Why Prison Reform Is About Changing
Hearts And Minds – As Well As The System
Prison reform efforts in many states have often been about reducing the inmate population in an effort to save money, but for prison reform advocates this is more than just a pocketbook issue.
“Criminal justice reform isn’t just about passing laws to reduce prison sentences or promoting policies to reduce prison populations,” says Khalil Osiris, a former prison inmate and author of the book A Freedom That Comes From Within (www.khalilosiris.com). “It’s about changing the way we think about crime and punishment.”
States are experimenting with reducing mandatory sentences, and giving judges and prosecutors more discretion in sentencing. Other reforms include coming up with alternative settings for the mentally ill, which some studies show is more than 30 percent of the prison population. Reforms also include enhancing educational opportunities, which is what helped Osiris turn his life around.
His path to prison began when he was a teenager, and at one time he was facing the possibility of a 75 year sentence. But by the time of his release, he had earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston University, and wrote the manuscript for his first book – The Psychology of Incarceration: A Distortion of the State of Belonging. During this time, Osiris also became pen pals with Makaziwe Mandela, the daughter of Nelson Mandela. This friendship led him to South Africa where he worked for seven years and launched several educational and social reform initiatives – including a re-entry program in prisons.
Osiris thinks there is plenty of room for more effective prison reforms in the United States. His suggestions include:
Better data collection. “We should start developing more effective practices and processes for collecting data on incarceration in order to develop a clearer understanding of what is happening and why, particularly on a state and local level,” Osiris says. “There are vast disparities in state statistics on prison and criminal justice reform. We must develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of those differences in order to quantify what progress means.”
Increase employment opportunities. Employment for formerly incarcerated citizens is foundational to criminal justice reform efforts. The most successful employment program Osiris has seen in America is Ready4Work, an anchor initiative of the Jacksonville, Florida based organization called Operation New Hope. Ready4Work provides a practical way to turn our national concern about criminal justice reform into effective, scalable action.
Increase indigent defense and plea bargaining guidelines. “To ensure prosecutorial oversight, it’s important to require judges to enforce the plea bargaining guidelines. It is also important to secure legislative adoption of the guidelines in states with directly elected county district attorneys,” Osiris says.
Develop prosecutorial guidelines. “Prosecutors have more discretionary choices and power in the criminal justice system than any other stakeholder, including judges,” Osiris says. “They can have more impact on mass incarceration numbers than any other stakeholder. Yet they have very few established guidelines regarding sentencing.”
“Prison reform is a critical issue, and it can indeed save states money,” Osiris says. “But my mission is to transform the hearts and minds of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated citizens by inspiring them to think differently and make better choices.”
About Khalil Osiris
Khalil Osiris is an international speaker on restorative justice and transformational leadership and the author of A Freedom That Comes From Within (www.khalilosiris.com). He spent 20 years in prison and transformed his life, emerging with a deep understanding of how to use personal crisis, challenges and opportunities for self-improvement. He currently splits his time between South Africa and the United States, speaking in schools, prisons and corporations. He also conducts workshops focused on personal transformation and overcoming self-imposed limitations.
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Yours Truly
Announce New Single and Video
Afterglow Out April 12th, 2019 via UNFD
Pre-Orders Available at unfd.lnk.to/Afterglow
Sydney, AUS - March 21, 2019 - Ahead of the release of their hotly anticipated EP Afterglow, Sydney pop-punkers Yours Truly today reveal new single, "I Can't Feel." Previous singles "High Hopes" and "Circles" have already garnered a combined 5 million streams, and this emotionally charged follow up is undoubtedly going to ramp up the momentum.
Detailing lead vocalist Mikaila Delgado's experience with a rare connective tissue disorder, which she discusses at length in the April issue of Alternative Press, the track is a commanding cry of both frustration and triumph. It comes alongside a visually arresting video which features a voodoo doll of the frontwoman being stabbed with a pin and the pain translating to her body. Fans can listen to "I Can't Feel" and watch the video now, here.
