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Prison program cooks up opportunity for inmates

  America likes to play with its food. Chopped, Food Network Star, Cutthroat Kitchen – there is no shortage of entertainment on television when it comes to mixing ingredients and drama together. For the inmates of Folsom Women’s Facility, however, food has an entirely different meaning. It’s not about fun, drama or competition. It’s about

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Athletic Leaders and Sports Coach Prisoners to Success

Victoria Jones is just five feet three inches, but don’t let her diminutive stature fool you — she’s strong enough to take on an entire team of prisoners, and that’s exactly what she does several times a week. Jones is the coach of Sinclair Community College women’s basketball team in Ohio. The college offers classes in seven of

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Correctional Education Crucial to Inmates’ Future Success

RECEIVING EDUCATION AND TRAINING BEHIND BARS CAN HELP PREVENT YOUTH FROM RE-ENTERING THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN THE FUTURE. America’s prison population began to spike in 1975. But why? Prior to that time, the incarceration rate was pretty level. Since the late 70s, though, prisons have become more packed each year. Longer sentences and expanded enforcement and

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Folsom Prison Programs Improve Lives Inside and Outside its Walls

By Christopher Zoukis Johnny Cash may have talked about time “draggin’ on” at Folsom Prison in his ’60s-era hit song, but times at California’s second oldest prison have changed. Folsom State Prison first opened in 1880 and has come a distance from its harsh, punitive roots, increasingly offering a wide range of rehabilitation and re-entry

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Nearly Half of Prisoners Lack Access to Vocational Training

By Christopher Zoukis In the ongoing discussion of prison reform, mass incarceration and reducing recidivism, vocational programs are often overlooked in favor of formal educational courses and other activities and programming. Maybe it is assumed that most incarcerated individuals have access to, and participate in, vocational training and prison jobs. At least that’s what popular

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Florida Community Initiative Supports Female Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners

A forward-thinking group in Florida is helping women both in and outside of prison to empower themselves and help better their lives and families, after recognizing that many of their needs were not being met in the community. The Red Tent Women’s Initiative was inspired by Anita Diamant’s novel The Red Tent, which follows the

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Internet Access Is a Human Right. Should Prisoners Have It?

Allowing supervised access to the internet could help with rehabilitation and reduce recidivism. By Christopher Zoukis Internet and computer access dominates most people’s lives to a major degree in many countries around the world. More than 45 percent of the world population has an internet connection at home — that’s fast approaching 4 billion people.

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Virtual Reality Behind Bars For Real Change

By Christopher Zoukis Already a hot topic in the gaming world, virtual and augmented reality technologies are slowly spilling into other venues such as museum exhibits and educational institutions. But could these technologies someday be used behind bars? In prisons, where education and training resources can be scarce and difficult to administer, could VR be used

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Books Behind Bars Mean Better Outcomes

By Christopher Zoukis Evidence is overwhelming prisoners benefit in myriad ways when they have access to books and education. An increase in education of any kind is connected to reducing recidivism, as reported by the 2013 Rand Corporation Study, and as demonstrated by the outcomes of numerous programs that have been implemented across institutions. Prisoners

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Technology Boosts Prison Education

Technology use has grown in all aspects of life outside of prisons, including in classrooms. Prison classrooms and communities can also benefit greatly from the use of technology. There are many benefits to using technology within all education systems, including in prison settings. Personalized learning is recognized as being increasingly important to successful outcomes. One

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