Internet Resources

These links are provided for informational purposes.  Their inclusion should not be interpreted as an endorsement by Partakers of the content or the specific platforms they advance.

General

www.partakers.org : Partakers’ web site, where you can find event listings, contact information, legislative updates, and more.

http://www.mass.gov/doc/ : official website of the MA Department of Corrections. Prison directions, visiting hours, dress codes, etc.

http://www.mcls.net/ : Mass Correctional Legal Services, a prisoner civil rights law firm. They accept collect calls from prisoners regarding rights violations.

Facts and Figures

http://www.prisonsucks.com/ : Despite its name, this site is a valuable clearinghouse of statistics and research studies on practically every facet of criminal justice. Its factsheets are useful for preparing handouts and public education literature.

http://www.gangsandkids.com/gstats.html : Statistics on crime, gangs, and contributing factors.

Advocacy and Criminal Justice policy

http://www.cjpc.org/ : Criminal Justice Policy Coalition, a policy center based in Boston. Many informative articles about MA criminal justice policy, including analysis and assessment of the 2005 legislation.

http://www.sentencingproject.org/ : The Sentencing Project. Provides policy analysis and research.

http://www.cjpf.org/ : Criminal Justice Policy Foundation.

http://www.prisonpolicy.org/ : Prison Policy Initiative, another policy center based in Western MA.

Blogs

http://wjin.typepad.com/reentry_blog/ : Blog on prisoner re-entry issues. Updated regularly, and searchable for sub-categories such as Education, Mental Health, etc.

http://www.talkleft.com/ : Blog on the politics of crime. Updated constantly. 

http://www.postcardsfromprison.com/prisonblog.php : Updated less frequently. Information on prison issues in the UK and US.

Other Organizations and Programs

http://www.pfi.org/ : Prison Fellowship International, a global association of prison fellowships that seek to mobilize and assist the Christian community in its ministry to prisoners, ex-prisoners, victims, and their families.

http://www.bpf.org/html/current_projects/prison_program/prison_program.html : Buddhist Peace Fellowship’s Prison Program.

http://www.prisonbookprogram.org/ : Prison Book Program, a grassroots organization that is located in Quincy, MA, and has been sending free books to prisoners since 1972.

http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/prisondiaries/ : Information and excerpts from the NPR series Prison Diaries: An Intimate Portrait of Life Behind Bars.

http://www.theprisonfilmproject.com/ : first major national initiative devoted to examining the portrayal of prison in narrative film and television drama.

Mandatory Minimums/Drug Sentencing

http://www.famm.org/ : Families Against Mandatory Minimums. Information and action alerts.

http://www.dpfma.org/home/ : Drug Policy Forum of MA. State-level information, events, legislative tracking.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/homepage.cfm : Drug Policy Alliance. Information, a blog, and action alerts.  

CORI Issues

http://www.dlc-ma.org/Resources/cori.htm : CORI Reader, an excellent guide to CORI.

http://www.unionofminorityneighborhoods.org/cori.htm : MA Alliance to Reform CORI (MARC), a project of the Union of Minority Neighborhoods.

http://www.mlri.org/cori_project : MA Law Reform Institute’s CORI Project, which provides assistance and information to individuals.

Death Penalty

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/ : Death Penalty Information Center.

http://www.deathpenaltyreligious.org/ : People of faith organizing against the death penalty. An AFSC project.

Restorative Justice

http://www.restorativejustice.org/ : Online clearinghouse for restorative justice resources. Includes tutorials and other teaching materials. A project of Prison Fellowship International.

http://2ssw.che.umn.edu/rjp/ : Centre for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking, at the Univ. of Minnesota

http://www.justalternatives.org/ : Just Alternatives, a nonprofit committed to the advancement of promising practices in justice and corrections. Focused on victim offender dialogue (VOD).

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