Articles

The Unfair Roadblock:  Many people coming out of prison or jail are released without any official state identification other than a prison discharge slip or a department of corrections inmate card, neither of which are sufficient to obtain a job, place to live, public benefits, or necessities in ...

The Unfair Roadblock: More and more employers are conducting criminal background checks on job applicants, which can make it much more difficult for the millions of Americans with criminal records to find employment and become productive, law-abiding members of society. Most states allow employer...

The Unfair Roadblock: While states have a legitimate interest in keeping individuals who are unfit to drive off the roads, many states have passed laws suspending or revoking the drivers’ licenses of people convicted of drug offenses, even when these offenses are unrelated to their ability to dri...

The Unfair Roadblock: Individuals leaving jail and prison often need a range of services – including alcohol and drug, mental health, and other health care treatment – to make a successful transition from incarceration to the community. Medicaid can often pay for these services, yet most states f...

The Unfair Roadblock: More than 600,000 people will be released from prison this year. An even greater number will be released from local jails. Individuals returning home will face many challenges. Often, their most immediate need will be securing safe and affordable housing, which for many peop...

People with criminal records face a daunting array of counterproductive, debilitating legal barriers that make it much more difficult for them to succeed in almost every important aspect of life. The Legal Action Center’s groundbreaking report, After Prison: Roadblocks to Reentry, documents and g...

Open Society Institute: Criminal Justice InitiativeSeptember 24, 2002http://www.soros.orgMission:The Criminal Justice Initiative signifies the Open Society Institute's strong commitment to reducing the excessive reliance on punishment and incarceration in the United States, and to promoting fair ...

by Lenore Anderson  -  September 14, 2012After decades of being one of the nation’s—and world’s—largest incarcerators, the state of California is undergoing unprecedented changes. For the first time in 30 years, the state prison population is dropping by the thousands, and the public is supportin...

Earlier this year, President Bush signed into law the Second Chance Act of 2007. The purpose of the bill is to assist ex-offenders in starting "new lives" by providing education in prison and other support services upon re-entering society. While the value of education has been well doc...