In case you missed it, here are the top five news articles from the week on incarceration and criminal justice.
NFL PLAYERS TAKE A STAND FOR THE INCARCERATED
Former NFL player Tyrus McCloud hosted an Angel Tree® football clinic in southern Florida. Once a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, McCloud has been on staff with Prison Fellowship for several years now. (SUN SENTINEL)
Prisoners' children, including many of the boys at the Angel Tree Football Clinic, are some of the most at-risk youth in America. You and your church can help children like these by signing up for Prison Fellowship®'s Angel Tree Christmas program this year. Go to www.angeltree.org to find out more!
SPEAKING OUT
Speaking of the NFL, four NFL players collaborated on an op-ed for CNN this week on the need for criminal justice reform. Free agent and wide receiver Anquan Boldin teamed up with Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, Detroit Lions safety Glover Quinn, and Detroit Lions cornerback Johnson Budemosi to address how attorney general Jeff Sessions, the Justice Department, and the Trump administration have shifted criminal justice policy to directly oppose the bipartisan efforts for criminal justice reform. Particularly criminal justice reform that preserves families, saves money, and protects communities. (CNN)
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HOUSE A PRISONER?
By the way, do you know how much it costs California to incarcerate a prisoner? More than it costs to attend a year at Harvard University! The LA Times explains how housing costs for prisoners have doubled since 2005. (LA TIMES)
A PLACE TO CALL HOME
Safe and affordable housing is also hard to come by for returning citizens, even though studies have shown that housing is crucial in successful reentry.
"Home is the cornerstone from which people build healthy, productive lives for themselves and their families," write Kate Walz and Marie Claire Tran-Leung. "People with records, like everyone else, deserve a place to call home." (THE SHRIVER BRIEF)
LET THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME
This summer, a new court and a new way of approaching justice is coming to Chicago. The Restorative Justice Community Court aims to provide a more holistic approach to confronting crime. For select young people charged with non-violent felonies or misdemeanors, the Community Court will offer mediation between the accused and accuser, as well as restitution that focuses on and benefits the local community. (THE ATLANTIC)
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE
SEN. CORNYN AWARDED PRISON FELLOWSHIP'S ADVOCATE OF HOPE AWARD
Check out Prison Fellowship's advocacy highlights from last month!
NEW BEGINNINGS AT NEW YORK'S MOST INFAMOUS JAIL
Martha Ackerman and Stephanie Segel bring a message of hope to the incarcerated of New York's notorious jail, Rikers Island.