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Need-to-Know News: June 29, 2012

June 29, 2012

Join the National H.I.R.E. Network, the Sentencing Project and NELP on July 10 for the conference call "Advancing Reentry Reform in the States: Sharing 2011-2012 Accomplishments in Ohio and North Carolina." This free one-hour call is intended for elected officials, advocates, and others interested in learning more about what legislative reform campaigns have been successful and why. See the HIRE Network's full listing on the event for more information.

LAC applauded the U.S. Supreme Court's decision yesterday to uphold the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's healthcare reform legislation passed in 2010, which will ensure inclusion of substance use disorder and mental health coverage at parity in the essential health benefits that insurers must cover. Follow this link to read our initial statement on the ruling.
The New York Times published a letter last weekend from State Policy Director Tracie Gardner on the value of alternatives to incarceration and re-entry programs in keeping communities safer while saving money. Use this link to read the letter, a response to an editorial applauding many states' recent moves to cut sentences and prison spending.

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June 15, 2012

State

A report from the UK-based Centre for Justice Innovation cites New York -- and specifically its network of alternatives to incarceration and reentry programs -- as a lesson in crime-fighting.

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June 08, 2012

As U.S. House members weigh the Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012, LAC has submitted comments urging the Committee on Education and the Workforce to consider the needs of job-seekers with criminal records or addictions as they move forward. We will update you with any further developments on the legislation.
Fellow members of the New York ATI/Reentry Coalition held a rally last week at City Hall to urge city, state and federal leaders to increase funding for these critical programs. Learn more about the rally by reading the press release.

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June 01, 2012

State

With recent prison closings -- long urged by advocates and facilitated by decreasing crime and a shift toward alternatives to incarceration -- the state is attempting to sell its vacant properties.

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May 25, 2012

LAC Legal Director Sally Friedman is extensively quoted in the lead article of the May 28 edition of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly. The story details a friend-of-the-court brief -- filed by the Drug Policy Alliance on behalf of Cameron Douglas, son of the actor Michael Douglas, and signed by several addiction treatment authorities in addition to LAC -- that emphasizes the importance of methadone treatment behind bars. "The point of this effort is to educate a very influential court about the nature of opiate addiction and the nature of treatment with methadone and buprenorphine," Ms. Friedman says in the article. The brief has also been covered in:

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May 11, 2012

State

The New York Times editorial board expressed support for an Assembly bill that would bar city police officers from confiscating condoms from women suspected of prostitution and using them as evidence, citing condoms' crucial role in the fight against HIV.

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April 27, 2012

As we reported earlier this week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued new, forward-thinking guidance to employers on the use of criminal records in hiring decisions. Legal Action Center and its National H.I.R.E. Network applaud the new guidance, which is critical to ensuring a fair chance for qualified people with criminal histories to compete and participate in the labor market. Read our full press release for details.

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