All Articles

Juneteenth and the American Criminal Justice System

Julie Truschel June 19, 2024

For over two centuries in America, millions of African Americans were subjected to brutal conditions under the institution of slavery. Even after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declaring all slaves free, many remained in bondage. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston and announced the end of slavery in Texas, that the last enslaved African Americans were

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The Importance of Alternatives to Incarceration

Julie Truschel April 8, 2024

At the SAW Project, we promote the sharing of successful community-based supervision practices that keep people out of jails and prisons, while still holding them accountable for misdeeds.  Research has shown that people can be effectively monitored in the community rather than be incarcerated.[1] Whether this supervision is prior to adjudication (pre-trial) or post-conviction (direct sentence/early release on probation/parole), these alternatives to incarceration are vital to sustainable corrections systems.  As

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Prioritizing Mental Health in Criminal Justice

Julie Truschel May 22, 2023

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to shedding light on the significance of mental health and advocating for increased understanding, support, and resources. While mental health is a critical aspect of overall well-being for everyone, its importance within the criminal justice system cannot be overstated. This blog post aims to explore the vital connection between mental health awareness and the criminal justice system, highlighting the challenges faced

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Japan’s Volunteer Probation Officers

Julie Truschel June 30, 2020

In 2015, I had the honor of speaking with a delegation of Probation Administrators from Japan and learning core elements of their community supervision practices.  One specific component that was very interesting to me dealt with their utilization of Volunteer Probation Officers. This article shares information specific to that model, as well as points that we may consider for application in our local operations.  To see the full article, as

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Improving Reentry from the Inside

Julie Truschel May 6, 2020

Today, I attended the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) Webinar: “Reducing Reoffending and Enabling Reintegration”, with Professor Fergus McNeill of the University of Glasgow, Scotland.  This talk was scheduled for presentation at the UN Crime Prevention Congress in Kyoto in April 2020, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Professor McNeill argued that, in order to reduce re-offending, it is crucial to enable reintegration and in fact, this

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