A new law in Alabama is helping thousands regain their driving privileges after license suspension for debt-related reasons.

Senate Bill 154 allows individuals to miss one court appearance or two payments before facing suspension. Previously, even a single missed payment or court date could result in a license being revoked.

Leah Nelson, research director with Alabama Appleseed, conducted a survey on fines and found they put a strain on working families and keep them trapped in a cycle of debt.

"People were on the regular giving up things like utility payments, food, medicine and rent, making really desperate sacrifices so that they could make payments toward their legal debt," Nelson said. They were taking out payday loans."

Alabama Appleseed's report, entitled "Under Pressure", reveals that about 40% of people surveyed resorted to committing such crimes as theft in order to settle their outstanding tickets. The bill received bipartisan support.

Nelson explained that the impacts extend beyond individuals and households, affecting economic progress. Alabama faces low workforce participation, and many people with suspended licenses struggle to find work. She says without a license, job opportunities are limited, a crucial point to convey to lawmakers.

"If you have a labor shortage and you have a whole bunch of people who can't effectively work because of an administrative decision that they have made to penalize poverty, maybe you need to reconsider that decision," Nelson continued.

She added while the new law doesn't solve every problem, it does give people more flexibility. Now, those who have suspensions because of missed court dates can take steps to get them reinstated.

"All you have to do to clear a failure-to-appear suspension is appear before a judge, and then they will send a clearance letter. You still have to pay a fee to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, that's our DMV, to get your license back, but you don't have to make any payments towards your ticket," Nelson said.

She mentioned that another major change was made regarding compliance hearings. Now, if you miss one, you won't be suspended. However, you can still face suspensions if you miss two compliance hearings or two payments on a payment plan.


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A Minnesota proposal is in the works that supporters say would end forced labor in correctional facilities.

They note the 13th Amendment was adopted nearly 160 years ago, but believe a form of slavery is still present in America's prisons. Advocacy groups point to wording in the Minnesota Constitution that there should be no slavery in the state, with exceptions for punishment for a crime. They say incarcerated people are exploited by having to work for 50 cents an hour, providing them little money to pay victims back, support their families or have resources to rebuild their lives post-release.

Aaron Ernst, who served time in Minnesota, said this overshadows other reforms.

"The rehabilitation part is kind of there," he said, "and then the reconnection to the community is just nonexistent."

While incarcerated, Ernst said he was outsourced for municipal work but would have had a hard time landing that same job after his release. The End Slavery in Minnesota Coalition is working with lawmakers on a bill for next year's session to classify these individuals as legal workers with specific rights. There are similar efforts elsewhere, but advocates say Colorado's reforms haven't ended the practice there.

By not providing a minimum wage, said David Boehnke, the coalition's lead organizer, they estimate the current pay structure in prisons steals $100 million each year from the poorest Minnesotans.

"If we want a safety system and not a slavery system, this is how we get it - we give people basic rights and basic wages," he said. "That lifts up their whole communities, and that allows people to repair harm they've caused in a meaningful way."

Groups pushing for change add that the longstanding effects of slavery are still found in incarceration numbers. Nearly 40% of people held in Minnesota prisons are Black - despite representing less than 8% of the state's overall population.

In a statement, the Department of Corrections said it's committed to providing work experiences for incarcerated individuals that improve fundamental skills and can lead into opportunities for more technical training. It said that can help create a successful re-entry.


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With demand for assistance dogs on the rise, people in two West Virginia prisons are getting involved in their training.

At Saint Marys Correctional Center and Lakin Correctional Center in West Columbia, incarcerated men and women can participate in the paws4prisons® program, learning how to train assistance dogs. They begin by teaching basic and advanced commands to rescue dogs, then graduate to training assistance dogs which learn around 100 commands.

Amanda Rubenstein, associate superintendent of programs for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said the dogs have an effect on everyone around.

"Even the facilities in general, the other inmates that aren't in the program have so much respect for it," Rubenstein observed. "We have inmates that haven't petted dogs in years that come here, you know, 'Oh my gosh, there's dogs in prison.' They may not want to be a part of the program, but they love interacting. They love the mission."

She noted the dogs go everywhere in the facility with their handlers and sleep in kennels next to their beds.

Recent research shows veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder have seen their symptoms reduced, reporting lower rates of depression and anxiety after three months with a service dog. Incarcerated people often suffer from PTSD and Complex PTSD. Research also suggests prison-based dog training programs help people involved feel hope and develop a number of life skills.

"It teaches them responsibility, how to be better mothers, fathers, better family members, better citizens overall," Rubenstein outlined. "I think that responsibility aspect, and then, just the feeling of normalcy again for them."

paws4prisons® is an offshoot of paws4people®. They train Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and a mix of the two breeds known as Goldadors. Dogs begin training at around 5 months old. Trainers have weekly meetings by phone and video conference with paws4people® staff. Incarcerated people must apply to join the program, and given the amount of training involved, Rubenstein stressed they seek candidates who have enough time.

"We also look at inmates that are going to be incarcerated a little longer, because the academics last anywhere from six to nine months," Rubenstein explained. "We want to make sure they have time to complete that and then use those skills that they learned in academics. I prefer someone that has at least 18 months before they see the parole board or discharge."

She added assistance dog training takes between a year and 18 months.


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New data shows incarceration has ballooned in Kentucky's rural counties, and less populated regions are building more jails.

The findings come from an analysis of jail-offenses data by the nonprofit Prison Policy Initiative. Wanda Bertram, a communications strategist for the organization, said small towns and counties pour a huge amount of public resources into arrests for minor offenses. She added that those same counties are doubling down on policing and prosecution policies.

"Incarceration is a costly business," she said. "It is extremely destabilizing for people who go to jail, and it may or may not actually do anything to improve public safety."

The average county in Kentucky had about 12,000 people incarcerated in 2019. That number has decreased to around 10,000 in 2024, according to the Kentucky Association of Counties.

Across the country, Bertram said, most counties see jails as a place to hold people charged with low-level offenses or misdemeanors.

"Two thirds of people are being held on charges that did not involve physical violence against another person," she said.

According to federal data from 2023, 20% of people in jails were held for misdemeanors. According to the Jail Data Initiative, the actual number of people in jails that year for non-violent offenses is closer to 35%.


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