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Nearly 900 New York City inmates could be released prior to Christmas before the bail-reform law takes effect in January. The New York Office of Court Administration says they're developing a plan to stagger the release of defendants starting in mid-December. Christopher Wildeman, policy analysis and management professor, studies the consequences of mass imprisonment for inequality, with emphasis on families, health, and children. He says while the inmates’ potential release would be a victory for both the defendants and their families, it’s important to be mindful of those reacclimating to life outside jail during a sometimes-stressful time of year.

Law, Government & Public Policy

Human Ecology

New York City

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The New York City Council is currently voting on a plan to close Rikers Island by 2026 and replace the complex with four new jails in Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. Christopher Wildeman, policy analysis and management professor, studies the consequences of mass imprisonment for inequality, with an emphasis on families, health, and children. He says the the plan to close Rikers would be a major step forward in improving confinement conditions for those incarcerated in New York City.

Human Ecology

Law, Government & Public Policy

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Linda Shi, an urban environmental planner and assistant professor in architecture, art and planning, and Claudia Lazzaro, professor of art history and visual studies, comment on historic flooding in Venice.

Architecture, Art and Planning

Arts and Sciences

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On Monday, Amazon announced it would offer incentives to employees who quit their jobs at the company to start a business delivering Amazon package. The move is the enhancement of a program that began over a year ago to speed up Amazon’s shipping times, but it also comes with added benefits for Amazon, says Rick Geddes, professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University and author of “Saving the Mail: How to Solve the Problems of the U.S. Postal Service.”

Economics and Business

Human Ecology

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Matthew Hall, professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University and faculty affiliate of the Cornell Population Center, says that research has indicated that the proposed citizenship question for the 2020 census may reduce voting power in Latino communities. 

Law and Policy

Human Ecology

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On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to “promote free and open debate on college and university campuses.” Trump said the order was the first in a series of steps to defend free speech on American campuses which, he said, have become increasingly hostile to the First Amendment.  Wendy Williams and Stephen Ceci, professors of developmental phycology at Cornell University, have written about the treatment of controversial topics on campus. When it comes to topics some people find offensive, they say, college campuses today are hardly bastions of free speech.

Arts & Humanities

Human Ecology

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Karl Pillemer, professor of human development at Cornell University, offers tips on avoiding the pitfalls of family holiday gatherings.

Human Ecology

Social & Behavioral Sciences

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Warren Brown is a senior research associate at Cornell University, where he directs the Program on Applied Demographics and is the research director of the New York Census Research Data Center. Brown says it’s unclear if the Puerto Ricans in-migrating to the U.S. will be able to economically integrate into their new communities.

Human Ecology

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Nicholas Sanders, an assistant professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University, has studied the effects of daylight on crime. He says an extra hour of sun can curtail the number of robberies.

Human Ecology

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Dr. Ritch C. Savin-Williams, a developmental psychology professor at Cornell University who has written eight books on adolescent development, discusses why Girl Scouts shouldn't feel threatened by new Boy Scouts ruling.

Human Ecology

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