Criminal Justice Reform Archives - YES! Magazine Solutions Journalism

Texas Teen Courts Keep Youth Out of Prison

El Paso鈥檚 Teen Court is a peer-driven, youth-led program that centers the well-being of teenagers, instead of condemning them to the destructive criminal justice system.

Marium Zahra | Oct 16, 2024

Ending 鈥淒eath by Incarceration鈥�

A Pennsylvania man is challenging mandatory life without parole sentencing for felony murders in a case that has national implications.

| Sep 27, 2024

Dortell Williams, serving a life sentence without parole in California, shares his experience on Rising Up With Sonali.

Facing Life Without Parole Inside a California Prison

Recent reforms in prison communications have allowed Dortell Williams, serving a life sentence without parole in California, to share his experience face-to-face for the first time.

| May 3, 2024

Opinion | Cannabis | Marijuana

Reversing the Damage of Cannabis Criminalization

People of color were the most harmed by the war on cannabis, but we can heal the damage of prohibition and ensure a fairer future.

Peter Grinspoon | Jun 20, 2023

Opinion | Cash Bail

Freeing Black Mothers From Jail

A campaign to free Black mothers from pretrial detention highlights the role that women play in helping one another navigate a dehumanizing system.

Gina Clayton-Johnson | May 15, 2023

Disrupting the Business of Bail锟�

The Minnesota Freedom Fund offers resources to low-income people of color who are jailed鈥攁nd so much more.

Sonali Kolhatkar | Feb 22, 2023

Illustration of birds flying out of a cage

Opinion | Abolition | Mental Health

What Do We Do While Waiting to Realize Prison Abolition?

Attorney Sia Henry shares a wrenching personal experience highlighting the challenges of operating in world where prison abolition is not yet a reality.

Sia Henry | Nov 11, 2022

Interrupting Cycles of Harm, Inside and Outside Prison Walls

Formerly incarcerated mental health care providers are supplementing traditional resources for those still in prison鈥攚ith mutually beneficial results.

Allen Arthur | Apr 1, 2022

Why Is Breonna Taylor鈥檚 Father Still in Prison After Decades?

Everette Taylor has been as good a father as the prison system has allowed. He鈥檚 one of millions of Americans who remains incarcerated for far too long.

Stephen Silha | Mar 9, 2022

Why Everette Taylor Is a Victim of Our War on Drugs

Breonna Taylor's father, who remained close to all six children, including Breonna while she was alive, is being held in a Michigan prison. An incarcerated writer makes the case for Everette鈥檚 freedom.

Josh Puckett | Mar 9, 2022

In Conversation with Everette Taylor, Breonna Taylor鈥檚 Father

Everette Taylor didn鈥檛 get to say goodbye to his daughter. Stuck behind prison walls, Taylor speaks with YES! about how he remains connected to his surviving children despite decades of incarceration.

Stephen Silha | Mar 9, 2022

Opinion | Holidays | Prisons

Incarcerated Seniors Deserve a Chance to Come Home for the Holidays

Years of 鈥渢ough-on-crime鈥� policies have resulted in growing numbers of elderly people remaining in prison for decades. It鈥檚 past time to enact policies that help them come home.

Robert Saleem Holbrook | Dec 13, 2021

Planting a Life鈥攁nd a Future鈥擜fter Prison

The residential and employment program on a North Carolina organic farm helps formerly incarcerated women find a new path.

Stephanie Parker | Oct 26, 2021

How 鈥淪olitary Gardens鈥� Help Envision a World Without Prisons

Volunteers team up with people currently held in solitary confinement to build empathy, compassion, and advocacy for a world without prisons.

Roshan Abraham | Jul 2, 2021

Excerpt | Democracy | Donald Trump | Police

From Anxiety to Authoritarianism

The human 鈥渇ight or flight鈥� response gives demagogues like Trump a tool for political manipulation. But we could replace oppression with a system of care.

Zach Norris | Jan 11, 2021

How Formerly Incarcerated Firefighters Are Getting the Jobs and Pay They Deserve

In California鈥檚 most catastrophic wildfire season yet, an organization is challenging the state to hire firefighters who were previously incarcerated to help meet public safety needs.

Ray Levy Uyeda | Sep 17, 2020

Opinion | Coronavirus Coverage | COVID-19

How a Community Rallied to Change Prison Rules During COVID-19

There鈥檚 a mentality in prisons that places more value on power than protecting human life and we need to talk about that.

Michael J. Moore | May 27, 2020

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