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Elizabeth Warren Dodges Mass Incarceration Questions
By: Cj Howard
Tags: 2020 Presidential Race, Blue Wave, 2020, Elizabeth Warren, Prison Reform

On August 20, 2019, Elizabeth Warren announced a bill to combat mass incarceration. I’m of course on board for that, but what I find very suspect, is what she said 3 days earlier. Prior to her announcement, she was at a meeting with criminal justice reform leaders, and she didn’t at all seem interested, in any such bill. First, they ask what she plans to do for prison reform, to which she started talking about housing units. After that, another leader asked if she could organize Congress to pass a prison reform bill. Warren answered yes, but went on a tangent of, talking about how the house of representatives, voted to overturn Obamacare. You can see the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d80FiQEU-Ok

All I got from Warren’s meeting was, a sound bite of her 2020 campaign. The truth that all she wants are votes. By dodging these questions, it’s clear that mass incarceration was not something she wanted to commit to. I’m not at all surprised; mass incarceration effects who? Communities of color, and her base, is mostly comprised of racially biased people. One common trend of Warren supporters; ignoring people of color. I have interacted with many of them, to them Kamala Harris doesn’t exist. Kamala takes a stance months or years earlier, and they pretend that Warren is the only one doing it. When Warren supporters talk about who can win, they usually say Warren, Biden, and Bernie.

I did like Elizabeth Warren, but I’ve had enough. I was already disgusted with the fact that she checked Native American on her college application, then continued to defend it. And now this, ignoring black leaders as if they’re not smart enough to see what she was doing. Then, she put out a bill out 3 days later, like it never happened. Again, Warren supporters eating it up, as if she’s passionate about it. How does one go from dodging basic questions of support, to suddenly putting out a bill 3 days later? Sounds like a lie to get black votes, pass.
Is imprisonment always the solution?
By: Allan Chan
Tags: Imprisonment, Inmates, Prison, Prison Reform, Injustice

You break the law. A short, sharp, shocking prison teaches you the errors of your way. You leave and you are back on the street. Narrow justice is served and society is safer. Isn’t that how it works?

Let’s say a man made a bad decision. He was caught and sentenced to prison. Inside the conditions are harsh. There is little hygiene and less privacy. Cells are shared with many others of all shapes and sizes. Fear becomes a way of life keeping his head down a way of survival, 23 hours a day in a cell with nothing to do but sit and wait. Weeks feel like months. Months like years. As time passes, pressure on his family grows.

Release day comes and he is done his time. But outside the prison walls, his punishment continues. His family resents him, employers reject him. The shame of a prison sentence follows him like a shadow. Jobless, hopeless and helpless. He tries to find a way out. But all it provides is a way back in.

This story is repeated everyday all over the world. Over 10 million people are imprisoned globally, often are minor, non violent offences. In many countries, prisons are severely overcrowded and unable to provide even the most basic services like rehabilitation programs.

Is imprisonment always the solution?
NYS Senator Backtracks On Pro-Slave Labor Tweet — ”I Don’t Support Slavery”
By: Roderick Douglass
Tags: BlackLivesMatter, Racism, Slavery, Prison Reform, Binghamton

Sen. Fred Akshar responded by blocking multiple Black constituents and clarifying that he does not, in fact, support slavery.

He went on to add, “We have failed hardworking taxpayers, [and] continue to fail those with developmental and intellectual disabilities [and] those that are suffering from mental health issues and substance abuse issues.”

It’s worth noting that in Senator Akshar’s NYS Senate District, over 80% of incarcerated individuals “have substance abuse and/or mental health disorders.”

The local advocacy group, PLOT, reached out to Senator Akshar to ask how denying disabled inmates fair compensation for their labor would benefit their circumstances, or the circumstances of taxpayers. At the time of this writing, the Senator has not replied.

Fred Akshar clarifies to his constituents that he does not support slavery.

Senator Akshar is no stranger to controversy.

In November, a write-in campaign challenging his re-election bid resulted in an unlikely runner-up — Salladin Barton, who was killed in Broome County Jail while Akshar was serving as Captain of Law Enforcement and Undersheriff.

And in July, it was reported that the Senator was having a sexual relationship with former staffer and current fiancée, Jessica Fiacco Williams, whose salary more than doubled during her time under Akshar.

-R.D.
The Benefits of Having an Ignition Interlock Device Installed on Your Vehicle
By: Mitchell Collins
Tags: Prison Reform

A new tool in the fight against DUI is ignition interlock devices or IIDs. This device is installed into a vehicle and acts just like the breathalyzer that the police give you, except if you are over the limit, your vehicle will not start. So far, twenty-nine states and Washington, DC have laws requiring the installation of an ignition interlock device for all DUI convictions. Many other states require the installation on subsequent convictions and a judge may order it if the DUI was particularly egregious or involved injuries or fatalities.

