FreeWorld’s Post

“In the United States, 83% of people released from prison are re-arrested within 10 years. That’s failure by anybody’s measure.” Jessica Hicklin, CTO and Co-Founder of Unlocked Labs A system that’s broken and failing needs innovators ready to change it for the better, and that’s why we chose Unlocked Labs as one of our finalists and eventual winners of our 2023 Justice Innovation Prize. The #startup collaborates with the Department of Corrections, educators, universities, and individuals with lived experience to increase access to #education, gather data, and collectively work towards reducing recidivism rates and building a safer, more just society. If you needed a reason to believe in a better #future, just take a look at them and this video.

Second Chance month is a great #opportunity for us collectively to examine our thoughts, conscious or unconscious and uncomfortable #bias about hiring, working with, and #PROMOTING workers who have been impacted by the justice system. I challenge you to #expand your hiring efforts to target populations from across our culture. Don't know where to start? Confused 🥺 I'm here to help. Send me a Message and we'll get your #vet and #justice hiring programs cooking!! One in five #Californians is directly impacted by the justice system. They are our mothers, uncles, neighbors and friends. Don't let another second chance month pass you by without opening your mind to the genuine advantages of hiring from diverse backgrounds. Loyalty, unique perspectives, breaking cycles of poverty and incarceration.... All fringe benefits of hiring #justiceimpacted job seekers and promoting them into leadership roles. #fidelitybonding is a $5k bond for a new hire. Reduces risk. Ask #EDD for the fom. It's not too hard and gives peace of mind. Let's #support and #act to center #DEI in this #secondchance month!!

Janine Reimann (PMP, Lean Six Sigma) has (rightfully) asked for updates on how JSTOR Access in Prison is doing. Did I meet the big, hairy, audacious goal of 1 million people with access inside prisons? Well, technically yes, but truthfully, no. For a brief shining moment, we tested tech capacity that carried us to a million, but honestly 470,000 people have access at least 3X/week. Access, however, is not enough. Even though JSTOR does not charge for prison access, we expect incarcerated people to enjoy the same user experience as someone using it in the free world. That means engineers sometimes need to custom build to match the technology capabilities in a system. I had no idea how complicated it can be to make a pdf load! All you developers out there know how difficult it can be to fix one thing without breaking six other things in the process. But the Labs team did it in 2023 for tablets. We know now that our theory of how to reach one million incarcerated learners is correct. We also know that it WORKS. For 2024, I need to hunt down the rest of the DOCs - large and small - who do not have agreements so we can make JSTOR access last longer than a 15 minute test FOR ALL. I expect to reach the ONE MILLION mark in Q2 2024. I believe our 1,000th site will be in Washington State next month. Two years ago, we were barely in the double digits. We have some exciting activities planned for 2024 with Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, JSTOR Daily, and Ithaka S+R is slated to release some research findings that will inform the prison tech space that can inform all of our work in #prisoneducation. I can't even begin to convey the deep love and appreciation I have for everyone working to make education more equitable for people who are incarcerated. My favorite projects here aren't the huge ones - though it is immensely gratifying to see the numbers grow. It is the professor or program officer with a handful of students in a jail or prison who asks if it is possible for us to try to add JSTOR to a site where they are working. The answer, of course, is YES! #informationliteracy https://lnkd.in/d6c2_69w

4 'Ex-offenders'. 1 shared vision. (and no it's not committing more crime) 6 hours I spent in conversation with Pratik Doshi, Sobanan Narenthiran and Kieron Bryan. Combined we've spent over 22 years behind bars. (I know, it's nothing to be proud of). But the idea that people leaving prisons can't change their lives around is a myth. Because we've done it. To us, the future is one full of opportunity. And we believe that no one needs to get left behind. So instead of pointing fingers and playing the blame game. Help us. Teach us. Support us. We're more than willing to change. But we need your help to do so. ------ PS: Breakthrough Social Enterprise community programs start on the 4th of March. If you know anyone who wants to start leading a new life in Tech then drop me a DM or get them to register via the link in the comments.

