Articles & Resources
“Sunshine is the best disinfectant.”
We need an oversight committee, Getting quality health care can be hard enough for everyday people. But for the more than 49,000 people in Illinois prisons, that process can be even tougher. Two years ago, [...]
prisons not treatment
The prison systems in the US and UK have replaced psychiatric hospitals as the place where people suffering from severe mental illness are most likely to find themselves. http://www.counterpunch.org/2017/04/24/treating-mental-health-patients-as-criminals/
Mass Incarceration in the Trump Era
This is a copy of a recent article on prisons today: In 2015, the National Lawyers Guild adopted a resolution calling for the dismantling and abolition of all prisons. As an organization, we recognized mass incarceration in [...]
Nelson Mandela Rules
The revised United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, named the Nelson Mandela Rules, were adopted unanimously in December 2015 by the UN General Assembly and set out the minimumstandards for good [...]
Prisoners aren’t all psychopaths
"But what is needed is more transparency, not less. The general public needs to understand what happens inside prisons – the good, the bad and the ugly – and to open a genuine dialogue around [...]
IT IS TIME TO STOP WASTING MINDS
Officials at the highest-security federal prison in America have taken steps to address mental- health issues among the prison's inmates, following a lawsuit that accuses the government of indifference. Now time for states to file [...]
Wisconsin: Cutting state prison population in half worth considering
At one level, this probably sounds absurd. A group of faith communities from around the state is revving up a campaign to cut the Wisconsin prison population in half by 2015. That would mean reducing the current [...]
Electronic Home Detention
The law in Illinois provides for electronic home monitoring of non violent offenders. Currently it is not being implemented by the state. It would save the Illinois taxpayers $175,000,000.00 annually, but that is not the [...]
Turn on the Lights, Now!
Louis D. Brandeis Quotes. "Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman." "Whatever limitations the PLRA [...]
The Ways We Fail Those With Mental Illness – NY Times Op-Ed Responses
Read below and see online for 2 responses to the NYT article No Quick Fix for Mental Illness,” by Norman J. Ornstein (Op-Ed, March 7) To the Editor: Once again devoted parents with resources are unable [...]
OVERSIGHT! ACCOUNTABILITY! TRANSPARENCY!
OVERSIGHT! ACCOUNTABILITY! TRANSPARENCY! Insane but sadly true, as this is our reality in the South and its getting worse by the second! Our news casters joke about this while reporting -but this is NO laughing [...]
(64) PLEASE SHARE – JNP
(64) PLEASE SHARE - JNP. Our goal is to contribute to a paradigm shift from viewing the inmate population as less than human and mentally deranged to human beings deserving of humane treatment
every person in prison is not guilty of a crime
July 13, 2012292 EXONERATEDMadeleine,I’m writing to let you know about important news from Washington that I know you’ll be excited to hear. Yesterday, lawmakers in both houses of Congress introduced legislation that will help prevent wrongful convictions [...]
How Many Americans are Unnecessarily Incarcerated
In a report from the Brennan Center for Justice, December, 2016 “Nearly 40 percent of the U.S. prison population — 576,000 people — are behind bars with no compelling public safety reason This report finds [...]
Quality vs Quanity
Metal on metal, the sound reverberating through the brain; the very sound frightening.What next for those locked away for an indeterminate time?Guards who resemble archetype 20th century SS officers more than 21st century enlightened correctional [...]
Mental Illness and Criminal Justice is a worldwide problem
Jim Simpson, a senior advocate at the NSW Council for Intellectual Disability, said prisons were "being used to warehouse people" who needed disability support services "to lead a decent life".http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/mental-illness-and-cognitive-disability-the-norm-among-prisoners-report-20170810-gxtf9y.html
Incarceration to What End?
Incarceration to What Ends
Non- Violent vs Sex Sex Offenders
Re: The Non- Violent First Time offenders vs. Sex Offenders for the EHM.IDOC releases sex offenders on EHM on regular basis.However IDOC refuses to adhere to the current EHM laws that relate to first time [...]
People with Mental Illnesses in the Criminal Justice System: The Problem, The Causes and the Solutions
The Problem Our prisons and jails are filled with people with mental illnesses. There are at least 8,000 people with mental illnesses in prisons operated by the Illinois Department of Corrections. There are at [...]
Justice not Politics!
Judges, Prosecutors, and Defense Attorneys are rarely held accountable for misconduct even when it is proven that their actions have been responsible for wrongful convictions. As a result, the families and individuals irreparably harmed by [...]
Non Violent vs. Sex Offenders
Re: the EHM for non- violent crimes being released on the EHM devices has been delayed once again due to IDOC lack of having a program in place for law that has been on the [...]
Locking Kids Up, Bad Idea – Washington Post
http://t.co/FIWErQe9xd Washington Post (blog) Throwing children in prison turns out to be a really bad idea Washington Post (blog) The kids who were, in fact, incarcerated were 13 percentage points less likely to graduate high [...]
Criminal Justice For the Mentally Ill
Criminalization of Mental Illness Ought to be a Crime A lack of mental health treatment options is a major contributing factor in the mass incarceration of people with mental illness in Massachusetts and across [...]
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