Today, I’m asking for something that means more to me than I can put into words. I’m asking you to please take a few moments to read and sign this petition for my husband, Edwin.

Your signature could help show that people believe individuals are capable of change and that mercy can exist alongside justice.

I found this group/space/page (not sure exactly what to call it) through change.org and decided to make an account with hope I’ll be able to get more support for my family.

If you’re willing, please sign the petition and consider sharing it with others. Every signature, every share, and every prayer means the world to our family.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to support us. ❤️

I was reminiscing on my completely awful and wasted time as a corrections officer, I quit after seeing enough people get out and come right on back a month later. I wanted to share my thoughts on how we might be able to address the issue of recidivism that we have:

First, prison work programs:

Have a limited number of businesses in the area able to get accredited for prison work programs to allow inmates to develop a skill. These businesses must be inspected monthly to ensure they are not abusing the system. Allow minimum wage to be paid, however the first $15,000 earned every year is tax free income. Accredited businesses must be able to provide an apprenticeship that leads to an industry certification and limited on the number of inmates they're allowed to hire at a time. They shall face fines for not complying with the accreditation program guidelines. This allows inmates to leave with a marketable skill and a resumé.

This program would be voluntary and able to be quit at any time. While this does allow a degree of exploitation, many inmates would relish the opportunity to leave the institution for any amount of time as well as some capital to reestablish themselves.

Education:

All prisons offer a GED program and study time for an industry certification, such as CompTIA. Each level of education and industry certification reduces sentence, so long as the certification being earned is relevant to a career path chosen by the inmate. Continued work with an accredited business earns credit towards a reduced sentence.

Public Assistance:

Inmates automatically receive section 8 housing assistance and food stamps upon release, allowing for better opportunity to establish themselves upon leaving. Inmates must secure employment within the first 2 months to remain eligible unless otherwise proven to be making an honest and good faith effort to find employment and have the ability to work

First offense:

Upon serving time, the first non violent offense should be expunged to offer a real chance at reintegrating into society. Reoffense resulting in incarceration causes the first offense to be reinstated.

I'm sure there's plenty of holes to get punched in this, but it's what makes sense to me! Locking up people who ended up there due to lack of opportunity and sending them out with less is a big reason for recidivism. While there are plenty of people who will never be able to stay out of prison, many simply made mistakes and fell in with the wrong people.

So, where am I wrong in this?

Forgot to add, Section 8 and Food Stamps for 6 months after release

My girlfriend is in an Oklahoma Prison. When she came up for parole last year it was clear there was undue prejudice against her by the parole committee and she is constantly being sent to solitary confinement, injured physically and denied hospital care, as well as told they will never let her out and they allow her clothing and stuff to be stolen. She does all she can to play by their rules and not cause problems but this is inhumane. This is constant and been present at 2 different prisons in Oklahoma. We reached out to the Senators and Governors and they refuse to do right. What they are trying to do is murder her and get away with it. We just want what is right. She is set to be released in the summer of 2027. We would be willing to discuss with Oklahoma and/or US government to resolve this.

For some reason the last couple weeks I keep seeing instagram reels about this “conspiracy” where non white inmates are being mislabeled as white. All of them are claiming this is proof that the “liberals” are skewing numbers to hide the fact that black and brown people and/or immigrants are committing the majority of crimes… I’m shocked I haven’t seen anyone calling this out as what I would assume (if it’s happening) is actually a way to hide the reality that people of color are targeted by the system. If the stats showed that 90% of people locked up are not white that would demonstrate a huge bias. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about bc I can’t find the reels that have popped up on my feed:
https://youtube.com/shorts/jkS6igtVbgw?si=6KnZiAc_8bqPUZY0

Has anyone else seen this??

If it can’t get any worse .

