AltWeeklies Wire
Released From Prison Today? Expect a New Set of Locked Doors Tomorrownew

The 29 days since Jason Horn left jail have been a blur of bus rides, AA meetings and rejections. Today, with a cold snap tugging the temperature into the single digits, he's taking the No. 3 bus to continue his job search in Old Colorado City.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
01-07-2010 |
Business & Labor
Parolees Looking for a Second Chance are Finding it More Difficult Than Evernew

With recidivism rates in the state hovering around 67 percent and the attendant costs of continuing to house prisoners, their success or failure at finding jobs, at re-entering society, becomes more than just a concern for bleeding hearts.
Las Vegas Weekly |
T.R. Witcher |
09-10-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Colorado's Budget Shortfall Forces Prison and Parole Reformsnew
The state's $318 million budget shortfall may succeed in accomplishing something that activists have been working to achieve for a decade -- reform in the state's criminal justice system.
Boulder Weekly |
Pamela White |
08-31-2009 |
Crime & Justice
In California, Advocates Push for Reform of Parole Process to Ease Prison Strainnew

California's Board of Parole Hearings grants parole to less than one percent of eligible lifers. Now, as the state's prison system is packed to 200 percent capacity, some are arguing for reform to the parole system that's keeping lifers doing life.
Good Times Santa Cruz |
Curtis Cartier |
08-20-2009 |
Crime & Justice
San Diego Nonprofit Coalition Helps Parolees Avoid Returning to Prisonnew
Called "Coming Home to Stay," the program touches on every possible aspect of a returning prisoner's life -- what it takes, step-by-step, to help someone successfully transition from prison to the outside world, from pre-release to post-release to several years out.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
11-19-2008 |
Crime & Justice
The Quixotic Campaign to Let Terrorist Eduardo Arocena Out of Jailnew
Dozens in South Florida and beyond have thrown themselves into the most quixotic of campaigns: trying to persuade President Bush to parole a terrorist named Eduardo Arocena, who was convicted of two murders as well as 32 bombings from Manhattan to Little Havana. They just might succeed.
Miami New Times |
Tim Elfrink |
09-29-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Hit the Streets, Jacknew
Oakland's Men of Valor Academy, a last-chance program for parolees trying to turn their lives around, just closed after losing state funding.
East Bay Express |
Justin Berton |
01-09-2006 |
Crime & Justice
Newly Freed Sex Offenders Caught in Revolving Doornew
Inmates are given their release papers, walked to the gates of prisons, then promptly arrested by Department of Corrections officers and returned to their cells because they haven't found a satisfactory place to live.
Illinois Times |
Bruce Rushton |
10-28-2005 |
Crime & Justice
Bullshitting the Lie Detectornew

What does it take to get on reality TV? David Crosby’s drug record, some Photoshop skills, and a healthy imagination, apparently.