Do These Devices Keep Me Safe?

The professionals over at Alcolock say that a commonly asked question is, “How does an ignition interlock device improve my life after a DUI conviction?”

While it may seem invasive and it isn’t necessarily cheap, an ignition interlock device can improve your life in many ways.

Studies show that an ignition interlock device actually does help prevent repeat DUI offenders. When your car doesn’t start, it makes it hard to drive. Even more, studies show that it also helps to reduce deaths caused by those who drive while intoxicated. A study performed by the University of Pennsylvania found that states that require mandatory installation for all offenders saw a 15% drop in DUI-related deaths.

The study, which was a first of its kind, was published just as the Governor of Pennsylvania signed into law a requirement that all people convicted of a DUI get the devices installed. The study looked at the specific impact of ignition interlock devices and DUI crash death outcomes.

What About Repeat Offenses?

Another study looked at the effectiveness of the interlock device into preventing repeat offenses. This study found that when required to install IID devices, first-time offenders were 60% less likely to commit another offense. This study reinforced previous studies that indicated that IID devices lowered the chances of a repeat DUI conviction by 65%.

Other Perks?

An ignition interlock device can improve your life by enabling you to keep your driving privileges, even if they are limited. Some states that don’t have mandatory IID installation laws offer powerful incentives for installing one. These incentives can include allowing for a restricted license, such as the ability to drive to and from work or school. It can also significantly reduce the total amount of time that your license may be suspended.

Using an IID device can also help to show your loved one and the authorities that you are willing to make an effort to stop driving while drunk in the future. A DUI is a serious mistake, but you can put loved one’s minds at ease by having it installed and complying with the IID laws in your state. This can go a long way to earning back the respect and trust that a DUI can cost you.

Being convicted of a DUI can be serious and life-altering. However, with the installation of an ignition interlock device, you can get your life back on track sooner and, depending on your state, you could get fewer penalties by agreeing to use one.
A private prison corporation just revealed where the industry is headed
By: Jeremy Mohler
Tags: Politics, Criminal Justice, Racism, Trump, Prison Reform

The $5 billion-dollar private prison industry continues to boom during the Trump administration.

We all know about its role in helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) separate families and lock up asylum seekers. But what else are the two big corporations CoreCivic and GEO Group up to?

Luckily, CoreCivic, which used to be Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), released its latest financial results to shareholders last week. There were some interesting, and quite telling, reveals.

They are actively marketing their now-empty prison facilities to multiple states that have “significant prison infrastructure needs,” including Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Oklahoma.

They anticipate a new deal with Puerto Rico to be awarded to them “at any time.”

As expected, they are banking on “emerging needs” from ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service, which locks up both federal and immigration offenders.

They bragged about their December 2018 acquisition of Recovery Monitoring Solutions Corp., a company that provides electronic monitoring and case management services to municipal, county, and state governments in Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Minnesota.

They are vying for Alabama’s upcoming three-prison deal, hoping to convince Gov. Kay Ivey to sign a “public-private partnership.”

Confused? What’s a public-private partnership have to do with building prisons?

Well, both CoreCivic and GEO Group want to be landlords. Literally. In the update to investors, CEO Damon Hininger describes CoreCivic as a “diversified real estate investment trust specializing in delivering government real estate solutions to serve the public good.”

This is because, as real estate investment trusts (REITs), they avoid tens of millions of dollars a year in taxes. In recent years, both corporations have been pushing their own private financing (“public-private partnerships”) to cities and states like Kansas who want to keep taxes low (mostly for the wealthy and corporations) but also build new infrastructure.

Finally, they boasted about their overall success: “Over the past five years, we have maintained an average contract retention rate of 95% at our own facilities.”

That’s not good for those of us who think the private prison industry shouldn’t exist. But what they didn’t mention is that those fighting to get profit out of criminal justice and immigration are as loud as ever.

Bills to ban private prisons have been introduced in California, Georgia, and Minnesota.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is calling on public pensions to divest.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants congressional hearings with executives from banks like Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase to question them about their role in financing private prisons.

And Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders weighed in this week with a video on private prison industry campaign contributions.
Technically Justice. What role should technology play in…
By: Amber Westerholm-Smyth
Tags: Legaltech, Justice, Prison, Technological Transition, Prison Reform

In prison, all borrowing is “double bubble”. That first night, when your liberty and material possessions have been stripped from you; you have nothing that is truly yours. Life in prison is empty and within its echoey halls, basic personal possessions do not just become rare luxuries but pure currencies. If you borrow a shower gel, vape or teabag, you pay back with double what you borrowed. It’s a long-standing and notorious feature of prison life, one well navigated by seasoned prisoners and a precarious initiation for first-timers. But there is another bigger double bubble that hangs over global justice practices. One with consequences that ripple beyond prison walls. One that could be conceivably resigning convicted offenders to a life of crime. This double bubble?

