Goldring Reentry Initiative

In an 18-page report, the nonprofit Prison Society describes what they call a crisis of Philadelphia jails. They say if “decisive action” isn’t taken, more people will die, more will be injured, more will escape — and violence in Philadelphia will continue to rise.

Staff at the nonprofit conducted a walkthrough of Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, where they interviewed 45 incarcerated men. About 3/4 of them said they are not allowed out of their cells every day.

They said prison staff are often absent, especially on nights and weekends. In medical emergencies, the incarcerated men often have no way to get the attention of corrections officers. They also cited recurring issues such as rodent infestations and not getting enough to eat.

New report from watchdog group describes crisis of dangerous, degrading conditions in Philadelphia prisons In an 18-page report, the nonprofit Pennsylvania Prison Society says if “decisive action” isn’t taken to improve Philly prisons, more people will die, more will be injured, more will escape — and violence in Philadelphia will continue to rise.

"For Samuel Serrano, going to prison was like disappearing. And he knows from experience that many stay inside. He is Puerto Rican and owns an auto repair shop in Kensington. He lives in a state that has the third-largest Puerto Rican population in the nation but a higher rate of incarceration and life sentences for that group than other states with large Puerto Rican populations."

How Pa. became the epicenter of an unseen incarceration crisis It's impossible to know how many Puerto Rican people are incarcerated in Pa. correctional facilities. Advocates say that is a problem.

A brief profile of Nathan Nyitrai's work at Penn. They are one of our 2022/2023 GRI interns

Who, What, Why: Nathan Nyitrai on the LGBTQ Certificate | Penn Today The master of social work student discusses the School of Social Policy and Practice program which provides supplemental education about the legal, health care, and social service needs of LGBTQ+ communities.

“States such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and California saw nearly half of their LWOP sentences imposed on individuals under 26.
Alarmingly, the peak age at conviction was 23, which falls firmly within emerging adulthood.”

Disturbing Trend Reveals Young Adults Sentenced to Life Without Parole A new study highlights the need to reconsider extreme sentences for young offenders.

Parental Incarceration Is a Silent American Epidemic More Common Than Childhood Asthma We are honoring the Top 11 winners of our Student Editorial Contest by publishing their essays. This one is by Joshua Martoma, age 17.

"“This provides a very strong quantitative case that sentencing is the key mechanism of racial disparities in the system,” said Elizabeth Hinton, co-director of the Institute and lead author of the study along with Data for Justice Fellow Brennan Klein. On average, Black people are given sentences that are 20 percent longer than white people for committing the same crimes, according to a 2017 study by the U.S. Sentencing Commission."

COVID prison releases expose key driver of racial inequity As the incarcerated population dropped overall, the proportion of Black prisoners rose. Researchers point to unequal sentencing.

What Happened When a Brooklyn Neighborhood Policed Itself for Five Days On a two-block stretch of Brownsville in April, the police stepped aside and let residents respond to 911 calls. It was a bold experiment that some believe could redefine law-enforcement in New York City.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-prisons-jails-union-vote-no-confidence-commissioner-blanche-carney-20230503.html
The vote, by Local 159 of AFSCME District Council 33, is likely only symbolic. However, it reflects ongoing tensions within a jail system that, amid severe staffing shortages, is failing to provide constitutionally required humane conditions for prisoners, a federal monitor has found.

“This is an emergency,” Robinson said. “The chaos in the prisons, it’s gone too far. None of us feels safe. We don’t feel safe for the incarcerated persons, and we don’t feel safe for the staff. It’s time that we take a stand and let the city know how we feel.”

Philly prison union votes ‘no confidence’ in commissioner amid ‘chaos’ in the jails At least five people have died this year in the city prison system overseen by Commissioner Blanche Carney. A federal monitor has reported an ongoing failure to address unconstitutional conditions.

https://nextcity.org/features/phillys-new-violence-intervention-program-puts-housing-at-its-core

“Knowing you have a safe place to rest your head, for your mental health, for your physical health, it’s so important,” Weigley says. Without a home, people can’t easily store documents, belongings and money, keep track of appointments or feel capable of living the life they desire.

“It can be very difficult to accomplish anything – any of those goals on the reentry plan – if you don’t know where you’re going to be staying from day to day.”

Philly’s New Violence Intervention Program Focuses On Stability And Support Based on a successful model in Chicago, Philadelphia’s new initiative will provide housing and other need-based services to individuals at risk for gun violence to reduce shootings and incarceration rates.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania-prison-rockview-legionnaires-disease-20230503.html

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia, and is not spread person-to-person, but instead contracted by breathing in small droplets of water containing Legionella bacteria.

As a result, showers and water fountains have been shut off in the affected unit at the State Correctional Institution at Rockview, and inmates are being provided bottled water while testing continues, said Maria A. Bivens, press secretary for the Department of Corrections.

Inmate at Pa. state prison hospitalized with Legionnaires’ disease Officials are still trying to determine the source of the infection. In the meantime, showers and water fountains have been shut off in the affected unit and inmates are being provided bottled water.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/philadelphia-returning-citizens-loans-fountain-fund-20230327.html

Banks often look for credit, job, and pay history that many formerly incarcerated people don’t have, effectively icing them out of traditional loan opportunities in some cases.

Launched in 2017, the Fountain Fund distributes loans of about $250 to $15,000 alongside financial education for returning people who are already employed, have feasible job opportunities, or have viable entrepreneurial ventures. Anyone who’s been locked up, is working or expects to be working, and can point to ways a loan would improve quality of life qualifies to apply. The nonprofit was launched in Charlottesville, Va., before being expanded to New Orleans, Richmond, Va., and now Philadelphia.

A new fund offers coveted loans to formerly incarcerated people in Philly The Fountain Fund has just launched in Philly hoping to alleviate barriers to access to capital for returning citizens.

https://www.inquirer.com/business/philadelphia-fair-chance-hiring-initiative-formerly-incarcerated-parole-probation.html

Formerly incarcerated? This small business grant helps employers hire justice-impacted employees The Fair Chance Hiring Initiative helps employers hire people that were formerly incarcerated, on parole, or on probation.