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FORT WORTH, Texas — Doug Smith spent five years and eight months in a Huntsville, Texas, prison for a felony he committed while suffering from substance use disorder and mental

After a two-year prison sentence, Amber Bjornsson moved into a recovery home. She took a minimum wage job at a restaurant within walking distance of her transitional housing. But she still faced the substantial court fines she’d accumulated prior to her prison term. “Everything in front of me was burnt by kerosene, and I had to get across it,” Bjornsson said. “I had $7,000 of

News News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Formerly Incarcerated People in West Virginia Find Community Support After using similar services, Amber Bjornsson works as a peer employment support specialist, helping returning citizens find work in their community. “I use the knowledge and network I’ve acquired through my own experiences,” Bjornsson said. Photo by Marcus Constantino / 100 Days in Appala...

Dear Chair Scheible, Vice Chair Cannizzaro and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee: My name is Nila Bala, and I am the associate director of Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties Policy for the R Street Institute, which is a nonprofit, center-right, public policy research organization. I am also a former public defender from Baltimore city. I am writing in support of AB 251, which would improve second chances for youth in Nevada. We are in favor of this bill because we know that a juvenile...

In the United States, nearly one in three Americans have a criminal record and often face tremendous challenges in education, employment opportunities, and housing.

The Good Men Project Become a Premium Member We have pioneered the largest worldwide conversation about what it means to be a good man in the 21st century. Your support of our work is inspiring and invaluable. Why Giving Everyone a Second Chance Is Important Once someone is released from prison, the goal should be to keep them from ever going back.  Which crimes deserve to be punished by incarceration is a question that’s getting a lot of attention right now. And rightly so, as 2.3 million ...

Preventing and Removing Barriers to Housing Security for People With Criminal Convictions April 14, 2021, 9:01 am One in three people in the United States have a criminal record, meaning they are subjected to more than 44,000 associated legal sanctions. A criminal conviction can be a lifelong barrier to accessing services, employment, voting and civic engagement, and education and housing, as well as overall financial security for individuals and their families. The criminal legal system dispr...

Vulnerable as well as a potential source of risk: fathers in the family justice system A research project has built a picture of fathers involved in multiple care proceedings as a group with histories of childhood adversity facing hardship in adulthood and striving to make changes in their lives April 6, 2021 in Children Photo: Fotolia andreaobzerova Georgia Phillip  A partnership between the University of East Anglia and Lancaster University has reported new evidence about fathers’ involvem...

Apr 6, 2021 Testimony in support of HB 2684, relating to the expunction of arrest records and files and the issuance of orders of nondisclosure of criminal history record information for certain persons. Chair Collier and members of the committee, My name is Josiah Neeley. I am the Texas director of the R Street Institute, a center-right, free market think tank that supports limited effective government in many areas, including criminal justice reform. We support HB 2684. This is a straightforw...

Tuesday, January 26, 2021 Employers can expect an active 2021 Connecticut General Assembly since the 2020 legislative session was cut short. (The session lasted a little over a month before it was suspended on March 12, 2020, due to the pandemic and then officially adjourned on May 6, 2020.) This year’s session commenced on January 6, 2021, and it will adjourn on June 9, 2021. However, before the legislative session even started, Connecticut employers had to address a new 0.5 percen...