HEALTH & JUSTICE IN THE NEWS
Date: June 27, 2016
Around the Nation
White House unveils measures to help individuals find work after prison
Reuters, 6/24/16
The Obama administration on Friday rolled out a series of education and work training initiatives focused on helping individuals with criminal convictions avoid returning to prison, part of President Barack Obama's legacy-shaping effort to overhaul the U.S. criminal justice system as he prepares to leave office.
Civil rights groups push Dems, GOP to include sentencing reform in their platforms
Politico, 6/24/16
An influential coalition of civil rights groups pushing for criminal justice reform is pressuring both the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee to include the issue in their respective party platforms this summer. In a new letter, the organizations - including the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, the Urban League and the Brennan Center for Justice - argue that after decades of pushing tougher crime laws, both Democrats and the GOP need a "bold break" toward policies aiming at easing incarceration rates. "As you convene to set your respective policy agenda, we urge you to include reducing mass incarceration, while increasing public safety, as part of your party platforms," the groups wrote in the letter, addressed to the respective party chairs and platform committee leaders.
A Conversation with Attorney General Lynch, Secretary Perez, Secretary Castro, and Secretary King (video)
Center for American Progress, 6/24/16
On Saturday, the Center for American Progress hosted a conversation on criminal justice, featuring U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, and U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr.
Year-Old Scalia Ruling Could Shorten Thousands Of Federal Prison Terms
The Crime Report, 6/25/16
Hundreds if not thousands of individuals in federal prisons are likely to have their sentences shortened and in some cases get immediate release under an opinion written a year ago by the late Justice Antonin Scalia, according to the Washington Post. The ruling focused on one phrase in federal law that has created uncertainty and upheaval for judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys facing a pile of prisoner requests to have their cases reviewed. Individuals in federal prisons had until this past weekend to challenge their prison terms after the Supreme Court labeled 12 words in the criminal code that the high court called "unconstitutionally vague."
Around Illinois
Illinois Issues: Saving Lives In The Fight Against Heroin
Peoria Public Radio, 6/24/16
In 2014, 10,574 people died of heroin-related overdose deaths in the United States, including more than 700 people in Illinois, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Last year, Illinois passed a comprehensive law, the Heroin Crisis Act, with a key provision that will expand access to naloxone. Passage of the law drew praise from advocates, politicians and medical providers. But some point out that even though naloxone saves lives, it won't cure addiction. There are limited publicly funded treatment options and a lack of doctors in the state who can give medication-assisted treatment. In other words, the new law may help people live but not necessarily get healthier.
34th Champaign County Drug Court Class Graduates
Fox Illinois, 6/24/16
At the 34th Champaign County drug court graduation, nine men and women marked their successful completion of the drug court program. The group spent the last 14 months together in substance use treatment. "We all have a bond with each other where we can all and relay on each other and openly and freely talk to one another," said on graduate. Judge Jeffrey Ford says the program works because it's a collaboration between law enforcement and county services to get individuals on a path to success. "Basically, its building trust. A lot of these people don't trust anybody...the legal system [had previously] never done anything for them except make them do things they don't want to do or lock them up," Ford said. He explained the latest numbers show it costs more to house a prisoner than it is to invest in someone to complete the program.
Champaign County Racial Justice Task Force Working to Address Racial Disparities in Criminal Justice System
WAND TV, 6/25/16
Urbana- Champaign County residents came together to talk about racial injustice in Champaign County at the Champaign County Racial Justice Task Force Meeting. The meeting, which task force appointees are calling, community conversations, allowed residents to come and speak in small groups about racial injustices in the criminal justice system here in the county. The task force was created to address the cause and impact of racial disparities in incarceration rates and the criminal justice system as a whole. The task force will hold community meetings through 2017 to better understand the concerns of the community. The task force is made up of 21 members appointed by the Champaign County Board.
