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Leigh Courtney
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Leigh Courtney’s Tweets
These are the very things survivors tell us would keep them safe.
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We asked incarcerated people what might have prevented them from committing the crimes that landed them behind bars. Respondents said that affordable housing, a living wage, and mental health care would have made the most impact. trib.al/9DPx4Pt
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Come join our team! We're looking to hire 2 formerly incarcerated community members in California to join our research team to help evaluate 's Home After Harm program to support those preparing to appear before the parole board. Details here:
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135+ senior colleagues & I urge President Sarah Rosen Wartell to voluntarily recognize the . Read the full statement (which does not represent the Urban Institute or the Urban Institute Employees’ Union):
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New research from shows states must do more than just limit the time people are incarcerated for technical violations, they should eliminate it completely. urbn.is/3ie3xsf
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DC approved a first-in-the-nation law allowing ppl in prison who were convicted of serious offenses as young adults to be considered for release via judicial review. & outline how to build on this work & support emerging adults
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Issa thread on violence and abolition.
This webinar made connections between justice reinvestment and defunding the police.
The central question was how can we build on #defundthepolice to #defundprisons
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States grappling with COVID-19 in prisons, listen up! These recommendations from and to streamline #CompassionateRelease programs and adapt them to the age of COVID-19 are what you need.
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As #COVID19 cases & deaths in several state prisons are on the rise, it’s time to expand compassionate release policies. @UrbanInstitute’s @mateidre offers important considerations for state policymakers. urbn.is/2A4bheS #TransformPrison
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I’m optimistic the urgency of this moment will prompt us to listen first, clarify our long-term strategy for supporting safe communities, and work toward that with intention—and I’m excited to get started. (5/5)
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It’s past time for researchers to ask: what’s our role in this, if any? What vision are we working toward? And how should that inform our choices about the work we pursue, the people we do/don’t work with, & the policy and practice recommendations we make? (4/5)
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Although many of us in justice policy research are new to these ideas, Black & indigenous thought leaders—esp. Black women—have developed them over decades, and the many resources linked at #abolitionnotreform offer a great starting point. (3/5)
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In recent weeks, we’ve seen new attention to longstanding ideas about what communities need to be safe. More are recognizing abolition as a creative force, as much about building as dismantling—if we stop funding what’s failing us, what else could those resources create? (2/5)
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I’m energized by my current/former colleagues’ call to action demanding that orgs like ours strive for #abolitionnotreform in our work. This is a time to be open to boundary-pushing ideas, especially those coming directly from heavily policed communities. (1/5)
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History says, Don’t hope
On this side of the grave,
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up
And hope and history rhyme.
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14 people
to be considered
in Oklahoma
for early release because of COVID-19 vulnerability.
In the state with the second highest imprisonment rate in the country. Over 27,000 people in its prisons.
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Fourteen Oklahoma inmates will be considered for release next week because they are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, which has caused outbreaks in prisons and jails across the country. tahlequahdailypress.com/covid-19/the-f
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Thread: on abolition & #cjreform & responding to violence
For me centering prison abolition in my approach to criminal justice reform advocacy constantly challenges me to look for solutions outside of prison.
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"Transformative justice is not an alternative to incarceration. It's its own framework. It's not a catch-all like prisons. We can't dismantle the prison system with processes. It transforms our relationships." From the #TransformHarm conversation.
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🚨Mark your calendars!🚨for the first time ever, we—FIP— are hosting a town hall for presidential candidates on Oct 28th, at . Read more and stay tuned for updates: usatoday.com/story/opinion/ #JusticeVotes2020 #CJReform
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“Transformative justice, for me, is being brave enough to use our whole imaginations and then fighting like hell to make it a reality.” - #transformativejustice #criminaljusticereform #truereformers
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When it comes to #juvenilejustice, communities hold the answers. A new report from the explores innovative strategies for directing resources to community-based youth justice solutions urbn.is/2HSuXnp
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On her communication with people w/ childhood trauma serving life sentences for crimes committed as youth, says "They showed me not only that they could get better, but that they already had--but no one was looking anymore." #EndLifeImprisonment
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Eye on Boise: New Urban Institute report: Justice reforms succeeding in Idaho, with no increase in recidivism; link to my full story at idahopress.com goo.gl/2EQjTr #idpol #idleg
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Local orgs provide critical public safety services, but are often excluded from budgeting and policy planning. We looked at ways that communities across the country are flipping that script to drive -- and fund -- their own solutions: urban.org/research/publi #CJreform
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. analyzed eight years of data from the , , and Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole to assess the impact of #JRI reforms. Findings show the state is making important progress:
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This is a BIG deal for a state where the average length of time people spend in prison has been steadily growing and keeping the prison population dangerously large.
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Amendment 11 passed in Florida. This amends Florida’s Constitution so sentencing reforms can apply retroactively—the state's Constitution previously barred retroactive application. floridatoday.com/story/news/201
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Congratulations, Florida! Thanks to your votes and the work of our incredible volunteers, the Voting Restoration Amendment has passed!
Voting is now a reality for over 1.4 million of our neighbors, family, and friends who have earned a second chance. We did it!
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In 2016, partnered with to host an “Innovation Fund” under the Challenge and support jurisdictions implementing bold ideas to reduce over-incarceration. Check out my blog on how small grants spur jail reform: bit.ly/2yyFC0m
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Thread: We set out to hear first-hand how young adults in 4
#Chicago neighborhoods experience #gunviolence. With help from community partners, our team conducted in-person interviews w/ 345 people. Here’s what we learned. urbn.is/2zOQ2dT
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My colleagues' AMA on the Prison Population Forecaster is now live--go ask 'em a question! reddit.com/r/IAmA/comment
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@leahjsakala and I are doing a #RedditAMA today at 3pm ET about our findings from the Prison Population Forecaster. Ask us anything about the PPF, prison populations/costs/disparities, or policy responses to mass incarceration. Details to come! @urbaninstitute
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Interested in state drug laws? Check out this new report from me and on the states where drug possession is now a misdemeanor rather than a felony: urban.org/sites/default/
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We took a hard look at “violence” in criminal justice reform this morning. #SmartOnCrime
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My colleagues and I spoke with prosecutors across the country about whether they collect data, how they use it in their decisionmaking, and what challenges they face in working with data. Findings here: urbn.is/2OQHWXw
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Want to see what it would take to address mass incarceration in your state? Now you can with the new Prison Population Forecaster tool: urbn.is/ppf #CJreform
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This #4thofJuly, take a moment to support initiatives promoting democracy. is seeking to restore voting rights to nearly 1.4 million Floridians with prior felony convictions.
Learn more about felony disenfranchisement here: sent.pr/2EdiyoF
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thank you! and there are nearly two thousand more to follow right? we are happy to help.
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BEST NEWS EVER!!!! 
mic.com/articles/18966
mic.com/articles/189664
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Connecticut closed a youth prison today! Thanks @CTJJA for your great work making CT the first state in the country to close all its large youth prisons. #NoKidsInPrison portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-
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Crime survivors deserve a justice system rooted in healing & prevention. #SurvivorsSpeak
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