by Mandie Sellars | Nov 15, 2018 | Criminal Justice Reform, Emancipate NC News, Mass Incarceration
By Allison Bunker, CJPC Intern A recent new report from the Prison Policy Initiative provides the first estimate of housing insecurity in the 5 million formerly incarcerated individuals in the US. The report breaks down the prevalence of homelessness by demographic...
by Mandie Sellars | Oct 17, 2018 | Emancipate NC News, Mass Incarceration
Beginning in 2019, Haywood and Jackson counties will become the first judicial districts in North Carolina to pilot a pretrial release program. The goal of this program is to reduce mass incarceration and recidivism rates. Under the new program, judges will be...
by Mandie Sellars | Aug 15, 2018 | Emancipate NC News, Mass Incarceration
Recently, a company called JPay signed a contract with the New York Department of Corrections to give the people incarcerated there free tablets. The Prison Policy Initiative decided asked an important question about this contract that the lawmakers didn’t: “What...
by Mandie Sellars | Aug 13, 2018 | Criminal Justice Reform, Emancipate NC News, Mass Incarceration, Policing
By Mandie Sellars, CJPC Board Member It wasn’t until I saw the coffin-sized metal box above my head with the name Wake County on it that I froze. My body could no longer move, as tears streamed silently down my cheeks. The box bore three simple pieces of data: the...
by Mandie Sellars | Jul 13, 2018 | Criminal Justice Reform, Emancipate NC News, Mass Incarceration
The prison safety issues in North Carolina are representative of a larger, national issue. Federal prisons nationwide are understaffed and have been so for some time. However, the hiring freeze at the beginning of the Trump administration and emphasis on reducing the...
by Mandie Sellars | Jul 13, 2018 | Criminal Justice Reform, Emancipate NC News, Mass Incarceration
From 1998 to 2017, 12 people committed suicide in the Durham County jail by hanging themselves from window bars or ventilation grates. Although public records show that Durham County officials were aware of the suicide hazards, the last updates are just now being...