Research, Reports, and Studies
Prisons, Policing at Forefront of State Criminal Justice Action
The Pew Charitable Trusts, 6/27/16
Faced with overcrowded prisons and evidence that lengthy sentences don't deter crime, more states opted this year to revamp sentencing laws and send some people convicted of lesser, nonviolent crimes to local jails, if they're locked up at all. For years, many lawmakers were wary of appearing soft on crime. But states have recently retooled their criminal justice policies in response to tight post-recession budgets, shifting public opinion and court rulings demanding they ease prison overcrowding.
Nearly 10 Million Americans Say They Misused Opioid Medications in 2012-2013
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, 6/23/16
Almost 10 million Americans say they misused opioid medications in 2012-2013, according to a new study from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Nonmedical use of prescription opioids more than doubled over a 10-year period, the study found. The researchers found in 2012-2013, 4.1 percent of the adult population misused prescription opioids, compared with 1.8 percent in 2001-2002. This means they used the drugs without a prescription, or not as prescribed (in greater amounts, more often, or longer than prescribed) in the past year. The study found that more than 11 percent of adults said they used prescription opioids nonmedically at some point in their lives, compared with 4.7 percent a decade earlier. In addition, 2.1 million adults meet the criteria for prescription opioid addiction.
Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs Are Associated With Sustained Reductions In Opioid Prescribing By Physicians
HealthAffairs, 6/20/16
Study authors say that state prescription drug monitoring programs are promising tools to rein in the epidemic of prescription opioid overdose. Researchers used data from a national survey to assess the effects of these programs on the prescribing of opioid analgesics and other pain medications in ambulatory care settings at the point of care in twenty-four states from 2001 to 2010. Researchers found that the implementation of a prescription drug monitoring program was associated with more than a 30 percent reduction in the rate of prescribing of Schedule II opioids. This reduction was seen immediately following the launch of the program and was maintained in the second and third years afterward.
Youth
Several States Look to Keep Teenagers Out of Criminal Court
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, 6/23/16
This year, several states have passed or are considering reforms that aim to reduce the number of teenagers charged in adult criminal court. Some of the most aggressive changes focus on limiting prosecutors' authority to charge teens and children in adult court without a judicial hearing - a process known as direct file.
Opinions, Editorials, and Commentary
Chris Haugh: Prison by Algorithm
The Atlantic, 6/26/16
When the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 was introduced in the United States Congress last year, Republican and Democratic senators backed the ambitious bill. Experts complimented its call for changes to mandatory minimums and solitary confinement and its proposal to thin the federal prison population...Lost in the praise, however, was a section that would radically change how the Bureau of Prisons tries to prevent recidivism. A proposed program instructs the U.S. attorney general to establish what the bill calls a "post-sentencing risk- and needs-assessment system" for federal prisoners, which would assign inmates a low, moderate, or high score based on their likelihood of recidivism. "Dynamic risk factors"-including "indicators of progress and improvement, and of regression, including newly acquired skills, attitude, and behavior changes over time"-would determine the ratings...In some places, predictive models have successfully helped reduce recidivism in prisons...Predictive strategies are also en vogue in some law-enforcement circles...These strategies appear to be somewhat effective at reducing crime. Yet studies indicate mixed results...The deeper question, it seems, is about the future of law-enforcement practices. The very concept of predicting crime challenges the presumption of innocence, a central tenet of the American criminal-justice system.
Karen H. Perry: Naloxone - A Tool - Not Treatment - In Saving Lives
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, 6/22/16
The drug naloxone reverses overdoses, but it needs to be used as a tool - not treatment - in saving lives, much like a defibrillator for the heart attack victim. We need more effective ways to save people from drug overdoses.
Health & Justice in the News
is a summary of recent news stories relating to criminal justice, mental health, addiction, recovery, and related issues. It is compiled and published by TASC each Monday and Thursday.
Some headlines and text have been altered by TASC for clarity or emphasis, or to minimize discriminatory or stigmatizing language. Opinions in the articles and op-eds do not necessarily express the views of TASC or our staff or partners.
