Break the Cycle: Proverbs 226
On August 11th, Changed Choices staff viewed a new documentary, Break the Cycle, from Proverbs 226. Proverbs 226 creates the positive momentum in a child’s life that opens doors, allows healing and drives change. The nonprofit began in 2012 with founder, Cyril Prabhu, working with men held at Kershaw Correctional in South Carolina, and has […]
Mental Health options
North Carolina’s mental health system is lacking psychiatric hospital beds, and the issue has continued to grow. On any given day, an average of 350 North Carolinians waited in emergency rooms because no psychiatric beds were available. WFAE Charlotte recently completed a nine part series on mental health care in North Carolina, and highlighted a […]
Pell Grants for incarcerated students
On July 1, Pell Grant eligibility will extend to incarcerated students ending a ban that prevented most incarcerated individuals for receiving federal aid for continuing education. This momentous change invalidates the ban put in place in 1994. This change will make 760,000 eligible incarcerated students eligible for $7,395 in Pell Grant awards. A Bureau of […]
The power of continuing education
Last month, our staff had the opportunity to cheer for two clients continuing their education journey. Each women achieve a their goal of receiving their associate’s degree. Not only is this achievement something to celebrate, it’s an investment in their future. A Bureau of Justice Statistics study showed there is a 43% reduction in recidivism […]
How are federal clients released?
Release from federal prison is a multi-step process:
Letters from clients
Changed Choices, I just wanted you to know, Every book you send and assignment you share gives me a chance to learn and grow. I’m so thankful, and you should know. Every letter/card you send my way gives me and many others a hope that we can overcome our struggles with every encouraging word. What […]
What Tutwiler taught us
On Saturday, February 25th, Changed Choices hosted a showing and discussion of Tutwiler. The film shares a behind the scenes look at the Julia Tutwiler Prison, the only women’s prison in Alabama. Approximately 40-50 pregnant women are serving their sentence at the facility each year. The film explores helping expectant and new mothers learn childbirth […]
How does incarceration impact your health?
February is American Heart Month, and we join in raising awareness about cardiovascular disease–the number 1 killer of women. Incarceration creates multiple risk factors for heart disease including: Studies have shown that the health risks only increase upon release. “People recently released from incarceration are more likely to die; in the first two weeks following […]
What’s a Release Card?
Rounding out our January series from Prison Policy Initiative, what’s a Release Card? When a person leaves a correctional facility, they often receive their funds, which include wages earned while incarcerated, support from family members, or money they possessed when arrested, on a pre-paid debit card. While pre-paid debit cards are common, it might be […]
Mail Scanning
In February 2020, The North Carolina Department of Public Safety began a test of TextBehind for the female inmate population. TextBehind, a private mail processing company, was commissioned to process all written mail. No longer does an inmate in North Carolina received written mail; all mail is first sent to Maryland where TextBehind is located. […]