Happy alternatives to US Republican-led poverty, mass incarceration, food insecurity, debt, ill health, intense concentration of wealth, endless wars

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Scotland. Adult at age 16
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Education in Scotland: .
 * Scotland. What can I do at my age?
 * Age of majority and Age of Legal Capacity (Scotland) Act 1991.

Prolonged adolescence is a waste of time and money. Public high school in the USA costs an average of $12,509 a year per student in taxes. The money spent between the ages of 16 to 18 could be set aside for 2 years of full board and tuition college.

Nations with better quality of life
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 * In which country would you rather raise a family? Germany versus USA. Bernie Sanders video.
 * Safe, happy and free: does Finland have all the answers? By Jon Henley in Helsinki. 12 Feb 2018. The Guardian. "Last year, on the centenary of its independence, Finland was ranked, by assorted international indices, the most stable, the safest and the best-governed country in the world."

Alternatives to incarceration nations
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 * See also: Holy War on Drugs, Republican-led mass incarceration.


 * Canada. Hutt and Taman: The NDP can set itself apart with drug decriminalization proposals. By Emilie Taman and James Hutt. Feb. 15, 2018. Ottawa Citizen.


 * List of countries by incarceration rate.
 * Incarceration Nation: Events spotlight movement to end mass incarceration. The Brattleboro Reformer. By Lissa Weinmann. February 10, 2017. From the article:

Germany's kinder and safer prisons
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Finland's open prisons
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Want to Reduce Crime? Raise Wages
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 * Want to Reduce Crime? Raise Wages. By Rachel West and Rebecca Vallas. August 30, 2016. Morning Consult.

"The first study, from the White House Council of Economic Advisers, finds that raising the minimum wage to $12 by 2020—as proposed by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.)—would reduce criminal activity by 3 percent to 5 percent, saving American communities as much as $17 billion each year. ... A comprehensive approach to criminal justice will thus fall short if it does not also include a path to economic justice."

Nations with better healthcare outcomes
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Refuse to serve as juror in felony cases
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Long sentences are what distinguish American mass incarceration from incarceration in other nations. One way to do your bit in turning this around is to refuse to convict (call someone guilty) in felony cases.

You can refuse to serve as a juror in felony cases. Tell the judge you won't convict. You can do it privately by asking to come up to the bench before jury final selection is made.

Or do it boldly (and educate the jury pool) by holding up your hand while sitting in the jury pool. Then ask your question about whether they want someone as a juror who won't convict. No one can force you to say someone is guilty or not guilty. Jurors alone have this power in a jury trial.

You can still serve in misdemeanor cases.

Related article:
 * This Is What It Will Take to End Mass Incarceration.

Vote out overzealous prosecutors
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 * Overzealous Prosecutors Are Losing Elections. ThinkProgress. 1 September 2016. By Kira Lerner.

"In a year with renewed attention on the corrosive and discriminatory effects of harsh sentencing, notorious, tough-on-crime local prosecutors are increasing being held accountable for perpetuating an overzealous style of law and order. Until recently, these elections were battles of who could appear harsher on crime. The same hysteria over crime and illegal drugs that drove mass incarceration in the late 1980s and 1990s also created intense political pressure."

Women organize against mass incarceration
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 * 1 In 4 American Women Has A Family Member In Prison. Now They’re Organizing. 16 Sept 2016. By Nico Pitney. From a linked article: "44% of Black women (and 32% of Black men) but only 12% of White women (and 6% of White men) have a family member imprisoned."

Stop jailing so many kids
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 * Jailed kids are the forgotten victims of America’s mass incarceration crisis. By Liz Ryan. August 31, 2016. In Quartz.

"The mass incarceration epidemic in the US has been getting much-deserved attention in recent years. What’s less well known is that some of the worst atrocities in the prison system are being committed against children—the US is the largest jailer of children in the world. ... Research proves that incarceration actually increases crime: Young people sent to youth prisons instead of community treatment programs are much more likely to commit more crimes upon release. Across the country, youths, families, and advocates are campaigning for reforms..."

Brilliant solution to homelessness
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 * Video. This city has a brilliant solution for ending homelessness.