The Prison Society is looking to hire a new Prison Monitoring Director On any given day, 80,000 Pennsylvanians are incarcerated in state prisons and county jails. The Pennsylvania Prison Society is uniquely positioned to monitor and advocate for humane prison conditions thanks to our unparalleled statutory access to all county and state correctional facilities in the Commonwealth. Job Description: The Prison Society is looking for an ambitious, strong, analytical and caring

A New Law Will Expand Clearing of Criminal Records in Pennsylvania A new law called "Clean Slate" will automatically seal many criminal cases, beginning around July 2019. Automatically sealed cases will include all dropped cases (after around 60 days), summary convictions (after 10 years), and many non-violent misdemeanors (after 10 years without a new conviction). More misdemeanor convictions will also be eligible to be sealed by filing a petition, starting on 12/26/2019. Th

Mighty Writers | At Mighty Writers, more than 3,000 Philadelphia and Camden kids learn to think clearly and write with clarity every year. All our programs are free to the children we serve. | Sign up at New volunteer sign-up. | Call 267-239-0899 x2 or email Rachel Loeper, Education Director rloeper@mightywriters.org Volunteer at essay nights, 1-on-1 work helping a student share his/her stories with the world High School Essay Night | Tuesday, October 23rd | 5:30–7:30pm | 102

The MENTOR Program is an innovative, court-based reentry program that operates within the First Judicial District via a three-year grant from the Department of Justice and is supervised by Judge Michael E. Erdos and Judge Kai Scott. MENTOR matches Philadelphia’s young returning citizens with volunteer mentors from their communities for twelve months. After twelve months of mentoring, Participants graduate from the program with a Court Order cutting their original probation

The New Press, a public interest book publisher, and the Center for American Progress (CAP), a public policy think tank, request submission of essays for consideration to be included for publication in a book featuring criminal justice reform ideas from formerly and currently incarcerated individuals. The book has the working title of What We Know and is expected to be edited by Daryl Atkinson and Vivian Nixon, both formerly incarcerated individuals now leading criminal legal

Join those passionate about ensuring that women re-entering the community from the criminal justice system have access to health care and supports they need to succeed!We are seeking a candidate who is able to help women in our community use their voices and stories to access the services and supports they need to live a healthy, successful life. This person will connect individuals with health coverage options and support services; will work with those individuals and other

October 29, 2018, Claudia Lauer - Associated Press The idea for a juvenile justice hub started with a handful of Philadelphia police officers who knew the way they interacted with juveniles had to change. The judges of the Bloomberg Philanthropies U.S. Mayors Challenge are willing to bet their idea will work. (Philadelphia Police Sgt. John Ross discusses the Police 9th District's juvenile holding cell in Philly - AP Photo by Matt Rourke) Bloomberg announced the nine winners M

October 24, 2018, Julie Zeglen - Generocity The MacArthur Foundation Safety and Justice Challenge has picked Philadelphia as a recipient of its latest round of grants. The new $4 million grant — the largest of this round — is a follow-up to a 2016 grant worth $3.5 million and will continue efforts to reduce the city’s jail population. “The initial MacArthur Foundation grant was instrumental in allowing Philadelphia to push forward with reforms that have already made a differe

October 16, 2018, Michael D'Onifrio - The Philadelphia Tribune Mary Baxter thought her past was behind her. Ten years after she served seven months in prison for two felonies, Baxter earned two degrees from the Community College of Philadelphia. Her next step: Transitioning to a four-year university. (Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter's Testimony | photo by Mark Strandquist) But when the Philadelphia resident began the application process, her past came flooding back: She had to re

October 16, 2018, Victor Fiorillo - Philly Magazine We hear a lot these days about how hard it is for someone leaving prison to reenter society and get a job. Well, it’s been literal decades since Philadelphia resident Kendall Reese walked out of jail, and he’s still running into problems. You see, Reese was recently fired from his job as an Uber driver, all because of a criminal record that starts and ends in the 1980s. Think about that. The 1980s. Cell phones were gigantic