That the cost of your crime will be priced at the loss of not only physical liberty but your digital freedom too.

In most prisons across the world, from the start of their sentence to the end, a universal, blanket ban on digital access is enforced. No prisoner will be afforded legal, legitimate access to the open internet. For most of us, it is possible to imagine an hour, day, perhaps even a week without internet access but years?

Consider that a recently released individual who was sentenced to twenty years in 2000, could be seeing for the very first time: Amazon, Google, Gmail, GOV.UK, Zoopla, Online Banking, Kindles, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Yet on release, it’s anticipated that they will be able to re-integrate into a society where securing housing, jobs, financial status and even McDonald’s requires digital literacy.

Globally, most prisons remain one of the last systems where an entire infrastructure is run and maintained through the exchange of pieces of paper. This state of affairs is not necessarily due to neglect. Wiring up a prison in a secure and sensitive manner is no small task and one that often, rightly so, needs to be forfeited for more pressing and urgent needs. But as the social fabric of society gets further plugged into the digital grid, prisons are gradually becoming one of societies last digital deserts. Those locked in its clutch for years at a time, get further divorced from digital life on the outside and dislocated from re-integration.
Norway’s humane approach towards prison’s design
By: Shubhashish Sarkar
Tags: Prison Reform, Norway, Prison

Norwegians have this outlook that if an ex-prisoner comes and start living in their neighbourhood, they don’t want to live with the fear that a law-breaker is living amongst them, but they want to live normally and treat that person like a normal human being. This was the idea behind the Norwegian prison system.

How do these prisons look like

Any regular prison across the world will generally look similar if not the same. They are made such that they accommodate as many prisoners as they can. They are built with steel or any other metal with limited open spaces and greenery. When someone is sentenced a time to prison, they are expected to be reformed, to become a better citizen. But if the place where they live is this unmotivating to spend time, then how do we expect them to learn from their punishment?

Norway’s Halden prison

A look into Halden prison, one of Norway’s highest security jail, can confuse you. There are gyms, common areas, and separate bedrooms. If you look inside the rooms, you may think you are looking at an Ikea store setup or a hostel room. Each room in the prison has its own television with DVDs and movies, a bathroom, and clean sheets. Halden’s prison is the flagship amongst the prisons in the Norwegian justice system. And since its opening, it has acquired the title of the most humane prison in the world.

The prison rooms look like a tidy small apartment.

There are no barbed wires, instead, it is filled with greenery and even contemporary art. The construction materials include stones, glasses, and woods instead of only metal. This affects the acoustics as well.

Metals are more reflective whereas materials like wood aren’t. This results in lesser noise in the complex.

Also, materials like metals block the sunlight making the indoors darker and colder. Not just that Norwegian prisons are quieter compared to other prisons where you can see inmates fighting or banging the prison bars. This happens due to the proper planning while designing of the prison complex.
“Repurposing” the Jail
By: Pa Student Power
Tags: Allegheny County, No New Jails, Pittsburgh, End Cash Bail, Prison Reform

In what new skin will the old snake come forth?

A Collective Statement from the Bukit Bail Fund, HRC Fed Up, the PA Student Power Network, Casa San Jose, SisTers PGH, Prisoner Justice & Whistleblower Support Campaign, Pitt Prison Outreach, and Community Members:

On Thursday, December 5, The University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics is hosting a forum, titled “Repurposing Jails to Meet 21st Century Community Needs”, at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown. The forum’s purported aim is to stimulate local discussions about “the best use of the Allegheny County jail to preserve public safety while enhancing fairness, improving outcomes and reducing costs.”

Their rhetoric, along with the some of the invited speakers, is in conflict with the goals the forum claims to seek. Some of the very people that assisted in developing a plan to build more jails in New York City without the promise of closing Rikers are being given a platform to inform the future of Allegheny County. Decades of research show that incarceration does not contribute to the safety and wellness of communities. In fact, incarceration leads to the insecurity of families and communities, and does nothing to reduce “crime”.

Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) is notorious for high rates of death — from medical neglect; physical/mental abuse; uncare for people with mental illness; mold infestations; sexual assaults — particularly of trans prisoners; widespread and arbitrary use of solitary confinement; shackling of pregnant women; neglect of disabled prisoners; and countless other human rights abuses. These abuses speak not only to the culture and policies of ACJ but the function of the jail itself.

Attempts to “repurpose” jails and find different ways to confine people are neither bold nor new. They reflect the ideologies and practices that have long been used to expand the carceral system. Jail reform has always been marketed as an attempt to create more humane jails but has only succeeded in diverting more money for incarceration. It is beyond high time to try a new approach.
Gladiator School: Stories from Inside California’s Most Violent Juvenile Prison “The only way out"
By: David William Reeve
Tags: Gangster Culture, Gangs, Criminal Justice, Crime, Prison Reform

I remember my mom sent me Tres Flowers Hair Grease because I used to comb my hair back. After I took my shower, I couldn’t find my hair grease. Somebody went inside my locker and stole my Tres Flowers! They were putting me to a test to see if I was going to snitch. I’m looking around, but nobody knows nothing. I didn’t want to fight and get more time but I had to do something.

