Criminal legal reform advocates in New York state are pushing for the Reentry Assistance Bill, which would provide increased financial support for citizens returning from jail. Currently, New York offers citizens a one-time $200 stipend upon their release from state prison. The assistance bill, filed as New York Assembly Bill …
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Growing up in Brooklyn, John “Divine G” Whitfield was a natural performer. As a Bruce Lee-obsessed teenager, he and a friend would create karate movies, charging 10 cents a pop to view the action-packed films. He grooved on the local television program Soap Factory Disco and enrolled in a High …
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While Keri Blakinger was incarcerated, she papered her cell walls with pictures her romantic partner drew for her. “I was dating someone who liked drawing things instead of using words, and having those drawings and being able to look at them and put them on the cell wall — that …
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After continued pressure from Democrats, the Biden administration has taken a stance on what they want the future of American drug policy to look like. Announced Thursday, the president’s executive order pardoned all prior federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana, and announced new efforts to pressure larger state reforms. …
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On a cold morning in upstate New York, I got arrested while walking down the street with a small Tupperware container filled with heroin. Even though I was at the tail end of my senior year at Cornell University, that outcome should not have been a surprise to anyone who …
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