People's World
It is no secret that the United States has a mass incarceration problem. While the U.S. represents 4.4 percent of the world's population, it houses 22 percent of the world's prisoners. In 2014, a Rutgers University study reported that more than or 1 in 28, children in the U.S. have an incarcerated parent. Of these kids, black children are the most affected, as 1 in 9 have a parent in prison, in comparison to white children at 1 in 57. Further, a Central Connecticut State University study published in 2015 found that children with incarcerated parents are three times more likely than those without incarcerated parents to be arrested, convicted or incarcerated in the justice system themselves. READ MORE
Reason.com
Police in East Liverpool, Ohio, pulled over an SUV they say was swerving in the road, found a driver and a passenger allegedly nodding off on heroin, with a 4-year-old sitting in the backseat, and decided to post photos of the three on the city's Facebook page. READ MORE WNPR-TV
U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez made a stop in New Haven, Connecticut, to make what he called a house call. He was checking in on an ex-offender re-entry program supported in part by the federal government. It helps those formerly incarcerated prepare for jobs once they’re released back into the community. READ MORE
KDFW-TV
A new pilot program hopes to put some people released from prison back to work. Each year more than 70,000 people are released from Texas prisons, with about 15 percent returning to Dallas County. Many of those folks are having a tough time getting a job, due in part, to their criminal record. READ MORE KUTV-TV
The recidivism statistics in Utah paint a bleak picture of how successful prisoners have been as they re-enter society after their stay in prison. While 95 percent of offenders in prison will eventually get out, 46 percent of them will end up back behind bars, according to the Utah Department of Corrections. READ MORE New Haven Register (commentary)
The political bigwigs were in the Elm City but Connecticut’s governor, a senator and state representative didn’t join Mayor Toni Harp to rev up for votes for November. Instead, they were with U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, who visited with inmates at the New Haven Correctional Center and got a first-hand look at how the center is working with Workforce Alliance to help inmates re-start life on the right foot and ward off recidivism. READ MORE
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Outside Magazine
We generally regard children and teenagers as deserving of a second chance, their clay not fully sculpted. Adults who have served time receive far less understanding. “You have this scarlet letter on you,” a Sponsors client told me. “You feel everyone will do their utmost to hold you down. No one is going to forgive you. You’ll be forever judged.” Nature can provide an injection of calm. We know this as we breathe in the quiet of a park or flee the city for a weekend in the backcountry. We extol the power of the outdoors to bring balance and perspective. But is that benefit due only to the well-adjusted and trouble-free? Because here is a group that perhaps needs it more than any other. READ MORE San Francisco Chronicle
Luna Garcia swipes through the photos on her phone until she finds it — the one of a young man with a slight mustache standing against a wall, his blue shirt neatly pressed, holding a chubby baby girl. It’s the kind of picture someone might snap at a holiday dinner, a grainy image of a girl and her dad. But just out of the frame are armed guards and metal doors. It was visiting day at San Quentin State Prison. READ MORE Inside Edition
Moving into a college dorm for the first time is never an easy or simple process — especially for students who don't have parents to support their journey. That's why John Hunt Jr., who was raised in the foster care system, decided to surprise incoming freshmen at Fresno State who didn't have family members joining them on the next chapter of their lives. READ MORE | 