Another episode of #TheCopDocPodcast with Dr. Thad Johnson, Georgia State University, former Memphis Police Leader. Imagine having a front-row seat to an insightful conversation on the pressing issues in policing with Dr. Thaddeus Johnson, a former police officer turned educator and scholar at Georgia State University. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn about evidence-based decision-making, striking a balance between social services and policing, and the importance of community engagement in law enforcement. Hear from Dr. Johnson as he shares his unique perspective as a Black man and former law enforcement officer, shedding light on the complexities of police reform and community investment. We discuss the role of technology, such as facial recognition, in exacerbating racial disparities and the need for human interaction, training, and oversight in the use of AI in policing. Delve into the power of partisanship and its impact on investments and communities, exploring topics like police trust, brutality, and racial disparities in policing. Join us as we reflect on the heartbreaking incident in Memphis, discussing the potential of diverse policing to make a difference in reducing violence and improving community relations. Tune in to hear Dr. Johnson's thoughts on how we can create a more just and equitable future for all. Don't miss this chance to gain valuable insights from a true expert in the field of policing and criminal justice. #ThadJohnson #GeorgiaStateUniversity #MemphisPolice #TheCopDocPodcast #SteveMorreale #WorcesterStateUniversity

“There is another world, but it is in this one.” A few facts for folks less proximate to the American carceral system. Today, America houses roughly 2,000,000 people in jail or prison - 20% of the world’s imprisoned population (ACLU). On any given day, an estimated 120,000 humans are held in solitary confinement (Solitary Watch). On any given day, an estimated 20,000 humans are wrongfully incarcerated (Innocence Project). The average cost per incarcerated person in America is roughly $33,000 per year (Vera Institute), nearly double our nation’s per student K12 investment - $17,000 per year (National Center for Education Statistics). In short, we have a complex carceral system that creates vicious cycles of harm for incarcerated people and administrators and staff alike. Fortunately, leading institutions like the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, Chicago Beyond, and others are taking action to pilot and promote holistic approaches to correctional reform that humanize and advance healing and safety for all. Read more about Chicago Beyond's national Holistic Safety Action Alliance and the work innovative leaders across the country are taking to chart new paths forward and build a world that mitigates harm and creates safe, healing spaces where humans can be well. https://lnkd.in/gdR_qtUR

🔗 Highlighting the Importance of Fair Opportunity for Justice-Impacted Individuals At Next Chapter, we believe in empowering formerly-incarcerated individuals to build successful careers in the tech industry. Recently, an insightful article from WYSO Public Radio, featuring Truth Garrett and Mary Evans, shed light on the language we use when discussing opportunities for those reentering society. Mary Evans, the Director of Strategic Initiatives at The Foodbank, Inc. at Dayton, emphasized that referring to jobs and resources as "second chances" can be limiting. Instead, the term "fair chance" or "fair opportunity" is more appropriate and inclusive. "Second chances" imply a limitation on how many chances a person can get. As Evans pointed out, many justice-impacted individuals never had a fair first chance due to systemic barriers. They deserve equitable access to employment, housing, education, and other essential resources. Each year, over 600,000 individuals are released from U.S. prisons, with millions more cycling through local jails. At Next Chapter, we are committed to providing these individuals with the fair opportunities they need to succeed and contribute positively to our communities and economy. Evans perfectly encapsulated this vision: "If more folks in industry start tapping into that talent and investing in these individuals, how beautiful would that look for the economy and the community?" Let's shift the narrative from "second chances" to "fair chances" and support justice-impacted individuals in achieving their full potential. Read the article here - https://lnkd.in/g4k7mAsJ #FairChance #FairOpportunity #NextChapter #JusticeReform #InclusiveEmployment #ReentrySuccess #CommunityImpact #tech #DEI #coding #changeagents

No two cities are the same, but one aspect consistent across the U.S. is that policing #masstransit can lead to racial discrimination and unnecessary aggression toward nonviolent crimes. That’s why designers James Zhang and Ashankh J. set out to collect information and create a guide for what cities have explored alternatives to #policing and the success they’ve had via our Innovation Incubator program. Portland, Oregon, for example, as shown in the report, has improved the rider experience by decriminalizing fare evasion and drug use, implementing a low-income fare program at a 72% discount, and increasing unarmed security. “You want the public to feel safe and to support each other, which includes people who are struggling or living in your transit system. It’s just the right thing to do,” James says. Read more about this Incubator here: https://ow.ly/SxTS50PLeHY 🚇 Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates