Mass incarceration costs billions each year, but the toll on society is not just financial. There are myriad issues with the current U.S. system of mass incarceration where more people are imprisoned than any other country in the world, and often in a hugely skewed manner — one which varies widely across states. It’s vital
What are the biggest challenges facing the Department of Justice in 2017? Michael Horowitz, the DOJ’s inspector general, gave his views on that question late last year in a report titled Top Management and Performance Challenges Facing the Department of Justice, released on Nov. 11. Required annually by law, the report does not break new
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) constantly battles to keep contraband – weapons, drugs, cellphones and other items – out of its correctional facilities. The dangers of weapons are obvious, but cellphones can be equally perilous, having been used to plot escapes and the intimidation – or worse – of witnesses, or to enable criminal
The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former prison turned museum that spotlights the issue of mass incarceration using experiential and contemporary exhibits. At a time when museums aim to become more active hubs in communities and are taking stances on social justice issues, some are using their spaces and voices to address the issue of
What happens on the first day of prison? Are showers really that scary? Thousands of people are sent to federal prison each year in the United States. Add to that the many families and loved ones affected when someone they know is going to prison, and you have a larger percentage of the population who
Trump seems poised to reverse the previous administration’s stance on phasing out private, for-profit prisons. In the weeks and days leading up to the inauguration of Donald Trump, he made several statements about privatization — and his team is full of privatization supporters. From public television, to Veterans Affairs to prisons — there are many
By Catherine Prigg Concerned citizens began the first American prison system in Pennsylvania in 1787, and a clergyman, William Rogers, was the first educator. Since then, there has been an ongoing national debate concerning what we should do with wrongdoers, including whether the criminal justice system should focus solely on punishment, rehabilitation, or a measure
By Catherine Prigg The ongoing national debate about whether incarcerated individuals deserve the privilege of an education is fueled by strong emotions about how unfair it is to pay for a criminal to go to school when law-abiding citizens work very hard and incur lots of debt to put themselves and their children through school.
The Prison Entrepreneurship Program prepares offenders for successful lives upon release from prison. The Prison Entrepreneurship Project has helped transform more than 1,300 convicted felons into business graduates that have transitioned successfully back into society. The project focuses on male prisoners, and is a comprehensive, holistic program aimed at reducing recidivism, giving second chances to
Submitted by Peter Zitko Adj. Professor of Political Science at Solano College Different organizational settings require the use of various leadership theory tools. For instance, a military leader on the battlefield may necessarily use a leadership model that is quite different than that of a cleric. In many instances, a specific leadership model does not