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Ex-Offenders Work for Organization that Repairs and Sells Vehicles at Low Cost
by Douglas Ankney
In 1999, Marty Schwartz started Vehicles for Change (VFC) – a nonprofit that repairs donated vehicles and sells them to low-income families for $700 to $850. The charity provides reliable vehicles to solve “the No. 1 barrier for employment for low-income residents – which is …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- NBC Sends Anchorman Lester Holt to Prison as Part of its “Justice for All” Series, by Chad Marks
- The Cost of Prison Censorship: Florida Taxpayers to Pay $1.2 Million in HRDC Case
- $8,500 Settlement in Allegheny County Jail Sexual Harassment Suit, by David M. Reutter
- $860,000 Settlement in Suit Over Michigan Female Prisoner’s Suicide, by David M. Reutter
- Organization Connected to Missouri Prison Director Gets No-Bid Contract, by Scott Grammer
- Federal Prisoner Challenges Constitutionality of Death Penalty; Gets Plea Deal for Life Without Parole, by Matthew Clarke
- Court Orders Changes to Alabama Prison System After 15 Suicides; Feds Threaten Suit, by Scott Grammer
- Department of Justice Report Shows Small Decrease in U.S. Prison Population, by Scott Grammer
- Compassionate Releases Needed for an Aging Prisoner Population, by Edward Lyon
- Florida Supreme Court Issues Death Penalty Rulings, by Edward Lyon
- Washington State Settles Suit Over 15-Hour-a-Day Lockdown of Mentally Ill Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- South Carolina: Lawsuit Alleges Medical Staff, Guards Negligent in Baby’s Death, by Bill Barton
- Usual Cruelty: The Complicity of Lawyers in the Criminal Injustice System, by Alec Karakatsanis, by Sam Feldman
- Arizona Court Grants Partial Summary Judgment to PLN in Censorship Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Study Finds that War on Drugs Kept Black Men from Higher Education, by Scott Grammer
- Maryland: Parole Changes Needed for Life-Sentenced Prisoners, by Chad Marks
- Man Mistakenly Released 13 Years Ago Won’t Have to Return to Prison, by Douglas Ankney
- Allegheny County Settles Three Lawsuits Over Medical Care at County Jail, by Dale Chappell
- West Virginia Regional Jails Entitled to Sovereign Immunity, by David M. Reutter
- Seventh Circuit: Failure to Provide Medical Accommodation is Deliberate Indifference, by Kevin Bliss
- Three Deaths in Three Days at Illinois Prison Spur Calls for Greater Transparency, by Chad Marks
- Missouri Sheriff Tells Judge that County Won’t Pay for Prisoners’ Food, Medical Care, by Bill Barton
- No Fourth Amendment Violation for Abusive Group Strip Search of Female Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
- Pattern of Abuse and Mismanagement at North Carolina Jail, by David M. Reutter
- $3.1 Million Settlement for Washington Jail Detainee’s Death, by Douglas Ankney
- Seventh Circuit: Non-Medical Prison Staff Entitled to Qualified Immunity, by Douglas Ankney
- New Jersey: Appellate Court Shoots Down $7.5 Million Verdict in Prison Whistleblower Case, by Chad Marks
- Nevada Supreme Court Reverses Dismissal of Prisoner’s Native American Religion Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Why Not Let Prisoners Vote While Incarcerated?, by Bill Barton
- Ex-Offenders Work for Organization that Repairs and Sells Vehicles at Low Cost, by Douglas Ankney
- Court Declines to Seal Records in Michigan Prisoner’s Excessive Force Case, by David M. Reutter
- New York: Prisoners Have No Expectation to Privacy During Jail Phone Calls, by Chad Marks
- Missouri Jury Awards $113.7 Million to Prison Guards Required to Work Without Pay, by Matthew Clarke
- Muslim Civil Rights Group Files Discrimination Suit Over Virginia Jail’s “God Pod”, by Matthew Clarke
- Whistleblower Lawsuit Exposes Violence, Cover-ups at Rikers Island Jail, by Dale Chappell
- Prison’s Refusal to Allow Wiccan Services Must be Reviewed for Compelling Governmental Interest, by Kevin Bliss
- Conditions Lawsuit Against Indiana County Jail Certified as a Class Action, by Kevin Bliss
- Fifth Circuit Terminates Consent Decree for Muslim Services in Texas Prisons, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon Prisoner’s Use of Another Prisoner’s Phone PIN Constitutes Identity Theft, by Mark Wilson
- Sex Offenders Excluded from Florida Shelters During Hurricane, by David M. Reutter
- Pennsylvania’s Buck County Liable for Illegally Disclosing Criminal Records, by David M. Reutter
- Alaska Supreme Court Rules Against Muslim Prisoner on Correspondence Ban, by Edward Lyon
- Judge Orders Federal Prisoner with Cancer Released Due to Poor Medical Care, by Matthew Clarke
- Eleventh Circuit: Tasing of Inert Detainee is Excessive Force, by David M. Reutter
- Appellate Court Holds Louisiana Prisoner’s Medical Malpractice Claim May Proceed, by David M. Reutter
- How High-Priced Drugs Cripple Prison Health Care – and Reform, by Priti Krishtel
