Remember the classic Coca-Cola ad from the 1970s? The one about teaching the world to sing in perfect harmony? The marketers knew they could touch a chord in people’s hearts about the power of music to promote peace, to unify.
That’s what young prisoners at New York’s Rikers Island—the nation’s second largest jail complex—are experiencing.
Dozens of prisoners in Florence, Arizona, just can’t wait to get up for work in the morning.
The minimum-security prisoners pair up with mustangs and burros at Florence State Prison for a unique job opportunity. In an effort to protect local rangelands and teach men behind bars a new trade, the Arizona DOC partnered with the Bureau of Land Management to form the Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP).
The need to be heard. It’s a core craving for all humanity. But for those behind prison bars, voices are mostly muffled, or at least, dismissed.
Because of New York artist Lauren Adelman and juvenile defender Francine Sherman, voices from prison are being heard and appreciated in the form of artistic expression.
The North Carolina prison system announced that they will put an end to solitary confinement for juvenile offenders in the prison system. Historically, youth were placed in solitary confinement if they seriously violated prison rules.
By this September, the N.C. Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice will launch a Youthful Offender Program that will provide education, mental and behavioral health counseling, life skills classes, and family and community reunification services.
Twelve years ago, Patty O’Reilly’s husband was killed by an intoxicated driver. Now over a decade later, she has made it through a journey from anger and hatred to forgiveness and a new found love of life. She reflects on her experience with Reader’s Digest.
Although the number of children in detention centers has dramatically decreased over the past 15 years, there are still an estimated 55,000 juveniles behind bars. Regardless of whether they have committed a crime, they have the right to an education that must be provided for while in the detention center.