Since being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome at two, Delgado's life has navigated aches, pains, dislocations and fatigue. But letting this get in the way of her music career was never an option.
"When I found heavy music on YouTube I just knew this was what I wanted to do. I knew it wouldn't be easy to perform at that level but I wasn't going to let something I was born with stop me... I was too obsessed with this idea of singing in a band and touring the world that the consequences became irrelevant," she says.
"'I Can't Feel' is about the struggles where you're doubting yourself because of a condition you can't control. Since EDS is an invisible disability, I sometimes have a feeling of having to prove my pain and discomfort for it to be legitimate to other people. This song is really special to me because I've always found it hard to explain the way I feel - what other people can't see. Putting it in a song allowed me to say the things I've wanted to say for the past 21 years."
"I Can't Feel" follows a raft of acclaim from their recent singles, "High Hopes" and "Circles," including NME naming Afterglow as one of the top pop-punk records to look out for in 2019. Yours Truly have also bagged the support slot for Hellions' tour in May and are slated to play Download UK in June.
Afterglow will be released on April 12th via UNFD and can be pre-ordered now at unfd.lnk.to/Afterglow.
For more information, please visit:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/yourstrulypoppunk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/yourstruly_band
Instagram: www.instagram.com/yourstruly_band
Afterglow Tracklisting:
1. Circles
2. I Can't Feel
3. High Hopes
4. Delusional Paradise
5. Afterglow
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Snore Wars! Americans Spend 145 Hours a Year Snoring as Withings Officially Confirms Men Snore Significantly More Than Women
Detroit Replaces New York As The City That Never Sleeps As Withings Goes Under the Covers to Explore The Sleep Habits of The Nation
March 21, 2019 –Withings, a leader in the connected health revolution, is settling an age old argument, and sorry guys, it is true, men really DO snore more often and longer than women! In a comprehensive study looking at the habits and the health stats that affect sleep, Withings has dived into every corner of the nation to understand what happens when heads hit pillows.
It seems we are becoming a nation of night owls as the average time people go to bed has passed midnight (12:08 AM) and 50% of states have average sleep durations under the recommended 7-9 hours a night. In the study, Detroit becomes the City That Never Sleep with citizens averaging just 6 hours 40 mins a night. New Orleans residents seem to sleep the most soundly in their beds with the best sleep quality in the nation.
From sleep, weight, movement and heart health, Withings’ connected devices monitor a range of health issues. A number of products in its portfolio have the ability to track multiple elements of sleep including the Withings Sleep and activity trackers in the Steel, Steel HR and Pulse lines. The company has securely analyzed the data of tens of thousands of Americans in its latest sleep study. You can see further results here.
The Snore Scores
Men snore more often, for longer and are TWICE as likely to be heavy snorers as women. However, women are by no means silent sleepers! On average Americans snore around 2.65 times a night for 22 minutes. For men, the average is 2.75 times a night for an average duration of 24 mins 7 secs. For women, the figures are 2.29 times a night with an average duration of 17 mins 47 secs.
Jacksonville, Fl, is the snore capital of The United States with people snoring over 5 times a night with snore durations reaching 1hr 12 mins. The snoriest state is Montana with rumbles heard nearly 6 times a night lasting on average 61 mins. Maine, known for being a quiet, peaceful get-a-way comes second in the snore scores with an average of 41 mins a night. Other noisy neighbors can be found in North Dakota (36 mins 39s) Delaware, (36 mins) and Nebraska (33 mins .49 secs).
Don't Ignore The Snore!
People often think of snoring as annoying yet harmless, but in fact, it can be a sign of other breathing disorders and wider health issues. Snoring and nighttime breathing disturbances can impact the quality of sleep and be a sign of sleep apnea. It is also associated with other chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, obesity and even depression.
The Withings study shows a significant correlation between BMI and snoring in both men and men. The higher the BMI the more likely a person is to be a heavy snorer and reducing BMI by 5 points can decrease the risk of being a heavier snorer by a factor of 3.
