This weekend, CBS’s 60 Minutes aired a segment on prisons in Germany. The German approach emphasizes healing and rehabilitation. There’s no punishment for punishments’ sake. Loss of freedom is punishment enough, and the goal is to help those who commit harm to change their lives. Corrections officers are trained in psychology, communications, and de-escalation. Even…
Read MoreRodney Lincoln, Malcolm Scott, and De’Marchoe Carpenter are serving life in prison. They all insist they are innocent. Evidence suggests that other men committed the crimes – which could lead to exonerations if they confessed. The problem? The men have already been executed. Read the full story at rawstory.com
Read More
Shelby Farah was a bright, compassionate, determined 20-year-old when she was shot to death during a robbery at the Metro-PCS store where she worked. Shelby’s murder shocked the community in Jacksonville, Florida, and her family has spent the last two and a half years grieving their loss. The death penalty has added to this trauma,…
Read More
EJUSA recently secured its first-ever partnership with a health foundation – signaling a new leap forward in efforts to link public health and criminal justice. There has been a lot of national discussion about the need to treat violence as a public health issue, or to use a public health approach to justice reform. But…
Read More
The presidential election is in full swing. And the louder the race gets, the easier it is forget about the “down ballot” races for state legislature, mayor, county council, county prosecutor, and more. In these races, the opportunity for meaningful dialogue with candidates is much more likely. I’m here to encourage you to talk to…
Read MorePennsylvania has opened its application process for organizations to apply for funds through the Federal Victims Of Crime Act (VOCA). If you are an organization in Pennsylvania that works with crime survivors or victims’ families, you may be eligible to apply through this RFP process. Most importantly, Pennsylvania has identified men and boys of color…
Read More
Utah Senators approved legislation to repeal the death penalty last night by a vote of 20-9! The Republican sponsor of the bill, Senator Steve Urquhart, used to support the death penalty. Just last year, he joined most of his Republican colleagues (only 5 of the 29 Senators in Utah are Democrats) in a vote to bring…
Read More
]Violence is a public health issue. But few know that there is a small, but significant expansion of health initiatives across the country that are addressing the needs of survivors of crime, violence, and trauma, in the wake of community violence – and helping to actually decrease crime. Philadelphia, a pioneer in trauma-informed models of…
Read More
by Sam Kuhn, EJUSA Associate Board When my friend Erin Ellis approached me with the prospect of joining the EJUSA Associate Board, I jumped at the opportunity. EJUSA’s work to make the criminal justice system more fair, effective, and responsive is right in line with the values my work at the National Network for Safe…
Read More
by Megan Ward, Catholic Mobilizing Network Pope Francis has become a torchbearer of peace and justice, not just for Catholics, but also for many people around the globe. Last week, he appealed directly to public officials, especially those who are Catholic, to “make a courageous and exemplary gesture by seeking a moratorium on executions during…
Read More