- HRDC Lawsuit Proceeds Over Care Provided to Florida Prisoner Who Starved to Death, by David M. Reutter
- Victim Notification Law Plagues Alabama’s Parole System, by Kevin Bliss
- Louisiana Enters into Subscription Model Contract for HCV Treatment, by David M. Reutter
- Washington DOC Medical Director Fired for Negligence, by Dale Chappell
- Louisiana Prison Industry Program Puts Profits Before Prisoners, by Kevin Bliss
- Virginia Death Row Conditions Subjected Prisoners to Risk of Harm, by David M. Reutter
- U.S. Department of Justice Plans to Ramp up Federal Death Penalty, by Chad Marks
- Behind Bars, Co-Pays Are a Barrier to Basic Health Care, by Victoria Law
- Oregon Transgender Prisoner Must be Housed Alone or with Other Transgender or NonCisgender Prisoners, by Mark Wilson
- Alabama Prisoners Bring Awareness of Abusive Conditions Through Hunger Strikes, by Kevin Bliss
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Beyond Estelle: Medical Rights for Incarcerated Patients, by Greg Dober
More from Douglas Ankney:
- New Jersey Supreme Court Orders Plenary Hearing Before Special Adjudicator on Reliability of Fingerprint Evidence, Holding Century of Judicial Acceptance Did Not Satisfy Trial Court’s Gatekeeping Obligation Under N.J.R.E. 702, Aug. 1, 2026
- En Banc Eleventh Circuit Announces All Parents, Including Those Convicted of Child-Sex Offenses, Enjoy Fundamental Right to Live With Their Children, Holding Alabama Residency Prohibition Subject to Strict Scrutiny, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Announces Courts May Examine Individual Officer’s Subjective Purpose When Assessing Whether Warrantless Administrative Inspection Was Pretextual, Holding Suppression Required Where Trooper’s Sole Motive for Stop Was Criminal Investigati, Aug. 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Holds § 922(g)(3) Prosecution Based Solely on Regular Marijuana Use, Without Individualized Proof of Dangerousness, Violates Second Amendment, Aug. 1, 2026
- Judge Grants Attorney’s Motion to Withdrawal from Corizon Health Case Due to Non-Payment, Aug. 1, 2026
- Abuse is No Excuse: Oklahoma’s Judges Deny Sentencing Relief to Prisoners Who Were Raped and Physically Assaulted, Aug. 1, 2026
- Audit of Louisiana DOC Finds Fault with Prisoner Release Calculation System, Aug. 1, 2026
- California Appeals Court Sustains Amendments to CDCR that Narrow Youth Parole Eligibility Rules, July 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives § 1983 Complaint Alleging Jail Detainees’ Death from Stroke was Due to Deliberate Indifference and Failure to Train, July 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal Announces Defendants Who Exercise Right to Jury Trial on Aggravating Circumstances Are Entitled to Closing Argument by Counsel on Those Factors, July 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- SCOTUS Continues to Hack Away At First Step Act, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Compassionate Release.
- California Gave Every Student in Prison a Laptop. How Community Colleges Are Using Them, July 1, 2026. Education, Computers, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Access to Computers.
- Guaranteed Income Helps People Leaving Jail and Prison, and That Helps Everyone, May 1, 2026. Crime/Demographics, Prisoner Privileges, housing, jobs, Restrictions, discrimination, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Fines.
- Maine Was the First State to Abolish Parole. Incarcerated Mainers, Advocates Hope to Bring it Back., March 1, 2026. Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Parole, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, De Facto Life Sentence.
- Labor Coalition in Minnesota Demands Disney Contractor Pay Prisoners Minimum Wage, Jan. 1, 2026. Prison Industries, Prison Labor, Advocacy, Contractor Liability, jobs.
- How I Learned to Transcribe Braille in Prison, Jan. 1, 2026. Prison Labor, Education, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, jobs.
- Two Re-Entry Non-Profit Leaders in Tennessee and Massachusetts Accused of Criminal Charges, Nov. 1, 2025. housing, jobs, halfway houses, Health care, Restrictions, discrimination, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration, Bank Fraud/Robbery/Theft, Mandatory Minimums.
- Texas Social Workers Challenge Blanket Denial of State Occupational License Based on Youthful Assault Convictions, Aug. 1, 2025. Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, jobs, Restrictions, discrimination.
- Guaranteed Basic Income Programs for Prisoners Reduce Food Insecurity and Homelessness, Aug. 1, 2025. housing, jobs, Restrictions, discrimination.
- Bipartisan Legislative Wins in Virginia and Utah Expand Job Opportunities for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, May 15, 2025. Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, jobs.

