109 Search results for "prison reform"

Sometimes, an answer is not an answer to everyone. Sometimes, whether something is an answer depends, like seeing a blue or gold dress or hearing yanny or laurel in that auditory illusion. Or like when Black people are finally allowed in token numbers to receive a few of the laurels we hear we should always […]

by Gloria Oladipo I watch the moment’s protests through bitter tears of joy. I hate that change is paved with the blood of Black sisters, brothers, and siblings. I hate how freedom never seems to be found when we’re alive. I hate cops. I hate oppression and injustice and anything that keeps Black and Brown […]

Today, the ruling class and their millions of shock troops maintain their power with what must be a really enjoyable racism. Stream-lined fascist accomplice-ing, in mass, perpetually starves the resistance of having people who would actually populate resistance. Corporate-hired artists scribble sunshine on cop tires. The U.S. publicly and privately contracts construction of new concentration […]

  by Philip V. McHarris Communities directly impacted by violence are starting to advocate for the diversion of funds from policing towards more community based solutions to violence and harm. Unfortunately, city leaders are not listening. Early in December, residents and community organizers attended the Minneapolis City budget hearing.  They argued against allocating funds for […]

Editor’s Note: This month at BYP, we will be exploring the US Midterms & Family/Parenting issues, and we are interested in publishing works that address these topics. How has our political system been working for and against us? What dynamics are different today? How should we prepare for midterm elections vs presidential ones, and local […]

According to Nola.com, the Orleans Parish School board voted 5-2 to establish InspireNOLA Charter Schools as the operator of McDonough 35 Senior High School, which was established in 1917 as the first Black public school in New Orleans. This vote makes New Orleans the first major city in America with a charter school exclusive school […]

This past Tuesday, the Senate passed the First Step Act with much bipartisan support. The bill provides the most significant reforms for federal prisoners in the criminal justice system in decades, although critics point out that given the “tough on crime” anti-Black rhetoric both parties have been trafficking in, that isn’t much.

According to the Houston Chronicle, a common practice following drunk driving arrests and convictions in Texas is the implementation of various surcharges and fees due to the Texas Driver Responsibility program. This program can charge Texas drivers up to thousands of dollars for certain driving-related violations, and on Wednesday, attorneys from the Austin Community Law […]

The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (RFK) Foundation, led by Kerry Kennedy, started a month-long mission to bail out hundreds of women and juveniles at Rikers Island. It’s become the largest mass bailout in history.

According to the Guardian, August 21st marks the beginning of a nineteen-day protest and labor stoppage across the prison populations of American prisons in at least 17 states. The protest, which has largely been organized by the prisoners themselves, is designed to disrupt the system of unpaid labor many prisons in America rely upon to stay […]

After the Trump administration separated more than 2,000 children from their parents under the “zero tolerance” policy, the president succumbed to pressure and signed an executive order to stop the separations at the border. Instead, families will be detained together indefinitely.

By Alyxandra Goodwin Rapper and criminal justice reform advocate Jay-Z recently announced that he is investing in a “decarceration start-up” called Promise. The app sets up a “care plan” for individuals that would have alternatively been monitored while housed in a jail facility, instead monitoring them out in the world and providing reminders for court […]