Before we go to eat dinner, we go to the living room to watch TV for an hour. Everybody’s watching TV and I’m sitting on the couch. I’m a small guy, so I push the couch under the TV and reach up to turn it off.

“Whoever stole my Tres Flowers — fuck yer mom, fuck yer dead homies.”

This cholo guy rushed me and started fighting. I was sent to the hole, but I earned my respect. Adrián isn’t a snitch. I fought like a man.

When I was in the hole, it was dark. I couldn’t see outside, but they can see in. When I went to the shower, the officer setting up my food spit in it. I refused to eat. They put a sign on my door that said I refused to eat. I wanted to speak to the superintendent.

“It’s not right what’s happening!”

They sent in a psychiatrist who asked, “How come you’re not eating, Adrián?”

“I’m not eating because there’s a lot of things happening, and I don’t know who to talk to.” I told him everything that I’d seen. He told the officers what I said. Now the officers turn against me and told another inmate that I was a snitch for what I told the psych. So I’m showering and this other inmate started hitting me, so I defended myself. Instead of him helping me out, the psych made it worse. I went three days without eating.

They put me in the observation room where there is a camera. I needed some toilet paper to use the bathroom and I knocked on the door, calling for the C.O.

“You knock on the door one more time I’ll beat your ass. I’ll give you the toilet paper when I want to, not when you need it.”

I was a little bit scared. “I need to use the bathroom; it’s an emergency.”

I knocked again for my toilet paper. He turned the camera monitor off and came inside and started hitting me. He was a big officer. He punched me in my ribs. Here I am 14 years old. They cuffed my legs to the concrete bed with my arms extended. A doctor came in to be sure my cuffs were not too tight. My legs were hurting. There were marks on my legs. They left me like that for two days in the hole.

I got a visit from my mom.

“Mom, can you get a lawyer? You need to get a lawyer.”

My mom was really worried. She called Youth Authority and said, “if something happens to my son, I’m going to sue you guys.” They called from Sacramento and they transferred me. I went to Camp Karl Holton and it was more peaceful. From there I went to Ventura. I felt I wasn’t going to see all the violence that I had seen before, but it was worse.
Free Amy
By: Rhonda Montera Barnhisel
Tags: Prison Reform, Injustice, Wrongful Conviction, Amy Locane

You may know Amy Locane from season one of “Melrose Place,” the iconic John Waters’ film, “Cry Baby,” or any number of films in her IMDB credits. I know Amy as my friend from high school. We met when we were 15 and friends ever since.

In more recent years, you may know Amy Locane from her legal troubles, bandied about in online news outlets.

Here’s the timeline:

- June 27, 2010 — Driving while intoxicated, Amy was involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident.

- November 2012 — Amy was convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter, sentenced to 3 years in NJ State Women’s Prison

- June 2015 — Amy was released on parole. Immediately after her release, her husband filed for divorce and custody of their two daughters

- July 2020 — NJ Appeals Court ruled her initial sentencing was insufficient/inappropriate and in September of 2020, Amy was re-sentenced to serve 8 years in NJ State Prison.

The pieces that are missing from this timeline are that Amy served her time, has been rehabilitated and a productive person in society. Amy takes complete responsibility for her actions on that fateful night. June 27, 2010 was the last time she had an alcoholic beverage. Since her release from prison in 2015, Amy has made it her mission to speak to kids as a cautionary tale. She takes her sobriety seriously. She has also spent many years repairing the relationship lost with her daughters while in prison and regaining their trust that “Mom isn’t going anywhere. I’m here for you and with you.” And now, all of this has been stripped away. Amy is back in prison. Her daughters are suffering again. The family who lost their loved one in that horrible accident seem intent on revenge, not justice.

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2021/mar/10/to-get-thrown-back-in-jail-its-cruel-the-legal-nightmare-of-actor-amy-locane

We can all agree: drinking, driving, loss of life… horrible, horrific, tragic, senseless.

But I ask the question: how can we keep nailing Amy to the cross? While some may think the original sentencing was too lenient, and maybe it was, but it was the court-ordered sentencing and Amy served her time. How is it possible that she is re-sentenced for the same crime, and forced to serve time again in prison, for a crime which she had already been sentenced and time served?

I thought there was something called, “double jeopardy.” That you couldn’t be re-tried and re-sentenced for the same crime. Apparently, not in the state of New Jersey.

I’m putting this out into the social media universe because this is worthy of attention. Amy and this injustice are worth your time and attention. Her daughters are worth your time and attention. And everyone who has come before her and after suffering the same injustice, are worth your time and attention.