Early To Bed Early To Rise?
This old adage does not hold true with Withings’ users. On average, users across the nation go to bed at 12:08 AM and rise at 7:41 AM. The top late night cities are Philadelphia (12:40 a.m.) New York (12:36 AM) Los Angeles (12:30 AM), Miami (12:28 AM) and Jacksonville (12:24 AM).
In addition, notorious party cities including Las Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans, Austin and Atlanta all had bedtimes topping midnight.
The cities among the earliest to start the day are Denver (7:25 AM), Phoenix (7:31 AM), St. Louis (7:32 AM), Minneapolis (7:34 AM) and Columbus (7:35 AM), while those enjoying more of a lay-in include New York (8:05 AM), Philadelphia (8:04 AM), Los Angeles (7:59 AM), Austin (7:58 AM) and San Francisco (7:56 AM).
Regardless what time we get in and out of bed, the time it takes Americans to fall asleep is pretty consistent across the board. On average, it takes Americans under 8 minutes (7 mins 35 secs) to fall asleep. However, the time it takes people to wake up does vary across state lines. On average, it takes Americans 9 mins 13 secs to wake up, yet people in some states are more likely to hit the ground running.
Those quickest to get going in the morning include, the District of Columbia (5 mins 26 secs), Massachusetts (7 min 9 secs), Pennsylvania (8 mins 2 secs), New Jersey (8 mins 3 secs) and Indiana (8 mins 6 secs). Those that need a little more time to shake a leg include South Dakota (14 mins 20 secs), Oklahoma (13 mins 32 secs), West Virginia (12 mins 25 secs), Wyoming (12 mins 9 secs) and Nevada (11 mins 53 secs).
Quality AND Quantity
Multiple factors can impact the effectiveness of sleep and when it comes to a good night’s rest - quality and quantity are equally important. Elements effecting the quality of sleep include Duration (total time), Depth (the amount of time spent in REM sleep the restoration phase of sleep), Interruptions (the number of times and length of time we are awake in the night), Regulatory (regular going to bed and rise times) and Sleep/Wake Up Times (the time it takes to fall asleep and wake up).
On average, Americans wake up twice a night and spend about 28 and 35 minutes awake before re-entering sleep (31 mins 43 secs on average). There is also a lot of consistency between the regions on the amount of deep REM sleep people achieve - 3hrs 17 mins on average.
Withings has a number of products that monitor and track these elements and has developed an easy-to-follow metric called the Sleep Score to help people better understand and improve their sleep. The top ten cities that slept the most soundly based on this score, in order include New Orleans, Orlando, Columbus, Raleigh/Durham, Portland (ME of OR??), Atlanta, Austin, Seattle, Sacramento and Miami.
Last week, Withings introduced a new feature to its sleep sensor mat, the Withings Sleep, that tracks breathing disturbances in the night. It helps the more audible sleepers among us to recognize if our snores and interruptions in breathing may be a sign of more serious issues such as sleep apnea.
“From cognitive function, weight management, cardiovascular health, aging, depression, immunity, pulmonary function and diabetes, study after study have shown the importance of sleep on overall health and wellness,” says Eric Carreel, President of Withings . “With our study, we are raising awareness of some of the factors that affect great night sleep and providing the tools and advice to help people track and improve their sleep and therefore overall health.”
-Ends-
About Withings
Withings leads the connected-health revolution by inventing beautiful, smart products and services that help people become happier and healthier. Founded by visionary innovators Cédric Hutchings and Eric Carreel in 2008, Withings is committed to creating enjoyable, empowering experiences that easily fit into our daily lives.
Withings has built a range of award-winning products across the health spectrum including activity trackers (Steel, Steel HR, Steel HR Sport), connected scales (Body Cardio, Body+, Body), Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor (BPM), and an advanced sleep system (Sleep). Every piece of collected data comes to life in the free Health Mate app where users can find coaching, motivation and insights to shape key aspects of their health. Read more about Withings on withings.com. For high resolution images and additional press information, visit withings.com/press.
