims over the course of my lifetime, lean towards the hard line on matters of violent crime in particular. But something I saw in a high security District of Columbia Correctional Facility nonetheless had a major impact on my outlook.

The Hill

November 5, 2019

Re-entryPhillip ReevesNovember 5, 2019The HillComment

New York State Judges Are Jailing People Who Can't Afford Their Fines

“The Fund for Modern Courts, a nonprofit advocate for reform and improvement in New York’s court system, charges in an April report that the state’s justice courts aren’t considering defendants’ ability to pay fines before jailing them for nonpayment. The report, “Fines and Fees and Jail Time in New York Town and Village Justice Courts: The Unseen Violation of Constitutional and State Law,” concludes that state law needs to be amended so that all courts consider ability to pay when a fine is imposed and again before jailing people for nonpayment.“

The Appeal

October 28, 2019

Criminalizing PovertyPhillip ReevesOctober 28, 2019The Appeal, New YorkComment

'It's not America': 11 million go without a license because of unpaid fines

“Holland wishes it wasn’t like this. He also wishes he could have kept his job as a plumber, where he was making $16 an hour rather than the $11 an hour he makes at Denny’s. That would have required him to drive to jobs, but his driver’s license is suspended because of unpaid fines and fees stemming from multiple traffic and criminal violations. He is one of millions of people across the country whose license has been suspended as a result of unpaid court fines and fees.“

ABC News

October 25, 2019

Criminalizing PovertyPhillip ReevesOctober 25, 2019ABC NewsComment

Millions of Children Lose Their Parents to Incarceration. That Doesn't Have to Happen.

“Today, the number of children separated from their parents totals in the millions. One out of every 28 children has a parent who is incarcerated, and 1 in 4 Black children will have a father who has been incarcerated by the time they turn 14. That’s millions of children not only experiencing the pain and stigma of having a parent behind bars, but also the myriad adverse consequences that come along with it, including financial hardship, health and educational challenges, and often permanent separation from their parents as a result of incarceration.“

The Appeal

October 24, 2019

Parental IncarcerationPhillip ReevesOctober 24, 2019The AppealComment

She gave birth in shackles, won an appeal, but still waits for justice

“Siwatu-Salama Ra knows what injustice feels like. It’s cold, she'll tell you, and heartless. One year after going through labor while shackled to a bed, forced to give birth during her prison sentence, she can still vividly recall police officers passing time on their cellphones as she cried and screamed through unrelenting pain to push life through her body, with no family at her side.“

Detroit Free Press

October 24, 2019

Female IncarcerationPhillip ReevesOctober 24, 2019Detroit, Detroit Free PressComment

Life After Prison for Women Who Served Decades Behind Bars

“Sara Bennett’s first book of photography, “Spirit on the Inside,” doubles as a collection of character evidence. Published in 2013, it portrays women who, years after being released from the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, in New York, still treasure memories of their fellow-inmate Judith Clark, a getaway driver in the Brink’s robbery, in 1981, in Rockland County, which left two police officers and one security guard dead. At the time of the book’s publication, Clark, a former member of the Weather Underground, was serving seventy-five years to life.“

New York Magazine

October 22, 2019

Re-entryPhillip ReevesOctober 22, 2019New York Magazine, Sara Bennett, Spirit on the InsideComment

The Private Sector Weighs In on Pell Grants in Prisons

“Senator Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat, has introduced legislation to overturn the ban, called the REAL Act, which has received support from organizations across the ideological spectrum. In a statement endorsing the legislation, Craig Silliman, executive vice president and chief administrative, legal and public policy officer at Verizon, cited arguments that have made the proposal popular even among conservative groups -- reduced recidivism among degree holders, cost savings for states and greater economic opportunity for students. Silliman also said restoring Pell Grants in prisons matches investments the company has made in support of tech education.“

Inside Higher Ed

October 11, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesOctober 11, 2019Inside Higher Ed, Verizon, Brian Schatz, Pell GrantComment

The Trouble with Reentry: Five Takeaways from Working with People Returning to Chicago from Prison

“Following herein are some of JHA’s real-world observations made in the process of accompanying and, at times, endeavoring to assist people as they attempted to access critical reentry supports, resources and services following their release from prison. These five key takeaways are based on our on the ground experience navigating reentry programs and opportunities with these young men shortly after their release from prison. This list is in no way comprehensive or exhaustive. Rather, it highlights just some of the more immediate, pressing needs and problems that the young men whom JHA met as they left prison experienced during their first few months after leaving prison.”

John Howard Association

October 9, 2019

Re-entryPhillip ReevesOctober 9, 2019John Howard Association, ChicagoComment

Unlikely supporters of ending the death penalty in Pa. and beyond? Prosecutors. | Opinion

“Against this backdrop, elected prosecutors are increasingly speaking out against the death penalty — from State Attorney Aramis Ayala in Orlando to District Attorney Dan Satterberg in Seattle to Larry Krasner in Philadelphia. And while the Pennsylvania Supreme Court failed to embrace this reform, the 28 other states where this penalty remains in place can choose to begin the work of healing their communities by ending one of our nation’s ugliest legacies.“

Philadelphia Inquirer

October 7, 2019

Death RowPhillip ReevesOctober 7, 2019Philadelphia, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania, Larry KrasnerComment

Betsy DeVos backs Prison Fellowship push to increase inmates' access to college education

““Education is the ticket to the future for just about anyone and everyone,” DeVos said. “So we should be embracing these opportunities for brothers and sisters who are behind bars today who will be in our communities and with their families and giving them a means for a purpose … and giving them that kind of opportunity to pursue the next right thing for themselves.”“

The Christian Post

October 2, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesOctober 2, 2019The Christian Post, Betsy DeVos, Prison Fellowship, Pell GrantComment

1 single good encounter with a cop engenders a lot of trust, study finds

“The contemporary crisis of police legitimacy and public distrust poses a dire threat to public safety, and experts have called for increased investment in “community-oriented policing (COP).” This strategy, born in the tumult of the Civil Rights era, is based on a longstanding assumption: positive, non-enforcement interactions between police and the public can help build relationships. But decades and hundreds of millions of dollars later, the hope that a single interaction can help build trust has been little more than a well-intentioned assumption held by the public, politicians, and police“

New Jersey Star-Ledger

September 29, 2019

PersonalismPhillip ReevesSeptember 29, 2019New Jersey Star LedgerComment

Improving New York City's Responses to Individuals in Mental Health Crisis

“This report investigates how New York City responds to individuals experiencing mental health crisis. Examining the flaws in current protocols and the best practices of approaches applied in other cities, it presents a framework for an improved response system that would provide those in crisis with the services that they need and minimize the negative outcomes that are currently far too common.“

New York City Public Advocate

September 25, 2019

Mental HealthPhillip ReevesSeptember 25, 2019New York City, New York City Public AdvocateComment