Solutions Journalism Investigations

Garden Time is a Rhode Island–based organization that works to humanize the situation at the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institution. They run three programs: an In-Prison Garden Education Program, which teaches incarcerated individuals sustainable agricultural skills; a Green Reentry Job Training Program, which supports formerly incarcerated persons through hands-on training and employment pathways in the green industry; and the Canopy Crew, an urban forestry initiative that employs formerly incarcerated persons to plant and maintain trees in underserved communities across Rhode Island.

Listen in as the CoH team explores Garden Time’s work and how it supports mental health issues within the incarceration system.

Enacted in July 2021, Mario’s Law allows individuals who committed offenses before their 22nd birthday to be eligible for parole review after serving 20 years. The law applies retroactively to offenses committed on or after January 1, 1991, and excludes only those serving life without parole.

Championed by Representative Julie Casimiro and inspired by Mario Monteiro’s own experience, the law is grounded in neuroscience showing that the prefrontal cortex—responsible for impulse control and judgment—doesn’t fully develop until around age 25. Over the next 10 to 15 years, the law is expected to impact around 40 individuals in Rhode Island, offering them a pathway to redemption and reintegration.