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When President Donald Trump endorsed a prison reform bill titled the First Step Act in mid-November, it revived both bipartisan legislation that had seemed doomed and a national political debate about mass incarceration. The bill targets federal prisons — which incarcerate more than 180,000 individuals — and would allocate more funding to anti-recidivism programs, make certain offenders eligible for early release, reduce mandatory-minimum sentences for some drug crimes and apply the Fair...

Artemis is a student of power and liberation. As a young girl growing up in a black neighborhood, she learned at an early age to navigate social dangers. She went on to college and then to graduate school, deepening her knowledge and experience of power and liberation. As she moved into the social change field, she realized that the fight for liberation is actually a journey toward enlightenment. The concept of difference is central to interactions in relationships of inequality. Humans have...

As promised, here is the monthly update about the growing numbers of ACEs Connection members and geographic, interest-based, organizational, and international communities that joined ACEs Connection in November. Join or visit our newest communities: Baylor College of Medicine (Texas) ACEs Connection : A platform for medical students, clinical/academic professionals and university community partners to collaborate across the United States with other medical universities to raise awareness of...

With Thanksgiving behind us, and the new year looming ahead, we are clearly in the midst of the holiday season. It is easy to focus on our students and their behavior this time of year. However, I would like to turn the focus back on us: the educators, caregivers and administrators. Though it is likely for different reasons than our students, many of us find the holidays to be a rather stressful time. You may be hosting, cooking, traveling, shopping, wrapping, financially strained,...

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion aimed at improving housing services for foster youth transitioning to adulthood, a population at particular risk of homelessness. “Youth transitioning out of foster care have often experienced significant trauma throughout their young lives,” said Supervisor Hilda Solis, the motion’s author. “Coupled with supportive services, housing can make the difference between homelessness and long-term success. By addressing some...

Me’Lea Connelly is from the Bay Area of California, but she has deep roots in Minnesota. Her mother’s family was one of the first to migrate to the state after slavery ended. When she was 15, her parents divorced, and she moved with her mother to Minneapolis. “I’ve always just felt more at home here,” Connelly said. “All my ancestors are just calling me home.” But that home, in Minneapolis’ Northside, has a severe shortage of shopping centers, grocery stores, and banks. In 2017, Minnesota...

(Inside Science) -- Just a few weeks ago, two large wildfires caused massive destruction and at least 91 deaths in California, the Woolsey fire near Los Angeles and the Camp fire that engulfed the town of Paradise in the north. Residents and firefighters struggled to stop both fires, yet they can expect more like them to come. Simultaneous large fires are becoming more common throughout the continental United States, according to new research presented by Alison Cullen today at the Society...

This study shows - once again - that it is not essential to begin every project with lengthy and expensive research, when immediate action and intervention is what counts. Thanks to #ACEs, the data is there already : not rocket-science, and no need to re-invent the wheel. [ ... Notwithstanding the small cohort involved, this research adds to the international body of evidence on trauma and substance use, criminality and homelessness . The research highlights the need for health and community...

https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1679197/2A6EFC02B0741BFF9497FF7CF19B475C A Trauma-Informed Approach for Criminal Justice-Involved Women With the increased awareness of the impact of trauma on w omen’s lives, criminal justice professionals are beginning to consider what this means in their specific settings. There is a growing evidence-base documenting the impact of child neglect and abuse (as well as other forms of trauma) on heath, mental health and behavior. While research and clinical...

When I was in Corcoran (a “level 4” maximum security prison), strict racial politics existed on the prison yard. Races were divided into different sections of the prison during yard time. The division between correctional officers (C/Os) and incarcerated men were even stricter. One day, for camaraderie purposes, the men inside decided to have a basketball challenge with each other. It was five African American men versus five “others” (Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, etc.). Both of...

Thanks — for nothing, Mr. Reiner. When I started my reporting on the 20th anniversary of California’s Proposition 10 — now known as First 5 — I fully expected to have filmmaker Rob Reiner’s quotations and retrospective as a central piece of the package . After all, he was the sponsor of the ballot measure that created the tobacco tax-funded system for programs serving young children from birth to age 5. And, he welcomed me into his Beverly Hills office for an interview when the measure was...

Children are our future; what happens while they are young has life-long consequences. I recently retired after 45 years advocating in Tennessee for improving outcomes for children and families. The last several years focused on preventing adverse childhood experiences – ACEs – and mitigating their impact on children, families and society. Research on ACEs demonstrates childhood adversity leads to trauma and toxic stress that damage the developing brain. This can cause developmental damage,...