In this local news station’s editorial by WISC’s Editorial Director Neil Heinen, the wisdom of prison reform is discussed. In summary,

Prison reform is becoming a key issue in the race for Illinois Governor, with Republican challenger Bruce Rauner taking incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn task for keeping too many non-violent offenders behind bars in a state well over its current prison capacity click for more info. Quinn argues he’s done just that:

“We have reduced the number of repeat offenders. One thing we use is what’s called Adult Redeploy.  We invest in the front end, trying to keep people out of our state prisons – alternative ways of punishing people for bad behavior so they don’t have a life of crime.”

Could prison reform be the deciding issue in this race?

Get all the details and a link to the candidates’ debate at wisu.org

Voters in California are about to decide on Proposition 47, the Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative, which would reduce the classification of most “nonserious and nonviolent property and drug crimes” from a felony to a misdemeanor. Within the state’s large prison population, in addition to new sentencing guidelines going forward, 10,000 inmates would be eligible to have their charges reclassified to misdemeanors.

Also referred to as “The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act”, the legislation would also create a fund that would receive appropriations based on savings accrued by the state during the fiscal year, as compared to the previous fiscal year, due to the initiative’s implementation. Estimates range from $150 million to $250 million per year, which would then be redistributed to various organizations in the education and corrections fields.

Get all the details on Prop 47 in this summary at ballotpedia.org

When author John Grisham spoke out against the sentencing unfairness in cases of child pornography in comparison to child molestation, the backlash was both swift and severe. Here’s why one National Public Radio Contributor felt the response was undeserved:

“[Grisham] apologized, rather cravenly, for asserting that men like Morton Berger who have never physically abused children, should not be treated like active pedophiles and sentenced to years (if not lifetimes) in prison. That seems like common sense to me, but it’s an unpopular opinion these days, when the line between words and action is not just blurred but, in some cases, practically invisible.”

Should there be a greater difference in sentencing for these two crimes?

Find out more at wbur.org

<img class="alignright size-full wp-image-860" src="https://centerforprisonreform.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/hazel1016 check these guys out.jpg” alt=”hazel1016″ width=”200″ height=”133″ />Former prisoner and drug user Barry Hazle has won a 1.95 million dollar settlement from the state of California and its contractor, WestCare California, for wrongful incarceration in violation of his religious liberty.

On parole after serving a one year drug sentence, Hazle was ordered into a treatment facility for 90 days. A lifelong atheist, Hazle requested a non-religious treatment program, but was placed in a 12 step program that required him to put his recovery in the hands of a higher power he didn’t believe in.

After refusing to participate in the program that went against his beliefs, Hazel was sent back to prison for 100 days. Two federal court decisions later, Hazel is relieved, not for the monetary judgement, but because he hopes “that somebody else doesn’t have to go through this kind of thing.”

Read Hazel’s full story at sfgate.com

In this new book by Cormac Behan, take a look at one issue looming over released convicts around the world: many felons lose the right to vote after their conviction. Many democracies remain divided on their beliefs on the voting rights of this ever-growing population, and in several places, including the Republic of Ireland – the main focus of this book – the issue is coming to a head.

Dive deep into all the theoreticals and facts swirling in this growing debate. Though the focus is on the other side of the Atlantic, many of the issues at hand apply to life in the United States for the thousands of felons released from prisons each year.

Just how important is the right to vote for offenders?  Learn more about Citizen Convicts

According to a report recently released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, although federal inmate numbers decreased slightly in 2013, overall prison populations still increased by .3% as many new prisoners find themselves locked up due to state laws.

Race is still a factor in incarceration figures, with 3% of black males in America currently behind bars. In addition, figures for women locked up for a year or more increased by 3% in the past year.

In addition, 14 states hit new record high prison populations in 2013: Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming.

With these numbers and other troubling statistics, prison reforms clearly still have a long way to go.

Read more about the numbers in an article at huffingtonpost.com

The prison count has fallen every year since 2010 and the racial gaps in imprisonment rates have decreased. However, the race issue has ongoing importance as demonstrated by the killing of an unarmed African American teenager in Ferguson, Missouri and the public response it provoked.

This report examines racial perceptions of crime, especially white Americans’ strong association of crime with racial minorities and the harsh, biased criminal justice policies that derive from it.

Whites tend to be more punitive even though they are less likely to be victims of crime with more than half supporting the death penalty. Moreover, the media appears to fuel stereotypical attitudes to criminal activity, whereas policymakers and justice practitioners operate within and reinforce racial perceptions of crime.

The distortion of the criminal justice system has undermined public safety as minorities’ perceptions of unfairness resulted in dampened cooperation with police work and criminal labeling aggravated deviant behavior. The report concludes with recommendations on how the effects of racial perceptions of crime can be addressed and mitigated to create more just criminal control policies.

Learn more at sentencingproject.org

In this video, Louise Bours of the United Kingdom’s Independence Party (UKIP) and a member of the English Parliament, debated capital punishment with Frances Crook of the Howard League for Penal Reform.

Mrs. Bours found that the death penalty was natural justice for certain types of heinous crimes and that there has been a disconnect between politicians and ordinary people who felt let down by the criminal justice system. Mrs. Crook reiterated by stating that miscarriages of justice result in deaths of innocent people in the US and that retributive punishment does not help victims.

She elaborated that since executions were abolished society has become far less violent and the murder rate has more than halved. Furthermore, the majority of times murder happens within a family which is a very complicated and distressing situation where talk of executions does not help. More life sentences are given out in England and Wales than in all 46 European countries combined.

Mrs. Bours countered by saying that the Howard League for Penal Reform was only concerned with the rights of the perpetrator and denies the people the right to decide the issue themselves through parliamentary debate and referendum. However, Mrs. Crook clarified that there have been debates on reinstating capital punishment every decade but no consensus was reached as nobody is seriously asking for return of capital punishment that would possibly lead to a more violent society.

See the entire debate at youtube.com