Desperately looking for an immigration lawyer (possible derivative citizenship/federal incarceration)
I’m desperately looking for an immigration lawyer who has experience with federal cases and derivative citizenship.
My husband is currently incarcerated in a federal low-security prison. He’s a lawful permanent resident, but before he turned 18, his father became a U.S. citizen. From everything I’ve been reading, it seems like my husband may have automatically become a U.S. citizen as a child, but for some reason that process was never completed or documented. I don’t know if we’re misunderstanding the law or if something was missed.
Now we’re terrified because it seems like immigration may try to deport him when his sentence is over. If he actually derived U.S. citizenship through his father, I want to do everything I can to prove it before it’s too late.
I’m overwhelmed. I recently lost my job, I’m a single mom, and I’m trying to keep everything together while facing the possibility of losing my child’s father. I honestly don’t know how I can afford an attorney.
Is there an immigration lawyer here who handles derivative citizenship cases or post-conviction immigration issues? Does anyone know of an organization or attorney who might take a case like this pro bono or on a reduced-fee basis? Even if you can’t represent us, I’d be grateful for any guidance or referrals.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

For example, at a certain age, like 18, you are legally allowed to register to enter an institute for the rest of your life. All the crimes you committed before that should still be punished, for a maximum of five years, but now that you are given this option, once you are done with the punishment you have the option to enter this place. It will be a facility that you are provided with a comfortable room, perhaps with a window, access to social media but restricting ability to send photos. And you will also be given opportunities to have family members or friends visit you in a controlled environment.

But at the same time, you need to contribute to society in some way from there if you want certain benefits, like wider access to certain apps or streaming services, or time outside (beyond the rooftop), You can contribute perhaps via baking classes, digital literacy, or being part of social organizations helping the community or globally.

When this facility is being implemented, all criminals will be given a ten day grace period to choose to enter it, but all crimes committed within that timeline would be punished with the maximum of five years. People who are already being convicted for their crimes will have to serve their sentence first, of five years maximum, but will be given the option to register into this facility if they want to once they come out.

Now, if you are asking about people who choose not to do this as they want to progress in life, they can choose to, but then regular laws (no more five years maximum when grace period is over) and regular tax and regular rent will apply to them.

But for some people with instant paranoia or ocd, this may actively be helping them.

Shouldn't those of public service like politicians, firefighters, cops, religious leaders, etc. get more time to be served for the crimes they committed to deter the bad from entering?

So, I live in a halfway house in Lubbock. Omg! Its god awful here and getting worse. Let me explain today then ill tell you the big picture. We have a kitchen staff member that cant cook. Its so bad that this morning the pre-made biscuits were hard as a rock. This happens damn near every morning with her. We have complained but she never changes. But..i showed 2 officers this morning and so when the asst dir came in she called me in the office with that staff member. She had me address the staff member and then went on to berate me for complaining. That staff member had the nerve to say not once but twice her food is perfect! Wow! I didnt know she was Gordon Ramsey! She also made a big scene when another guy complained her food was always cold. First off, id like to say I kept this to myself after showing the staff and was gonna let it go because it's pointless. We cant order or buy food here. So we are at their mercy. Also, the director and asst director never should have confronted me with that staff member present. Now let me tell you what else ive been through! That staff member i showed the biscuit to has a reason to dislike me. He sexually assaulted me twice during pat searches. How you might ask? Im transfemme. I have obvious breasts. I present female. Ive asked the staff to not have male staff members touch me. One morning he gets me up at 5am to do a random UA. He grabbed my breast in that pat down. I complained to the director and she said she'd talk to that staff member and train him how to pat search me. One week later, same situation, same guard, both breasts got grabbed. After my UA I shut the door to the dorms and let him know never touch me there again. I did this in front of a female staff member. That day the director calls me in and tells me im never to confront a staff member like that. I informed her of the assault and once again she said she'd retrain him. I have emails from me to her and her responses. This is a prea incident yet she never reported them to the BOP. I called and talked to the BOP about it to know for sure. This staff constantly gets written up and has really bad reviews on their website. Ready for the kicker? One of the girls here that lost her phone privileges for several months was called into the directors office and was given a bribe. If she went on their website and wrote a good letter about the director then she would get her phone back. She still had over a month suspension. She got her phone back! This place is a joke that thinks they are supposed to punish us, not help us to reintegrate into society. Ive already contacted the ACLU but haven't heard back yet. The male staff still pat searches me. Anyone got any ideas?

