The federal government is moving to improve its criminal records system.
The Department of Justice asked for bidders to improve the accuracy, utility and interstate accessibility of criminal history records, a request for proposals said.
The upgrade was intended to enhance the crime fighting and criminal justice capabilities of state and tribal governments, the document said.
The program includes protective orders involving domestic violence and stalking, plus automated identification systems in background checks.
“The National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) continues the Justice Department’s efforts, initiated by the FBI in 1924, to build an accurate and useful national system of criminal records,” said William J. Sabol, acting director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The deadline to apply for funding was May 12, 2014. Eligible applicants were limited to the agency that was designated by the governor in each state.
Senator Rand Paul Advocates Voting Rights For Ex-Felons
Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), who is considering a 2016 presidential run, is seeking to restore voting rights to nonviolent felons in federal elections. Paul also is pursuing reform in drug sentencing, including redefining to misdemeanors some drug offenses currently classified as felonies, and is supporting efforts aimed at getting nonviolent criminals back into the job market.
Paul does not deny his actions are motivated by politics. In an interview with Burgess Everett at Politico.com, Paul stated, “I believe in these issues. But I’m a politician, and we want more votes.”
As of 2011, more than a third of the 637,000 non-violent state or federal prisoners were serving time for drug offenses; 44 percent were black, 20 percent were Latinos, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That year, African-Americans made up only 13 percent of the population while Latinos made up 16 percent.
Paul states the criminal justice system disproportionately punishes minorities, making it harder for ex-cons to vote and gain meaningful employment. In July, Paul submitted his legislation as SB 2550.
Paul also sent out a “Dear Colleague” letter targeting 75 percent of Democrats and 30 percent of Republicans he estimates can support his bill. “There’s a racial outcome to the war on drugs,” Paul said. “Three out of four people in prison for nonviolent drug offenses are black and brown.”
Since then, Senator Cory Booker, a black Democrat from New Jersey, agreed to co-sponsor the bill, which the two senators are calling the REDEEM Act.
According to Ari Melber of MSNBC, the bill would “seal criminal records for teenage offenders, while adults could apply to have their records expunged. Judges would review those applications, under the proposal, by balancing an offender’s interest in ‘employment’ against the public’s interest in ‘knowledge and safety.’”
Ex-Gang Member Works To Reform Criminal Justice
Anti-gang violence campaigner Aqeela Sherills was a gang member in the Watts section of Los Angeles before he went to college. His experiences inside the gang, plus the deaths of many of his friends, inspired him to work for criminal justice reform.
On Sept. 16, 2013, he spoke about overcrowding in California prisons and his efforts to abolish the death penalty on Black Hollywood Live, an online broadcast network dedicated to African American entertainment news, interviews and commentary. “Justice Is Served” is the network’s legal news show.
On the news show, Sherills talked about how his own gang experiences had shaped his life, and how in one year, 1989, he lost 13 friends to gang violence. At age 19 he began working with football star Jim Brown, co-founding Amer-I-Can in order to heal gang violence. With Brown’s help, Sherills forged a historic truce between the Crips and the Bloods in Watts in 1992.
Despite his efforts, Sherills was struck by violence once more when gang members in Watts killed his 18-year-old son Terrell, home from a college spring break in 2004.
“Despair and rage are understatements for what I felt after Terrell’s murder,” Sherills said. “But I eventually realized that attacking the root causes of violence would not only help me deal with my grief but also lead to preventing cycles of crime.”
Despite being a crime victim himself, Sherills is a fierce advocate for abolishing the death penalty. He asserts that the death penalty system costs $137 million a year while sentencing those same inmates to life without parole would cost only $11.5 million, freeing up funds for crime prevention. He is working to put a new anti-death penalty measure on the California ballot in 2016.
Sherills believes that funding rehabilitation and mental health services will help ease overcrowded prisons. He thinks that diverting inmates to private or out-of-state prisons is a huge waste of money that could be better spent on education and mentoring programs.
Aliaza Football Club Tops Street Kickers, 2-0, Wins Tourney to Select S.Q. Golden Eagles
Aliaza Football Club defeated Street Kickers, 2-0, to win the San Quentin soccer tournament held to scout talent for the newly created Golden Eagles.
Golden Eagles is the name chosen for the 21-man team that will represent San Quentin in soccer against all comers.
“The tournament went well. No problems at all,” Commissioner Garvin Robinson said after the November contest. “In running the tournament, we got to see who can play what position. Also, we saw that we need to practice. Once we practice, we can learn to play together and learn positions.”
The tournament scores wins as three points, draws as one and losses as zero. After six games, Street Kickers led the league with 13 to Aliaza’s 11. Aliaza needed a win to take the tournament.
The first half of the game was a street fight between both teams’ goalies. Marco Villa guarded the goal post for Aliaza, while Paul “Irish” Kirwan did so for the Street Kickers. They combined for 23 blocking shots.
Six minutes into the second half, Alianza broke through with a goal by Erik Lino, who was assisted by Coach/Player Alexe “Peru” Ruiz. With 2:52 left to play, Lino kicked another goal, assisted by Lupez Jesus.
“It was a great team effort by both teams. We were the better team today,” Ruiz said.
Standouts prospects for the Golden Eagles who emerged from the tournament are:
Defensive players: Villa, Kirwan, Chris Marshall, Dexton Thetford, Juan Meza, Garvin Robinson and E. Gonzalez.
Forwards: Venado “Orange Shoe” Ramirez, Jeff Williams and Abelkader Morceli.
Mid-fielders: Ruiz, Agustin Munoz, Jose “Shorty” Vieyra and Lino.
Others will be picked later.