Second Chance for Women, Fiscally Sponsored by Fusion Partnerships, Inc.
Second Chance for Women (SCW) operates in the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women (MCIW) and was founded in 2009 by Mary Joel Davis. Currently, Second Chance helps women prepare for their parole hearings on a one to one basis. This one on one support and mentoring is obviously ideal, but it does not scale. Funding from the Abell Foundation will support SCW to create an accessible and user friendly parole handbook to expand their outreach in the prison system through distribution of the handbook in the prison libraries and in workshops conducted by Second chance and other reentry providers in the facilities.
Morgan State University Foundation
Funding from the Abell Foundation will support Morgan State University’s evaluation of the pilot aerial surveillance program implemented by the Baltimore Police Department. The purpose of this program evaluation is to provide an objective, evidence-based evaluation analysis as to the effectiveness of aerial surveillance in support of crime and violence reduction in Baltimore City.
Baltimore Police Department
Funding from the Abell Foundation will assist the Baltimore Police Department and the City of Baltimore in reducing homicides and nonfatal shootings through the planning, implementation, evaluation and institutionalization of focused deterrence. Focused deterrance is a strategy based on an intensive partnership of law enforcement, community members and social service providers, who collectively engage with the small and active number of people involved in violent street groups. It pairs a credible message against violence and prior notice about the consequences of further violence with a genuine offer of help to those who want it.
Tuerk House, Inc.
Tuerk House is State Licensed and Joint Commission accredited and offers a full continuum of drug treatment programs, from inpatient residential withdrawal management to halfway house as well as intensive and standard outpatient services. Funding from the Abell Foundation will support the Tuerk House’s four-stage renovation project to improve and expand its 75 year old structure. The entire renovation process will increase TH’s overall capacity from 73 to 104 beds, create improved dining and group spaces, and add nursing and counseling offices.
Office of the Public Defender
The Digital Forensics Lab will serve OPD clients who may have exonerating evidence or other valuable data on their mobile devices or social media accounts that are not available to or disclosed by the prosecution. In addition to potentially reducing outside expert fees for digital forensics analysis and testimony, this project will allow for an increasingly important avenue of investigations that is currently untapped. With support from the Abell Foundation, OPD can obtain the equipment, software, and training needed to conduct in-house data digital investigations, including: cell phone data extraction; internet, social media and cloud-based tracking and analysis; and mapping of digital data.