Please share this with everyone you know. Please follow her story. Please keep her family in your prayers.

I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read this.
Lil Nas X’s Liberation Is Yours
By: Kendra Bozarth
Tags: Gen Z, Justice, Prison Reform, Liberation, Lil Nas X

Born in 1989, I arrived a few moons too soon to be part of Gen Z. But damn, bearing witness to y’all is magic. Young people are transforming the world in nearly immeasurable ways that will not only secure a better tomorrow but that also demand freedom — of expression, from oppression, for all — today.

For me, no one embodies this more than Lil Nas X.

A shot from the “Industry Baby” music video, choreographed by Sean Bankhead.

He’s “just functioning at an entirely different level,” said Black List founder Franklin Leonard, following the latest ceiling-smashing release from the rap and pop star. Prison-themed, the music video for “Industry Baby” speaks volumes to the intricacies of America’s defining feature: injustice.

Injustice within the American prison system and almost every other institution. Injustice against Black LGBTQ+ people and other structurally marginalized groups. Generational, ongoing, exhausting, murderous injustice. This makes his Bail X Fund, the accompanying fundraiser for the Bail Project, all that much more powerful. Lil Nas X is naming the bullshit, and he’s created a collective opportunity to do something about it.

“Music is the way I fight for liberation. It’s my act of resistance,” he said. “I also know that true freedom requires real change.” But that’s the thing: Lil Nas X’s art is the real change.

By day, I write and edit to end racial capitalism and bring about economic equality for people of color. Always, though, I am driven by the belief that winning liberation — fully realized — will mean that everyone can live free, safe, and secure as their truest selves.

From redefining the yeehaw agenda through “Old Town Road” to pole-dancing his latex-cladded ass on down to hell and claiming Satan’s throne in “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil Nas X is blasting through barriers. But more than that, he’s owning his identity — and trolling the bigots, racists, and basics along the way — without mercy or remorse.

When it comes to US policy and politics, I often cry for what I know Black and brown children have to endure. With Lil Nas X, I rejoice for what Black and brown children can celebrate, especially within themselves.

The night before the release of “Industry Baby,” Lil Nas X posted an iPhone note he wrote to his younger, 20-year-old self: “I need you to realize that you have the opportunity to be the person that you needed growing up,” he said. “And I need you to remember that the only person who has to believe in YOU is YOU.”

Lil Nas X is, for many reasons, the person I needed growing up. And he’s helping me actualize that person for myself. This is how you empower. This is how you uplift. This is how you heal the world.

In just two years of dominating the public sphere, there’s already so much to unpack when it comes to Lil Nas X and his joyful, ambitious, and thoughtful demonstration of liberation.

I don’t know about you, but I’m rooting for Lil Nas X. I’m rooting for him because I’m rooting for you. Because I’m rooting for us.
In Support Of More California Prison Reform
By: David Crane
Tags: Prison Reform, California, Politics, Budget

Nearly five decades ago, elected officials in California started enacting sentencing laws that rapidly filled the state’s prisons. Only in the last decade did that process start to reverse. Effecting political change is not for people with short attention spans.

Momentum for reform continues and GFC has been pleased to support organizations like Smart Justice leading that charge. Last year we backed SB 136, a bill to reduce sentencing enhancements. This year we support a reform to reduce parole periods. For years we have called for prison closures and were pleased to see Governor Newsom propose one such closure in his January budget. We hope the legislature agrees, though we would count only actual closures, not a schedule for announcing potential closures, as achievement of that goal. We have also called for the reform of expensive insurance (OPEB) subsidies for retired state employees that, just in the case of state prison guards, would save ~$300 million per year and eliminate ~$10 billion of debt while still providing large subsidies to retired prison guards.

Long time GFCers often recall to my embarrassment that when GFC launched nine years ago I thought it would take just 5–10 new legislators to transform the legislature into a representative of the general interest. I was wrong, and as we have written many times in the years since then — and as prison reformers have shown — it also takes persistence over a long period of time and recognition by legislators that supporters of the general interest can be just as dogged as special interests.
Sorry, but all the gibberish and double-talk cannot obscure the plain-English meaning of “Defund…
By: Caleb Mars
Tags: Race, Police, Criminal Justice, Broken Windows, Prison Reform

Sorry, but all the gibberish and double-talk cannot obscure the plain-English meaning of “Defund the Police”. If it means anything, it means reduce the budget of the police department to zero.

