• Need-to-Know News: Jan. 3-7, 2011

    January 07, 2011

    Updates from Us

    • The National Advocacy Campaign, a partnership between LAC and SAAS, released its January update this week. Follow this link to read the newsletter online, and join us in the campaign for better drug and alcohol policies.

    Headlines on Our Issues

    State

    • New York's new governor, Andrew Cuomo took a strong stance on criminal justice reform in his State of the State speech this week, calling for a move to close prisons and reform the state's juvenile justice system. The New York Times editorial board expressed support for Gov. Cuomo's tone on the matter, citing an analysis by our partners at the Correctional Association of New York and backing work-release programs as both safe and cost-effective. Meanwhile, Gov. Cuomo's position puts him at odds with Mayor Bloomberg, who has called for the state to relinquish control of juvenile facilities to local governments.
    • For the fist time since the 1980s, deaths from HIV in New York City have fallen below 1,000.
    • With deadlines approaching on the health insurance exchange portion of federal health care reform, a United Hospital Fund report examines key decisions that state policymakers face as they begin implementation.
    National

    • Newly in control of the House, Republicans have moved to repeal the health care reform package, though President Obama has vowed to veto any such legislation that reaches his desk.
    • Newt Gingrich and Pat Nolan took to the Washington Post op-ed page to call for support of the Right on Crime Campaign, a national movement urging states to reform their criminal justice systems. New York was featured prominently as a positive example, having cut its incarceration rate and crime simultaneously.
    • In a lawsuit against Kaplan Higher Education Corp., the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has taken a stand against the use of credit and criminal checks in job screenings.
    • Attorney General Eric Holder convened the first meeting of a Cabinet-level reentry council this week, starting the panes work to advance effective public safety and reentry strategies to reduce recidivism
    • In a vote of confidence for addiction treatment, a state senator in New Jersey has sponsored a bill that would reduce prison terms for people convicted of nonviolent crimes in exchange for their participation in a drug-treatment program.

    From Our Partners

    • The New York Times recently featured Larry Waldo, a Fortune Society worker and reentry success story, in its Neediest Cases campaign.
    • The New York City Bar Association will hold a panel discussion on Jan. 19 on the increase in conviction history questions for college applications. For more information about this event, and to register, follow this link.