LEGAL ACTION CENTER

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Need-to-Know News: June 10, 2011

June 10, 2011

Updates from Us

We hope you'll join us and the rest of the NY ATI/Reentry Coalition as we rally at City Hall on Monday for restored funding for these critical programs. Follow this link for the full action alert, and please pass it on!
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has cited LAC as a resource in its newly launched website dedicated to the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.

Headlines on Our Issues

State

Governor Cuomo's administration moved forward this week with its plan to lay off up to 9,800 state workers, setting July 15 as the date for the first wave of terminations.
State officials announced a plan this week to downsize or close eight juvenile justice facilities in the state, triggering an outcry from unions.
After more than 40 years, Baldwin Community House on Long Island is closing its doors after losing state funding.

National

As global leaders opened a summit on the HIV/AIDS epidemic at the United Nations, advocacy groups rallied this week to for increased UN funding to fight the disease.
With 17 states scaling back AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs), a church-based coalition is pushing back.
In the latest court development on the healthcare reform law, appellate judges in Atlanta began considering the constitutionality of the insurance mandate.
In the wake of a critical report, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy issued a statement stressing its movement away from a "war on drugs" mentality and its opposition to legalizing drugs, as the report suggested.
In related news, Jesse Jackson and the Drug Policy Alliance were among those citing the report in reiterating the call for an end the war on drugs.
With the proliferation of private companies offering background checks, some Utah residents are facing discrimination in hiring even after having their records expunged.
At a Chicago ATI program for women, participants go to drug treatment, take parenting classes, and live with their children at the center.
In light of California's crowded prisons, the San Bernardino County Sheriff is considering ATI programs including vocational training and treatment for drug addiction.
Meanwhile, officials say California may be in danger of violating the first Supreme Court-ordered deadline for cutting its prison population.
Maryland officials are reporting progress in treating inmates with chronic conditions such as HIV, hepatitis-C infections and diabetes, resulting in better health care and lower costs.

From Our Partners

Writer and activist Patrice Gaines, the keynote speaker at the 2010 National H.I.R.E. Network conference, writes in Yes! magazine of the difficulties of moving on after a conviction.
The next meeting of the New York Re-Entry Roundtable is happening June 15 at the Columbia University School of Social Work. To RSVP for the event, "Long-Termers: Parole Reform and Coming to Terms," please contact Gabriel Torres-Rivera at (212) 614-5306 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
The Fortune Society will be holding a "Know Your Rights" workshop on June 25 in Brooklyn. For more information, contact Yusuf Abdul-Wali at (345) 453-4921.