Voting for prison reform promises
It was three and half years ago, at the Roger Williams University Symposium “Sounding the Alarm on Mass Incarceration” (which I wrote about in RIFuture back in 2013), when Rhode Island started a difficult, ambitious statewide conversation about undertaking major criminal justice reform efforts. Now, at the end of another election cycle, voters that care […]
Compassion center cuts in House budget benefit monopolies over patients
Buried under mounds of drama surrounding the House budget proposal, up for a vote on the floor Friday afternoon, those considering opening a medical marijuana dispensary in the state can find bad news and a rate hike to make your head spin. The House has stubbornly rebuked Gov. Raimondo’s previous proposal to increase the number […]
Marcela Betancur keeps busy for Rhode Island
Marcela Betancur is director of the RI New Leaders Council, vice-president of the RI Latino Political Action Committee and a policy associate with the ACLU. She was raised in Colombia and moved to Rhode Island when she was 12. She graduated from Rhode Island College with a BA degree in political science and public administration […]
Conservative group backs Raimondo’s ‘justice reinvestment’ bills
Last session, the justice reinvestment legislation didn’t have bicameral support at the State House; the full Senate resoundingly passed the bills while the House of Representatives didn’t vote on the bills. While it’s still unclear what the House will do this session, the six bills that were born out of a task force appointed by […]
Four moves to make on probation reform, courtesy of DARE
It is difficult, if not impossible, to pursue the goals of punishment at the same time as rehabilitation and reentry. Probation is a punishment, and Rhode Island is a national leader in this form of punishment. As noted recently in the Providence Journal, the Governor’s workgroup is looking at ways to amend the state’s practices. […]
‘Les Mis’: Jean Valjean Is a Friend of Mine
Most reviews of Les Miserables discuss the singing, editing, and acting, disregarding the original text of Victor Hugo. I write the simple reflections of a former prisoner who read this ex-con tale while sitting in a cell, with only a feint hope of ever being an ex-con at all. The movie, by the way, is a masterpiece. To me, […]
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