I respectfully disagree. I think police funding needs to increase. The increase would fund more personnel, more videocams, better training, and upgrades in equipment and software. This should be coupled with revisions in policy, supervision, and command and control protocols all aimed at reducing the number of officer caused fatalities. At the same time, we need to try hard to reduce the crime rate in low income neighborhoods. This could entail reversing changes in the legal system, bail, sentencing, and penal systems that are putting more violent criminals out on the street. In our debate about defunding the police, we are losing track of the purpose of the police. Blacks are being murdered by criminals at a high rate. There were over 2,900 Blacks murdered in 2018. More police funding is needed to lock up the violent criminals, protect the law-abiding, and reduce the number of murders.
An Emotional Story thru Time
By: Kyle Hannah
Tags: Prison Reform, Call Center, Recidivism, Prison

A story filled with Emotion, a clear Purpose and a Brighter Future for all involved.

It was the Summer of 2015 and Casey Hannah had a Vision to change the way prisons operated in the USA. Casey was an Entrepreneur and Visionary and had a huge Heart to serve others through his wisdom and can do attitude.

Coming from a life of drugs and crime in his early 20’s, Casey turned his life around and discovered his passion for serving people who made a mistake. A mistake which with it, came consequences, took responsibility for it and showed a desire to improve their life.

According to recent statistics, over 2.3 million people are incarcerated in the USA and on average 700,000 of those people are released back into normal society each year.

In starting Underguard Services, Casey could start his journey thru time to have that positive impact on others.

Through Underguard, Casey would partner with correctional facilities, setup call centers, put America back to Work, which America? The under-served and often forgotten ones.

This would accomplish three important factors:

Reduce the Recidivism Rate (some states it is high as 82%) Reduce tax payer liability thru decreasing our countries overcrowded prisons Reduce crime rates thru empowering inmates with job and communication skills, increasing self-esteem and self image.

It‘s a can’t lose program for those involved directly and the surrounding communities.

This is the kind of man Casey Hannah was. Caring, Generous and Driven to make a difference for this population.

May God rest his soul. 10–19–2018.
2020, a review in photography from the B-Guy.
By: Alex Tetreault
Tags: Covid, Politics, 2020, Ottawa, Year In Review

So, as the other photographer working in the Prime Minister’s Office, how do you follow up after this? What’s the point, really?

I did want to go through the exercise, if only for my own personal benefit of reviewing my work and seeing how to improve for 2021, but I debated even publishing it, nevermind the fact that I’m also more than a month late on this, for various reasons…

The nature of my work does differ from Scotti’s a bit. While his job is to tell the story of the Prime Minister, mine is to back him up when needed, but when not, I try to tell the story of the government as a whole. There’s a lot of work to be done there, but well, 2020 happened.

As the year moved from crisis to crisis, Scotti had to take time off early in the year for a new mini-Scotti, giving me a few weeks following the Prime Minister around, soon after which the pandemic quickly took over our lives. Let’s just say that it became a lot harder to move from minister to minister and tell stories beyond outdoors announcements.

Thus, below is also a collection of 150+ images of my year. The selection is a mixture of storytelling and images I liked. A month late. Because COVID life… (Files are big, and it appears Medium doesn’t compress, so the load time might be long… Highly recommended on a computer, but lesson learned for next time).
Reflections On A Tumultuous Year
By: Viktor Saint
Tags: College, 2020, Personal, Memories, Year In Review

Reflections On A Tumultuous Year

Well here I am, finally within reach of the minimum required credits for enrollment in the second year. Barely keeping my head above water in order to avoid a year of nothing, with my only requirement being to pass at least one of the four subjects, two of which I’ve repeatedly failed at, the other I’ve steadily avoided.

I’ve had the strangest summer yet, and not just because of the global pandemic. I’ve never had to shuffle with school for so long into the summer. So far, school used to encompass most of the week days throughout the year, pausing for holidays, weekends, a short winder break and an expansive three month summer break.

During these times I neither thought about nor did anything for the institution that would have domain over me until 18. But now university is different. The separation of work and play is no longer here. I’m constantly in a mixed state, always on the fringe of going back to school mode.

I barely passed my first year. Now, I’ve spent the first two weeks of school traveling around, in one country for private reasons in another because that’s where my college is. I only went to two physical classes, because I only stayed a week in my college town. I would have gone to two more, but my schedule got messed up and I missed them. Then I left, convinced that it was currently useless to stay there and it wouldn’t last.

I turned out to be right, since the next weekend the whole country shut down. Turns out you can’t just pretend a global pandemic doesn’t exist, while carrying on. Now I’m back in my state. Back in my home. Back with my family. Back in my old life.

Now I’m staring down at the beginning of another week of school, all new material raxi g ahead of me.
My 2019 Annual Review
By: Humainat Raji
Tags: Growth, Yearly Review, Review, Student Life, Year In Review

After a lot of contemplations, I have finally decided to write a review about 2019. It’s funny I started my 2018 review with the same line but I couldn’t pull through with putting it out here. So, here we go :)

2018 Review. I couldn’t publish it but I wrote it down in my journal.

Inspired by James Clear’s yearly review questions, I’ll review the year with three questions.

What went well this year?

