The Pendulum Swings Back: Support for Postsecondary Education in Prison
Correctional educational programs can reduce incarceration costs and recidivism. But it's critical that former inmates can connect with reentry services in the community to complete their education.
Dec 15, 2016 The RAND Blog
Counties Need to Help Parolees Access Health Care
Health needs can be big challenges for former prisoners seeking to reenter communities. But recent policies in California promise to reduce that barrier.
Nov 23, 2016 San Francisco Chronicle
Obama Commutes Sentences of 46 Drug Offenders. Now for the Hard Part
Last month, President Obama commuted more sentences in a single day than any president since Lyndon Johnson. But commutation doesn't erase a criminal conviction.
Aug 10, 2015 The Tampa Tribune
Using Education to Stop the Prison Revolving Door
Providing education and vocational training to inmates is a cost-effective way to reduce recidivism rates, thus shrinking prison populations and easing the strain on prison budgets. Education is far less expensive than incarceration.
Sep 30, 2014 AL.com
The State of Washington and Its Focus on Rehabilitation
California can learn a great deal from the state of Washington, which has implemented a series of reforms focused on rehabilitation--on diverting offenders to treatment and other options and making serving time in prison the last option.
Sep 16, 2014 Zocalo Public Square and TIME
If You Want Ex-Cons to Be 'Productive Members of Society,' Ban the Box
When an inmate is released, you often hear Americans say that he's 'paid his debt' and can now become 'a productive member of society.' But the reality is ex-cons pay for their crimes long after sentences end. On the outside, the stigma of incarceration makes it extremely difficult to land a job.
Sep 5, 2014 The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Sending Prisoners to College Will Save You Money
Correctional education works for states because it saves money and shrinks prison populations. It works for prisoners, the public, law enforcement, and the judicial system because educated prisoners are less likely to return to their criminal ways once released.
Apr 11, 2014 Newsday
Realizing the Potential of 'My Brother's Keeper'
The White House has mobilized an impressive coalition to address a critical national challenge, and used the power of research evidence to begin to structure the initiative. By drawing more lessons from research, the initiative can further bolster its chance to build strong and lasting ladders of opportunity and success for boys and young men of color.
Mar 16, 2014 The Hill
Medicaid Access for the Formerly Incarcerated Under the ACA: Helping the Oft-Forgotten
America's prison population tends to be sicker than the general population. While Medicaid eligibility under the ACA offers an historic opportunity, enrolling the formerly incarcerated into the health exchanges or Medicaid will be neither simple nor straightforward.
Oct 3, 2013 The RAND Blog
To Stop Prisons' Revolving Door
If California wants to reduce its prison population, it needs to address recidivism, and the best way to do this is through education and job training. Cutting education and vocational training may seem like a tempting way to plug short-term budget gaps, but it actually ends up costing the system more over time.
Sep 16, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Boston Marathon Bombings Highlight Need to Measure Investment in Homeland Security
In recent years, especially following the economic downturn, states, counties, and cities have looked for ways to reduce costs and maintain basic policing services, leading many to question what the investment in counterterrorism and homeland security has achieved for their jurisdiction.
Apr 18, 2013 The RAND Blog
Prisoner Reentry and Public Health: Is Your State Ready?
Lois M. Davis, senior policy researcher, discusses the unique health needs of prisoners re-entering the general population and the role that health plays in their successful re-integration.
Jul 3, 2012
Dropping Out, Imprisoned or Killed: Disparities in Outcomes Faced by Young African American Men
Boys and men of color—in particular, young African American men—are particularly vulnerable to racial and ethnic disparities. That such disparities exist should surprise no one. Nor should the fact that such disparities diminish the life chances of those affected, writes Lois M. Davis.
Aug 26, 2011 Tavis Smiley on PBS
California's Prisoner Shuffle
The state needs to deal with prison overcrowding and inadequate medical care for prisoners in ways that don't simply transfer the burden to county criminal justice systems and the healthcare safety nets of local communities, writes Lois Davis.
Aug 19, 2011 Los Angeles Times
Prison Health Care
Prison Health Care, in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Jul 12, 2007 San Diego Union-Tribune
