All SAWProject

Compassionate Justice Goes Global: From Conversation to Action

Julie Truschel November 11, 2026

The recent ICPA conference in Belfast reinforced something I’ve been sensing for some time: there’s growing international interest in rethinking how we approach accountability, rehabilitation, and public safety. In a December 2025 SAW Project article, Compassionate Justice: The Smartest Investment We Can Make in Public Safety, I wrote about a belief that has guided much of my career: we can hold people accountable for their behavior while also creating opportunities

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Lived Experience of Hope and Healing at APPA 2025

Julie Truschel November 13, 2025

I had the genuine pleasure of being part of a deeply meaningful presentation at the 2025 American Probation & Parole Association (APPA) Training Institute in New York. Being in that room – surrounded by colleagues who care deeply about human dignity, meaningful reintegration, and the future of community supervision – reminded me why I do this work. It was an honor to facilitate this session featuring the powerful journey of

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Understanding Justice in Ghana – Made Simple and Accessible

Julie Truschel November 3, 2025

At the SAW Project, we believe that knowledge builds compassion. When people have access to clear, trustworthy information about how our justice systems work, they can become stronger advocates for fairness, dignity, and community well-being. That’s why we love seeing resources like this one from Ghana – because justice education should be accessible to everyone, not just legal professionals. Criminal Law Blog Ghana, in collaboration with Reduce Recidivism Ghana, has

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The Community Justice Overseas Territories Network: Connecting Probation Across Borders

Julie Truschel September 30, 2025

Building Bridges Across the Overseas Territories The Community Justice Overseas Territories Network (CJOT) was born from a simple but powerful idea: no probation professional should feel isolated in their work.  Across the fourteen British Overseas Territories (BOTs), nine have permanent populations and probation services: These services vary in size and scope, with many probation officers working alone. That reality sparked the creation of CJOT—a supportive network linking professionals across BOTs

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From Compliance to Connection: The New Era of Community Supervision

Julie Truschel June 23, 2025

The field of community supervision is in the midst of meaningful transformation. Around the globe, probation and parole systems are shifting away from compliance-driven models and toward supportive, person-centered approaches. This evolution reflects a growing understanding that public safety improves when people are given the tools, trust, and opportunities to succeed. At the heart of this shift are bold conversations and innovative practices—and that’s where our work with the Supervision

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Understanding Decarceration: A Shift in Criminal Justice Reform

Julie Truschel February 17, 2025

In my ongoing exploration of alternatives to incarceration, I recently came across the term decarceration. While I stay up to date on criminal justice terminology and the meaning seems clear from its parts, it wasn’t in my dictionary and I had never heard it used explicitly as the opposite of incarceration. So, where did it come from, and what exactly does it mean? The term decarceration first emerged in the

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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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🌟 Exciting Announcement: SAW Project Signs Partnership Agreement with the ICPA!

Julie Truschel June 3, 2024

The Supervision Around the World (SAW) Project is delighted to announce the signing of a partnership agreement with the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA). This agreement was signed in The Hague, Netherlands during the 6th World Congress on Probation and Parole, and represents a significant step forward in our shared mission to promote excellence, innovation, and best practices in the field of corrections. At the heart of the SAW

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David Byrne as Role Model

Julie Truschel December 7, 2020

David Byrne has become my role model.  Why?  Because along with creating the coolest music and musical performance EVER (in my humble opinion), he has created an amazing website for sharing ideas to improve our world called Reasons to Be Cheerful. His tagline?  “Because the world is full of better ways.”  In his own words: “I thought to myself, “If somebody else figures something out, if it has been tested, proven

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