Looking back now, I wonder how I overlooked all the things I achieved in 2019.

300 level results came out… It was Awesome!

For somehow who battled with a lot of issues in a year, I surprised myself with how I performed! I was moved to tears and only people who are really close to me, people who don’t whine me when I talk about my struggles, will understand why. Combining school activities with extra curriculum activities took a toll on my general well being. My roommates can testify to the number of sleepless nights I had. My floormates thought I lived in the reading room. I’m grateful everything turned out well in the long run.

I became an NHEF Scholar

After I saw Temilade Adelakun and Oluflourish Emmanuel posts on LinkedIn in 2018 about their experience as an NHEF scholar, I included it as part of my goals for the year. You can read about my experience at the boot camp, I made lots of friends across the country who we still talk on a day to day level. Temilade Adelakun and Oluflourish Emmanuel, I’m grateful for your help.

A babe… I stand.

I became a Microsoft Scholar

Even though I’m yet to get the monetary value for this scholarship, I’m so happy I got it. It came in at a point when I needed something to validate my abilities. I poured my heart into the essays and I shed some tears when the congratulatory mail came in.

Beyond The Stereotypes

I started this club with some awesome group of friends and I’m amazed at what we’ve achieved together. We went all out. Out of our elements, beyond the stereotypes. At the launch of the community, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the attendees and guest lecturers. We did this! BTS Executives, you are the best!
Harlem Capital — 2019 Year in Review
By: Harlem Capital
Tags: Diversity, Venture Capital, Harlem Capital, Year In Review

Brandon Bryant, Gabby Cazeau, Kelly Goldstein, Henri Pierre-Jacques, Jarrid Tingle

HCP Network,

We had a busy January, but wanted to still update you on 2019 and give some insight to our 2020 plans.

2019 was truly a special year as we officially closed HCP Fund I at $40.3mm. It was an 18 month journey that taught us many lessons and we are excited to be well-positioned to back women and minority entrepreneurs with $500k-$1mm investments. We expanded the team by hiring two Senior Associates, Gabby Cazeau and Kelly Goldstein. They both came through our intern program and we couldn’t be more grateful to have them join the HCP family.

Here are some additional highlights from 2019:

Deals:

HCP 2019 new investments

We made 7 new investments and 2 follow-ons in 2019

2019 deal flow was up 2.1x and we had an investment rate of 0.9%

51% of our deals were sourced as inbounds from management leading to 43% of our investments coming directly from management. We continue to believe that strong founders are outside of our network

Our investments span across NYC (2), LA (2), Salt Lake City, Boston and Atlanta. They represent 6 industries: HR Tech (2),Wellness, FinTech, D2C, Healthcare and Logistics

43% of our investments were in female founders

We plan to make 10–12 investments in 2020, see details on our investment criteria page

Branding:

Intern Program:

We completed 3 intern classes in 2019, receiving 700 applications and hiring 19 interns, 2.7% acceptance rate

We recently launched our 7th intern class for Winter 2020 and our Summer 2020 application opens March 4th

We are focused on building a strong diverse investor community as our intern alums are the future investors

2020 Updates & Outlook:

We have started Harlem Capital’s first public newsletter — please subscribe

The Harlem Capital Harvard Business School cases Part A and Part B are now available

As of January 2020, our Venture Partner John Henry is no longer with the firm. We thank him for all of his contributions and wish him much gratitude and success

Harlem Capital’s first “More Equity” Pitch Competition will be held in Harlem on April 22nd

We will be releasing more content and hosting more events in 2020

We are excited and focused more than ever. Thank you all for your continued support.

To stay up to date on Harlem Capital news, subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Regards,

Harlem Capital Team
BNI Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Panel — A Year in Review
By: Bni Dei Panel
Tags: Year In Review

The DEI Panel formed in July 2020 under the leadership of Claudia Thompson. The panel is comprised of Core and Franchise leaders and Members.

The Panel is comprised of four subcommittees:

HR/Business Ops

Training

Marketing/Communications

3+1

Top 5 Accomplishments in Our First Year

Monthly DEI Webinar, “DEI PanelDiscussion.” Visit our BNITeamUSA YouTube channel for previous webinars. The BNI US President Dan Haggerty and DEI Head Claudia Thompson received DEI Leadership Certificates from Cornell University. A Director Training guide: 3+1 guide book to DEI was created to teach Directors how to launch and fill chapters in diverse markets. The guide will be ready for distribution during the 2021 fall Leadership Team Training. The Panel partnered with the BNI Global Marketing team to review creative assets (photography, imagery, websites, etc.) to add diversity in images and messaging. DEI Content was added to the US National Conference featuring diverse speakers. The training subcommittee is creating trainings on: Exploring Unconscious Bias; Micro-Triggers and Micro-Aggressions; Beyond Race and Gender; Why Inclusion is Important; and The Power of Authenticity.

