Spare Change News

Tag: Prison

  • Did ‘Old School Justice’ Catch Up to Whitey Bulger?

    When I heard the news about James “Whitey” Bulger being savagely killed in his new prison in West Virginia, it came as no surprise.  For years he ratted on the New England Mafia to increase his own crime organization’s control of the Boston area. I grew up in New Jersey and started using cough syrup…

  • Reductions in Prison Population Lag for Women

    Prison populations are dropping in most states, but a new study finds that the number of incarcerated women is not falling as fast as it is for men. Nationally, the total prison population peaked around 2009. The study, compiled by the Prison Policy Initiative, shows that most states have made progress in reducing their overall…

  • At The Speed of Life

    I was late to graduation, just like I was late for everything. Flying down the right-hand lane on South Livingston Avenue, doing close to 90 miles an hour with my 1958 Plymouth Belvedere convertible top down, when I heard a police car hit the wailers and saw the lights in my rear-view mirror. I pulled…

  • College Classes for Prisoners: an Inclusive Approach

    [img_assist|nid=541|title=|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=400|height=400] Seth Kershner Spare Change News Whether he’s teaching prison inmates or college students, Lloyd Sheldon Johnson — a professor of behavioral science at Bunker Hill Community College — shows the same mix of care and concern that has been a mainstay of his teaching style for over 25 years. Having just finished writing an…