South Carolina Department of Corrections’ Post

Thank you to Arnold Ventures for sharing this in-depth piece about our work to support system stakeholders in creating conditions where all people impacted by the carceral system can feel safe. Please read more at the link below: https://lnkd.in/gPTbkcR5

Providing the tools and resource to individuals can mean the success or failure in the future.

Center for Employment Opportunities continues to address the issue of ex-inmates' high rates of recidivism. Most research regarding recidivism indicates that those ex-inmates that obtain employment after release from prison tend to have lower rates of recidivism. CEO focuses on this precise issue leading or supporting efforts and initiatives that provide jobs, employment assistance and skills-training to former inmates that demonstrate a commitment to create a new and productive life for themselves and their families following their release from prison. CEO continues to move forward, make progress and scale up its successful model.

We have witnessed the devastating effects of homelessness firsthand. The women and gender-diverse persons we serve have suffered severe physical harm, such as frostbite, violence, and trafficking, due to a lack of housing. Others find themselves in custody for poverty-related crimes when they have a constitutional right to bail. This not only perpetuates a broken system but also impacts their children, who end up in care, their families, and ultimately their communities. The entire carceral system perpetuates ongoing cycles of dislocation, disconnection, violence and trauma, reminiscent of Canada’s residential schools. We must do better! #buildcommunitiesnotprisons

Another wonderful example of a company hiring people who have a criminal record and demonstrating that it can be done, and done well. One of the participants said, "When you live a certain lifestyle for so long it's hard to break the cycle. "It (employment) offered me a different route away from that." This is just one reason why employing people who have a criminal record is so important. If this prompts you to consider broadening your recruitment pool to include individuals with a criminal record, but you’re unsure where to begin, feel free to reach out. We can arrange a chat over coffee to discuss it further. 😊 #recruitment #employment #diverserecruitment #inclusivehiring #criminaljusticereform #equalityanddiversity

📢 After receiving many great applications, Commonweal is delighted to support four new innovative housing initiatives seeking to address injustices within the criminal justice system. 💡With funding from Commonweal, Brighton Women's Centre will evaluate the viability of safe, trauma-informed housing that can be accessed at short notice by women leaving prison returning to Sussex. 💡To help address the lack of suitable move-on accommodation for prison leavers, YCG Trust aims to utilise unused brownfield and privately-owned land to construct prefabricated modular homes built by prisoners and prison leavers. 💡We're supporting The Daddyless Daughters Project CIC to evaluate a housing initiative seeking to provide trauma-informed support for young women who are both care experienced and have engaged with the criminal justice system. 💡In collaboration, Solace Women's Aid and the Single Homeless Project will investigate a Housing First provision for couples who are rough sleeping where there is suspected or known domestic abuse taking place, and the survivor in the relationship wants to be housed alongside the perpetrator, and other offers of accommodation have been refused or not worked. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/dSsX6uEV

CN member Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact): "We received a heart-warming message from a social worker at HMP Styal, highlighting the immense value of our 'Coffee and Crafts' mornings in the lives of the women there, like Louise*. Like many others, Louise doesn't receive visits and often feels the weight of isolation. But we're striving to change that narrative through the New Beginnings project at HMP Styal, funded by the Cheshire Community Foundation. Our 'Coffee and Crafts' sessions provide a safe haven where isolated women can come together and share stories, laughter, and creativity. These sessions aren't just about making pretty things – they're about forging connections and nurturing emotional wellbeing. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Women are forming friendships, supporting each other, and rediscovering hope. Let's continue to break down walls and promote hope and healing." *Name has been changed to protect anonymity. www.prisonadvice.org.uk

C-V Solutions navigates the emerging Impact Economy alongside other social enterprises around the nation and world, organizations that prioritize social and community returns over conventional financial profit. But many (if not most) industries and companies still operate using an entirely different, profit-centered, model. Check out this informative read from Impact Entrepreneur's Andrea Longton, CFA, about the conflict of profit/social impact interest in private prisons around the country. "While increased incarceration rates may be good for profitability, a single-minded focus on profit maximization yields a terrible effect on social justice in America. " We have the power to vote and influence with our dollars, and choose the industries and companies we want to support or help dismantle. https://lnkd.in/gCWueSHq

#Future #of #youth #detention #diversion #efforts #still #murky, almost #two #months #after #NM #governor #strikes #them #down in #executive #order #KUNM #October24 "The #Juvenile #Detention #Alternatives #Initiative, or #JDAI, which was suspended in New Mexico by the governor, #is a #set #of #guidelines #from the #Annie #E. #Casey #Foundation."

Worth a listen. Tom Allsop beautifully articulates that the govt must do more. Yes, we need justice responses but we must invest in prevention & early intervention to divert crime from occurring in the first place or nothing will change. Queensland deserves better & we must hold our politicians to account. I could not agree more. We need govt to make gutsy long term investments that will pay off beyond election cycles not reactionary responses that fail to address the root cause.