Hi everyone! I'm a high school student in the Bay Area working on a public policy capstone project, and I'd love to hear from people who are familiar with homelessness, addiction, criminal justice, or public policy.

I'm considering focusing on the idea that the Bay Area should expand treatment-based and restorative approaches for eligible nonviolent drug offenses, rather than relying primarily on punitive responses. My goal isn't to argue that punishment should disappear or that this is the only cause of homelessness I'm trying to explore whether expanding diversion programs, addiction treatment, mental health services, and supportive housing could better break the cycle of addiction, incarceration, and homelessness while maintaining public safety.

I'd really appreciate any help with:

Research papers or credible sources (especially Bay Area or California-specific)

Government reports or statistics

Evidence for or against treatment-based diversion programs

Criticisms or tradeoffs I should address

Real examples of programs in the Bay Area that have worked—or haven't

Ideas for making this into a compelling presentation

I'm looking for balanced perspectives, so if you disagree with this approach, I'd love to hear why as well. I want to understand the issue from multiple angles and build the strongest, most evidence-based argument possible.

Thanks so much!

I don’t understand some of the crimes I read about in the news where some people have no regard for human life.

If shooting someone could potentially land you in prison or death (retaliation), why would you continue living that lifestyle?

Almost every inmate being interviewed will advise others not to pursue the same path they took as they made a grave mistake. Yet.. none of this seems to deter people from being more violent.

Did you know that if you are a gay prisoner, there are few states that will allow HIV negative individuals to take PrEP? For example, WA is one that, if you were on PrEP before incarceration, you probably will get it. In OR, you won’t get it under any circumstance. You will have to become HIV+ to get treatment. Like most other states, OR puts their heads in the sand when it comes to CDC guidance. You’d think become HIV+ and sue them. To afford mass incarceration, prison’s routinely dismiss cases in red tape. It’s bad enough that no lawyer will even work with you. If you are disabled, you likely won’t get your accommodations, if you are assaulted, or if you have any other legal needs, no lawyer will work with you; you’re on your own against seasoned attorneys.

*Cruel and unusual punishment is the norm in prisons.

In one study by the CDC of some of Georgia prisons, a system that screens people for HIV upon incarceration (a protective rarity for states like OR that do not) found that 88 people became positive while incarcerated (seroconversion). Especially sad is that 78% of them had never had male to male intercourse before incarceration. In WA, those 78% wouldn’t have gotten PrEP because they weren’t taking it before. Hard to compare really because the study pre-dates PrEP though.

While prison rape is a thing in the Georgia study, more common is consensual sex in exchange for money, food, or cigarettes. Improvised barriers (think condom alternatives like a plastic glove) is also true of the 88 seroconverted individuals.

Honestly, I’m disgusted by the U.S. legal system.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5515a1.htm?fbclid=IwY2xjawTEgN5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe3ladAWRd5X0B4TAYrQ2TFsT_skaverjIZfVOUCgHYr-AePInoBxH3-8A2Kk_aem_nqdubAB3ky7oFJr-9B-BWA#:~:text=During%20July%201988%2D%2DFebruary%202005%2C%20a%20total%20of,HIV%20test%20result%20before%20their%20HIV%20diagnosis

If you've watched someone battle addiction, you know how fragile recovery can be. The environment around them matters hugely—but right now, too many sober living homes operate with almost no oversight at all.

I started a petition because homes like these should be safe havens, not places where residents slip through the cracks. We're talking about mandatory licensing, regular inspections, and actual training for people running these places. No big regulatory overhaul—just basic accountability so residents get what they deserve.

Has anyone here had experience with sober living homes, or know someone who has? I'm curious what you've seen—both the good and the broken parts. If this resonates with you, consider signing and sharing. These are real people rebuilding their lives, and they need actual standards backing them up.

I signed this petition because no matter who you are in recovery, you deserve a safe ethical home with support while you get back on your feet. We need licensing, inspections, and trained management so that recovery houses can't prey on vulnerable people in recovery and have the best chance at a sustainable future in recovery. If we have more support for regulation, recovery housing will be about recovery instead of profit.

https://www.change.org/sober-living-standards