A wide-ranging collection of news and opinion from the previous week focusing on criminal justice policy, advocacy, and reform.
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NYC jails grapple with housing for [incarcerated individuals]
New York City jails have drastically reduced the number of [justice-involved individuals] in solitary confinement. But problems remain with the way some of the [justice-involved individuals most in need of supervision] are housed.
[Executive Vice President of the Fortune Society, Stanley Richards] said examining this sort of housing was important because city officials have said that in order to shut down the Rikers complex, the city’s total [incarcerated] population of some 9,000 would need to be significantly reduced.
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City and state officials should take immediate action on Rikers
The idea of closing the 10 jails on Rikers Island has widespread popular support, with a large number of community groups and everyday New Yorkers in favor of the plan. Several New York City Council members have said they would welcome new jails in their neighborhoods if that’s what it took to get “torture island” shut down.
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De Blasio’s executive budget proposal will include capital funds for jail construction
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s executive financial plan will include $1.1 billion in capital funding towards the construction of new jail facilities, the first step in a long list of goals the administration must meet in order to reach its promise to close the Rikers Island jail. But despite the financial allocation, the money is not specifically earmarked towards a particular facility or slated to go towards any clear jail replacement option. Instead, the money will be set aside to study possible designs, construction or the feasibility of siting a new facility, either on or off the island.
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Just another week in hell
In San Jose, California, three jail guards stood trial this week, charged with beating an [incarcerated individual] to death. In northeast Arkansas, two supervisors at a [young adult incarceration facility] pleaded guilty to conspiring to pepper-spray [young adults] without cause. And in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, an inquest revealed that jail guards cut off water to an [incarcerated individual’s] cell seven days before he died of dehydration. The dehumanizing conditions in many [prisons and jails] has received considerable coverage.
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Prison officials resist push to curb solitary confinement
State lawmakers across the U.S. are facing resistance as they move to curtail the use of solitary confinement in prisons, showing how hard it is to legislate changes in the nation’s chronically understaffed prison system. In Rhode Island, a push for legislation to limit the use of solitary confinement faced opposition from the state’s corrections department, which objected to the creation of explicit laws that would manage the practice.
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Parents of [incarcerated young adults] find comfort at monthly meetings
The parents of high-school-age [justice-involved individuals] on Rikers Island can’t call their children to see how they’re doing. And sometimes the incarcerated teens won’t call their parents. “There was a time when my daughter was mad at me,” said Melissa, who asked not to use her real name. “And I wish I could have called someone at jail to find out about my daughter.”
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The story of Ronald Freedom
My friend Ronald Franklin had finally been released. Incarcerated since he was 13, and now, at 20, he was free. When he was finally released, there were rough restarts for Ronald. You simply don’t spend all your teenage years incarcerated and walk out with the skills you need to survive in any institution, even college. Florida detention and DOC [Department of Corrections] is far from perfect in helping kids gain skills, and returning to the same neighborhood presented problems.
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
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Breaking the cycle of generational incarceration
It’s been a little more than 30 years since I handed my first foster child, Nate, back to her mother. Nate (pronounced NAT-tay) was about 15 months old when I took her in. Like any toddler, she was adorable, bubbly and curious. But there was a big difference with Nate. It wasn’t the way she looked, or the way she acted. It was where she spent much of those first two years of her life: In a prison nursery.
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How I became an entrepreneur after serving a four-year prison term
I spent a year at Rikers Island before moving to a prison upstate. I had a lot of time to sit with myself and get my life together, starting with my health and fitness. And, when I got out, I founded ConBody, a venture-backed “prison-style” fitness boot camp based on the same corner where I used to deal. We are now on ClassPass, have a large, sometimes-elite following (past clients include Google executives and Larry David), and are opening a second location at Saks Fifth Avenue, ConBody Midtown, where we’ll also sell apparel. As you can imagine, it’s been a hell of a journey for me to get to this point. Here’s what I’ve learned along the way.