Poll: Which ABA Journal magazine cover from 2019 was your favorite?

We’ve covered a wide array of diverse, in-depth and hard-hitting legal topics this past year at the ABA Journal. Most recently, we ran a feature story about lawyers who are unleashing a flurry of lawsuits to step up the fight against climate change, and then all the way back to…

Dec 23, 2019 10:20 AM CST

From feeling shame to inspiring hope, Steve Price was just getting started

This past spring, when the May 2019 issue of the ABA Journal arrived from the printer, Managing Editor Kevin Davis made plans to meet with Steve Price, whose face graced the cover. Davis wanted to hand-deliver a few copies and say thanks. Price was a formerly incarcerated man who talked with Davis about his struggles to make it on the outside.

Nov 26, 2019 1:30 PM CST

Formerly incarcerated people are building their own businesses and giving others second chances

Formerly incarcerated people have a difficult time separating themselves from their criminal histories, which makes getting jobs a struggle. Even when they’re eligible to get their records sealed or expunged, most don’t go through the process because they are either unaware of how to do it or lack the legal help they need to get it done.

Jul 1, 2019 12:30 AM CDT

How to help people with criminal records break barriers to employment

Jun 26, 2019 11:55 AM CDT

Civil rights commission calls to end ‘invisible’ punishments for those with criminal convictions

According to the National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction of the Council of State Governments (a project launched by the ABA Criminal Justice Section in 2014), there are more than 44,000 state and federal laws and regulations that can stand in the way of the person getting back on their feet, and the commission is seeking ways to curb those barriers.

Jun 14, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

ABA offers opportunities and resources to address collateral consequences

Expungement and sealing of records will help people with criminal records move forward with their lives, says Lucian Dervan, chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section.

May 1, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Chicago nonprofit helps formerly incarcerated people find work and self-worth

Cara Chicago, a nonprofit that provides job readiness training to formerly incarcerated people, helps build their confidence.

May 1, 2019 12:15 AM CDT

Ending mass incarceration won’t succeed without giving people a second chance

While the United States has consistently put more people in prison than any other country, it has come up short in helping rebuild their lives once they’re released. More than 600,000 people leave the nation’s prisons every year with little more than a bus ticket and 50 bucks. Within five years, more than half of former state inmates are back inside.

May 1, 2019 12:15 AM CDT

ABA president asks House committee to reauthorize Second Chance Act

A bill that funds anti-recidivism work has the support of the American Bar Association, writes ABA President Bob Carlson.

Sep 12, 2018 4:08 PM CDT