The influence of rap music is everywhere, from Grammy winners OutKast and Beyonce to Baby Phat and Sean John clothing brands. Search for "rap music" on Google, and you'll get more than 550,000 hits. But can rap's influence extend to an individual's character and decisions, as one study suggests? Teens at the Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility say "no." Most of the girls listen to rap dail

Tucked behind some trees on a Northside street is a cozy three-story house. Inside, three toddlers run through the rooms, and the sound of children's laughter rises from the basement. Two women sit in the living room, talking. This is a happy place. No one would know that these women are prisoners, serving out their sentences here. Y-Press recently visited Craine House, an alternative sentencing p

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. (Proverbs 22:15) In 1985, at age 15, Paula Cooper fatally stabbed 78-year-old Ruth Pelke in Gary. In 1986, she was sentenced to death, but three years later, her sentence was reduced to 60 years in prison. She is eligible for parole in 2015. Recently, Cooper reflected on her experiences in prison,