James Burns was 15 years old when he was sentenced to prison as an adult. The adult unit that Burns was assigned to repeatedly placed him in solitary confinement. He described the solitary confinement experience as “truly horrible.” Burns shared stories of individuals who suffered great psychological distress from solitary confinement and reported that he was lucky to come out of it and still be able to be a functioning member of society. Burns was a panelist at a recent Vera Institute for Justice event entitled, “America’s Hidden Rural Jail Crisis.” This panel discussion brought together experts with various connections to the criminal justice system to address the current rising incarceration population in rural America.

In the 2010 Census, more than 12 percent of Washington, D.C.’s young children — aged 0 to 4 – weren’t counted. That was almost triple the national average – and when it came time to distribute federal funds, D.C. missed out on resources that could have gone to key programs such as affordable housing, nutrition assistance and school programs. Advocates are determined not to let it happen again. They’ve launched Count Your Cuties, a campaign to make sure every young person is counted in the 2020 Census.

President Trump calls his proposal, “A Budget for America’s Future.” But the future he envisions is bleak indeed. He proposes less health care, less food for Americans in need, large cuts to Social Security disability benefits, and other harmful cuts, ranging from affordable housing to heating and cooling assistance to student loans and so much more. This is the Trump choice: make the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans permanent, and take away medical care, housing, job training, and food from millions of Americans.

CHN Executive Director Deborah Weinstein had this to say in response to President Trump’s State of the Union Address: “Yes, Mr. President, unemployment is low. All across our nation, people are working hard when they can.  But millions of people do not earn enough to be secure. That is the state of our union President Trump left out of his lengthy address. Close to half of American workers – 53 million people, or 44 percent – are earning a median hourly wage of $10.22. Their median annual pay is $17,950, because close to half of these low-wage workers don’t work full-time.”