• Need-to-Know News: Aug. 5, 2011

    August 05, 2011

    Updates from Us

    • Mayor Bloomberg announced a package of initiatives this week incorporating policy changes we have long advocated to lower barriers to reentry. Read our full statement for all the details on these exciting changes!
    • In the latest from our WISH-NY project, a new crop of young advocates fighting HIV; a letter to the schools chancellor urging better sex education; and a graduation celebration for the seasoned fifth class. Check out the full update on the WISH website! (At right, a happy scene from the Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition graduation.)

    Headlines on Our Issues

    State National

    • In a victory for HIV prevention, new federal health guidelines require health plans to provide annual coverage without cost-sharing for HIV counseling and screening for all women who are sexually active.
    • New federal figures show that despite years of progress in treatment, the number of new HIV infections has remained at 50,000 a year in the United States for a decade.
    • A report from the Sentencing Project finds that at least 13 states have closed or are considering closing correctional facilities this year -- with New York leading the way -- reversing a 40-year trend of prison expansion.
    • A third of California's 58 counties account for the majority its incarcerated population, according to a new study, which proposes that the state use new metrics to decide how much funding those counties receive for incarceration.
    • In related news, the majority of California's inmates were charged under its "second-strike" law.
    • A Time magazine column examines the importance of protecting people with criminal records from discrimination in hiring in light of the EEOC's recent hearing on the issue.
    • With a shift toward more research-based training programs and treatment, Utah has seen its recidivism rate drop nearly 19 percent over the past decade -- marking the second biggest improvement in the country.

    From Our Partners

    • The Rutgers School of Law is hosting its Federal Prisoner Reentry Conference on Sept. 15 in Camden, NJ. Registration is free, and CLE credit is available.
    • Our partners at the Think Outside the Cell Foundation have opened registration for their free symposium, "A New Day, a New Way," happening Sept. 24 in New York. Follow this link to register now for the event, which will feature Rev. Al Sharpton, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow," among others.
    • Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare will be celebrating recovery at its second annual Recovery Walk/Run on Sept. 28. Follow this link to sign up.
    • The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has launched a new web page devoted to behavioral health and HIV/AIDS issues; take a look now!
    • Congrats to the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) on its $1.1 million SAMHSA grant to help states improve services delivery systems and care to treat substance use disorders.