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One of the lesser discussed facts of prison life for women is the number of children who born into those circumstances. The Huron Valley Women's Correctional Facility is right in our backyard and there is a movement underway to make a difference for incarcerated women and the children they give birth to. It's called the Michigan Prison Doula Initiative. WEMU's David Fair learns more about the program and the difference it's making in his conversation with the initiative's board chair, Kate Stroud, and program director, Cara Genisio.
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A bill to expand access to medical parole in Michigan is going to the governor. Colin Jackson has more.
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Organizers are pushing state lawmakers to pass various criminal justice reform bills. Activists met in Lansing Tuesday. Colin Jackson has more.
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Michigan’s medically frail prisoners could see a greater chance at parole under a bill passed in the state Senate Tuesday. Colin Jackson has more.
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A Michigan petition to allow prisoners to reduce their time behind bars through good behavior won’t continue. It didn’t collect enough signatures to make it to the ballot by Wednesday's deadline. We hear more from Colin Jackson.
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A new state program will allow incarcerated mothers of newborns to send breast milk home for their babies. We have more from Rick Pluta.
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Taking part in education or work programs could allow Michigan prisoners to reduce their sentences under bills introduced Tuesday in the state Senate. Colin Jackson has more.
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Ypsilanti native Deshawn Leeth has spent most of his young life in and out of the juvenile justice system, and, by age 18, he was sent to prison. After his release, Leeth discovered there were very few resources to help him readjust to society, which led to create the nonprofit mentorship organization, "Underdawg Nation". Leeth talks about his experiences while incarcerated and his work with underserved youth with WEMU's Josh Hakala and Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale.
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Eastern Michigan University is helping some incarcerated people earn a degree while behind bars. It's an effort to reduce recidivism and help participants become productive members of society once released. WEMU's Josh Hakala and Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale talk about EMU's College in Prison program with its director, Meghan Lechner.
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It has been said that art doesn't just decorate our lives but gives us reason to live. For some inmates in a University of Michigan program, those words ring true. "Humanize the Numbers" is part of the U-M's Prison Creative Arts Project. The incarcerated are discovering creativity and learning about themselves, and the program is having an impact not only on the inmates, but on the students from Ann Arbor that work with them. The program is led by lecturer Isaac Wingfield. WEMU's David Fair spoke with Isaac and José Burgos, who participated in the program prior to his release from prison.