This post is is the 1st in a 3 part series: Part 2: Desistance from Crime: Is It a Real Thing? Part 3: Beyond Recidivism […]
Out of Jail, Out of Work, Out of Luck
“I apply for jobs everywhere and it starts off good but then they see my CORI [Criminal Offender Record Information] and come up with a […]
Will Massachusetts Pass Meaningful Criminal Justice Reform Legislation?
I wish to thank Jean Trounstine for contribution to this post. On June 19, 2017, I spent the afternoon and early evening at the Massachusetts […]
The Opioid Epidemic? Just the Facts, Please.
Headlines decrying the “opioid epidemic” have been in the news on a daily basis lately. Politicians, public figures and journalists here in Massachusetts as elsewhere […]
Videotaping Strip-Searches: Good Intentions and the Road to Hell
Within the next months, Massachusetts’ legislators are expected to consider an amendment mandating that “Strip searches of inmates, including the videotaping thereof, shall not be […]
Prostitution, Decriminalization and the Problem of Consent
Last month Amnesty International came out in support for “the full decriminalization of all aspects of consensual sex work.” The reasons make sense: Decriminalization will […]
Access to Education: Further Thoughts
In a previous post I warned about what I call “fake” education; that is, education that drills students in self-blame and a sense of failure […]
Knowledge is Power (Except for When It’s Not)
Expanding access to higher education has been in the news recently. First, the Obama administration announced a plan making state and federal prisoners eligible for […]
Thinking Outside the Cell: Concrete Suggestions for Positive Change
feature image by Patricia Aridjis “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” -Angela Davis […]
Coerced Treatment: An Oxymoron
According to a June 30, 2015 article in the Gloucester Times, “Responding to a scourge of heroin and opioid addiction, the head of one of […]