The staff at Reentry Central wishes all of our readers a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. We are thankful for your support, which has allowed us to become the largest nongovernmental repository of information on criminal justice reform and reentry. We are proud that our readers are among the most influential leaders in the movement to put “justice” back into the criminal justice system.
The past year has seen the implementation of several new programs, and the passage of new laws, all designed to end mass incarceration and recidivism in America. Reentry Central is grateful to our readers who are addressing key issues that are conducive to successful reentry and in offering alternatives to incarceration:
Providing treatment, instead of prison, for those with a mental illness
Re-examining hastily enacted, and poorly thought-out, laws that prevent those convicted of a sex crime from becoming productive members of society
Working with state Department of Corrections’ to create programs that train inmates for jobs that will allow them to find employment when released
Bringing post-secondary education back into prisons
Working to develop gender-specific programs for female inmates
Helping to keep incarcerated mothers and their newborn children together through prison-based nurseries, and connecting incarcerated parents with their children through parenting programs
Advocating for methadone-based drug treatment programs for those diagnosed with an opiate addiction upon entry to prison
Supporting special courts for veterans, substance abusers, women, and those with a mental illness
Creating reentry initiatives that provide reentering citizens with support and resources
Visiting prisoners to let them know that they are not forgotten, and are not defined by the crime of which they were convicted
Employing those with a criminal history, thereby giving them the opportunity to become productive, tax paying citizens
Providing safe, stable, and affordable housing for those making the transition from prison to the community
Speaking out to legislators about being “smart on crime”
Proposing alternatives to incarceration
Revamping the juvenile justice system so that young people are not saddled with criminal records, but are provided with support services, and making juvenile detention centers safer and a last resort, rather than the only option
Helping to abolish the death penalty, and three-strikes laws that can incarcerate a person for life for a petty crime
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