God Bless America
by Jerry Blassingame America was founded on Christian principles. European immigrants who were looking for freedom and independence – freedom from oppression of a government and freedom to [...]
The Memory Lingers On: How Unacknowledged Trauma for African Americans Helps Fuel America’s Prison System
As America explores what 400 years of African presence on this soil has meant, I’ve had the opportunity to base my reflections on a reverse journey of sorts earlier this year. But it was no [...]
The Criminalization of Mental Illness
by Jerry Blassingame & Allie Hargrove A person with a mental illness is more likely to be incarcerated than to receive medical help. We incarcerate about two million people a year who have [...]
‘Ex-Con,’ ‘Ex-Offender’ and ‘Ex-Inmate’ Are Words That Reduce Millions to Stereotype
by Jerry Blassingame, as published in The Root When President Donald Trump signed the recent First Step Act into law, many people considered it to be the most important criminal justice reform [...]
New Expungement Legislation
by Jerry Blassingame What if someone cut off your legs? Well, that would be challenging. It would be difficult to move in ways that you are accustomed to moving. We don’t realize how important [...]
Is Expungement Necessary?
Here at Soteria, we see the ways in which a criminal record can haunt returning citizens. There are significant implications that plague every returning citizen in our program. Before we consider [...]