City Launches Second Round of Violence Prevention Grants for Community-Based Organizations The Office of Violence Prevention today opened the second cycle of the Targeted Community Investment Grant Program to award microgrants to community-based organizations that offer high-quality violence prevention services and supports. “We are funding grassroot organizations that do exceptional work in the community to stop the violence,” said Theron Pride, Senior Director of Violence P

GSA Consumer Action Handbook U.S. General Services Administration has published a guidebook intended to consolidate information regarding a variety of government and consumer services. The Consumer Action Handbook features topics that affect everyone, such as credit reports, banking information, advice on healthcare, employment, education, and insurance, as well as information on identity theft. It also addresses specific issues, like managing someone else’s finances and gas

Supporting Reentry Employment and Success: A Summary of the Evidence for Adults and Young Adults For more than a decade, the U.S. Department of Labor has supported a system of reentry services for people who are released from an incarceration facility by committing substantial funding toward programs serving justice-involved youth and adults under the Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO) program. The overarching aim of the REO program is to improve employment outcomes and w

Group Holds Second 'Forgiveness' Forum at Christian Stronghold Nathaniel Lee - September 24, 2019 The Community Forgiveness and Restoration Program (CFR) met at Christian Stronghold Baptist Church, 4701 Lancaster Ave. in West Philadelphia, to hold its second annual forum Saturday. The event was moderated by WURD radio broadcaster Solomon Jones and consisted of a panel of formerly incarcerated men who shared their stories of redemption and reentry. “I think its something that

After Prison, More Punishment Tracy Jan - September 3, 2019 He had spent 17 of his 46 years behind bars, locked in a pattern of addiction and crime that led to 16 prison terms. Now, Meko Lincoln pushed a cart of cleaning supplies at the reentry house to which he had been paroled in December, determined to provide for his grandchildren in a way he failed to do as a father. “Keep on movin’, don’t stop,” Lincoln sang, grooving to the British R&B group Soul II Soul on his headpho

The Essential Role of Juvenile Diversion In 2016, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention began awarding grants to states seeking to revamp their juvenile diversion policies and practices, with the goal of reducing formal system contact, improving youth outcomes, and reducing racial and ethnic disparities. In this webinar, presenters will share lessons learned from this and other juvenile diversion improvement initiatives, including How to identify and expan

On Track: How Well Are State Preparing Youth in the Juvenile Justice System for Employment In 2019, The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center partnered with the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators to conduct a 50-state survey on the provision of career and technical education and workforce development services for youth in their juvenile justice systems. Findings from the survey, along with recommendations for implementing best practices, are highlight

These Dogs Get Second Chances. Just Like Their Caretakers. A stray dog started Norberto “Rob” Rosa on his path to recovery. Mr. Rosa had begun using drugs at age 9. He was labeled a career criminal by 16. “I remember the judge telling me that there was no rehabilitation for me,” he says. After a beloved family member died in 2002 while Mr. Rosa was incarcerated at Pennsylvania’s State Correctional Institution at Graterford, he signed up for an animal service program for inmat

A Chance of Freedom? New Bill Could Release 1,000 People Sentenced to Life in PA Prisons Aaron Moselle - September 16, 2019 Tom Schilk didn’t see the tourist he had stripped naked and bound fall from the third floor of his West Philadelphia apartment building. He was in another unit, two floors down. “We heard a bang and we went out front and [Felix] Davila was lying on the pavement. He was really damaged,” said Schilk. This was 1984. Schilk lured Davila to his property with

Should Gov. Wolf Release These 9 Prison Lifers? The Board of Pardons Thinks So Samantha Melamed - September 13, 2019 Since Gov. Tom Wolf took office in 2015, he has commuted the life sentences of 11 men and women. That amounts to just 0.2% of Pennsylvania’s 5,450 prison lifers, who are otherwise ineligible for parole, but it’s still the highest number since Gov. Robert Casey left office nearly 25 years ago. Now, Wolf has nine more individuals to consider for release. The five