Example of our Monthly Panel Discussion Marketing Assets — this was our May 2021 Session w/ Chair Claudia Thompson & US President Dan Haggerty

Join us next month on the September DEI Panel Discussion as we discuss gender identity and pronouns. Register here.

Are you interested in serving on the DEI panel for the upcoming year? Click here to submit an application. Limited spots available.

For more information, please contact Claudia Thompson, claudiathompson@bni.com.
A Year in Review: Design Co 2018–2019
By: Design Co
Tags: UX, Design Co, Design, Ucsd, Year In Review

A Year in Review

This past school year marked another jam-packed year for us as we continued to inspire and encourage students toward a life in design. We wanted to focus on creating experiences where students can use their classroom knowledge. To do so, we continued last year’s successful Design Frontiers, a day-long design sprint, included more interactive activities in General Body Meetings (GBMs), and organized UC San Diego’s first-ever design-centric career fair.

Skill-based workshops

Throughout the year, we organized a series of workshops on a variety of subjects to help students sharpen their skill set. This ranged from different prototyping softwares to basics of visual design, to user research methods, and more!

Visual Design Workshops

Good user experience involves good use of visual design, which exceeds more than just the aesthetic. Visual design in HCD is a combination of creativity with relevant imagery elements that convey certain emotions. Many of our members have a strong background in design thinking, but since HCD is also about the clever use of visual elements, we held a range of visual design workshops to help students have keener eyes when designing.

We led many theory-based and interactive workshops on visual design. We organized a workshop on design composition and colors in the Fall, and one on the use of typography in the Winter. In Spring, we showed students a more creative use of visual design through motion design with our Adobe After Effects workshop.

Understanding Users

Designers must first understand their users in order to create a good product. To better implement user research methods taught in class, we invited Sony representatives to demonstrate their experience with storyboarding. This active workshop allowed students to create their own storyboard based on Sony products. From this workshop, students understood the importance of understanding the users before heading into a design.
22–23
By: L A S M I
Tags: Self Improvement, Self-awareness, Birthday, Journal, Year In Review

Work, work, work, …, work.

I am quite lucky to get a job even before officially graduating. Like… the interview process until the first day of job only spans within a week. Thanks, personal networking!

But I guess my whole year resolves a lot in this place where I am working. The work environment keeps changing, though, even though I work in the same company throughout the year. The people come and go, the stage of the company grow, along with the expectations.

For me, I experienced change of division, job function, and my position in the company structure. My teammates also change a lot. Even my office is relocated! I cannot disclose much here, but yeah. I never knew that startup is this ever-changing (so naive!).

Being a newbie is both a good thing and bad thing at once. Good thing as I don’t have predefined expectation towards the rhythm of work so I don’t really be demanding. Bad thing because my definition of well-functioning work culture is being broken.

Culture changes significantly. I never imagined I would work with expats. I was not even confident with my English conversational skills. But the situation kinda forced me, hence I am now more confident in talking and writing in English. Wow.

It feels surprising. It feels insane. I feel alone. It is frustrating, even until now.

Until now, I don’t know how to resolve this, though. But I am sure I did my best for it — I hope so.

As described with these events that I attended:

TIA Conference and other work-related workshops

We need to line up before being able to enter

This was the first time I have ever gone to a non-academic conference. It was exciting! I found a lot of new things that I am interested in. I took so many photos of the slides and note them down because I found most of the information new and interesting.

I went there with a new friend that I found several weeks before (surprisingly he also had the ticket) and explored the venue. Sometimes we discussed interesting thing that the speakers mentioned, argue, or just added each other’s sentences. It feels awesome.

Good thing, I then have the stocks of insights related to startup when I do need them afterwards. I should thank my old self, lol. Hoarding is kinda useful, guys.

I also attended lotsa workshops. I feel confused and unsure about things at work, but doing nothing did not result in anything meaningful. So yeah, I sought for knowledge and skills outside. And because I was particularly new in this field, I just went everywhere to clench my thirst of knowledge.
Designing a Year In Review
By: Kayla Scheidel
Tags: Animation, Restaurant, Design, How To, Year In Review

How we brought life to the page

After being supplied with the illustrations we would be utilizing for the year in review, I started to imagine how they could be brought to life. We decided that having all the illustrations animated would be too busy, so I was tasked with animating only six of them. Since all of our statistics from the year were focused on our customer’s websites, the illustrations showcasing them were mostly menu items.

My initial approach for this type of animation is to separate the files out into layers in Illustrator so they are easier to manipulate in After Effects. When doing this it is important to envision how the animation should function so you know exactly how to divide up the file. For example, I imagined that an appropriate animation for the salad illustration would be to have it toss itself. For this, I had to separate the toppings of the salad from the lettuce and the bowl. Then all that was left to do was animate the ingredients tossing up and falling down at different intervals in a seamless loop.