Think Justice Blog

Jurisdictions Should Embrace Voting Rights for All Americans—Including Those Who Are Incarcerated

This November, an estimated 6.1 million Americans will be unable to vote due to their involvement with the criminal justice system. But a person and a voting machine are not constitutionally deactivated when placed behind bars—and Americans who are incarcera...

States Continue to Make Progress on Restoring Voting Rights for People with Conviction Histories

Update November 6, 2018: Florida Amendment 4 passed with 64 percent approval from Florida voters.

“I Thank God I’m Not in an American Prison”

Robert, Calvin, and Yusef are three young men with hobbies and interests similar to most American teenage boys in high school and early college – Calvin loves listening to music, Robert enjoys watching the New England Patriots play football, and Yusef works ou...

Reimagining American Prisons Isn’t a Pipedream

Last week, at a convening of criminal justice experts, academics, advocates, and reformers, a simulcast discussion between a group of incarcerated people and corrections officers in Connecticut and a live audience in New York brought the voices of people who a...

Strengthening Family Connections for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

I have worked in a juvenile corrections facility in Sedgwick County, Kansas for nearly 10 years.  In my current role, I am a corrections counselor; my primary job functions include completing admission papers as well as case management for the youth while they...

Revealing the Prisons within Prisons

Isolation is at the core of incarceration.  Prisons—often located in remote corners of the country—are surrounded by high walls that visibly separate those who are incarcerated from the community. Prisons also employ a wide range of housing practices to limit ...

Providence Housing Authority Addresses Reentry

Access to safe, affordable, and equitable housing for all shouldn’t simply be an ideal; it is the core mission of housing agencies at the local and federal level.  Yet, historically, discriminatory policies and legislation have been used to effectively deny th...

Vera’s Policing Program Releases Fifth Volume of “Emerging Issues in American Policing” Quarterly Digest

Emerging Issues in American Policing is a quarterly digest tailored to practitioners and community members interested in policing.  It is designed to elevate new and innovative research on policing practices and strategies by providing readers with succinct su...

Safety in America

Earlier today, the FBI released the latest crime figures, including 2017 estimates for rates of reported crime based on information provided by police departments across the country.  The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), as it is officially known, is an important ...

Keeping Women Out of Jail, One Mother at a Time

When Linda Meachum was arrested in Tulsa, OK last year for not paying her court fees and fines, she prepared to say goodbye to her two young granddaughters. “I was doomed,” Linda told me. “I was fixing to be sent to prison to do the term of four years.” Women ...

Series: Dispatches from Germany

Can We Learn from Our Past?

There were trees and grass everywhere. The sun was shining. You could hear the wind rustle through the leaves—that’s how quiet it was. There was solemn in the quiet, forcing me to be with my own thoughts.  I wasn’t walking through a park—this was a former Nazi...

A Different Type of Night Court Is Keeping People Out of Jail

In one Arizona county, a new justice initiative allows those with minor offenses to face a judge and resolve outstanding warrants without facing time. It’s also significantly reducing the local jail population.