Posts in Diversion Programs
This Man Says His Anti-violence Plan Would Save 12,000 Lives

“It’s that kind of resolve that inspired one of the architects of the New York grant program, Thomas Abt, to want to teach more cities how to start using—and how to stick with—the best violence-reduction strategies. His thinking breaks from political orthodoxy on both the left and the right: The main reason violence is so persistent in the United States, he believes, isn’t that gun laws are too weak (a common argument among liberals) or that police critics have hamstrung tough street-clearing tactics (an often-stated conservative belief). It’s that not enough cities, whatever their political leanings, are properly using basic strategies that are known to persuade would-be shooters not to acquire guns, and not to use them on one another, in the first place.“

The Atlantic

September 11, 2019

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LMPD chief: Restoring police funding shouldn't come at expense of violence 'interrupters'

“Conrad's defense of the Cure Violence program comes a week after it was revealed that the interrupter hiring practices had not been taking place as spelled out in the city's contract, which mandates no candidates be offered employment ‘without prior consultation with Metro Government and law enforcement,’ and describes an interview panel that includes a police officer. “

Louisville Courier Journal

May 31, 2019

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How cutting food stamps undermines prison reform

“We only exorcise the principalities of mass incarceration by guaranteeing certain public economic trusts such as food, housing, and health care, and by reforming our grossly punitive culture of mandatory minimums and racialized sentencing disparities. An enduringly moral vision for a free society hinges on our will to divert and decrease incarceration, not merely resourcing prisons with programs that allegedly reduce recidivism.“

The Hill

October 4, 2018

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Parole and probation have grown far beyond resources allocated to support them

"On Dec. 31, 2016, the most recent date for which data is available, there were roughly 2.2 million people incarcerated in prisons and jails throughout the U.S. Add that to the 4.5 million people being supervised in the community by a parole or probation agency, and 1 in 38 adults under some form of correctional supervision. Community corrections has turned into an add-on, rather than a relief valve, to the mass incarceration dilemma in the U.S."

WTOP

August 16, 2018

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Reforms are shrinking prisons, now money must go to reentry | Editorial

"To 'reduce re-offending, provide services for crime victims, and save taxpayers money,' the law provides for 70 percent of savings to be reinvested in programs to reduce recidivism and support victims. The other 30 percent of savings goes into Louisiana's general fund. With $12.2 million in savings, $8.5 million should go toward education, reentry programs, drug treatment and other programs to keep ex-inmates from returning to prison."

New Orleans Times-Picayune

July 11, 2018

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