NEW DATA TOOL TO SPEED UP RESENTENCING
A new technology under development aims to make safe prison releases more efficient, reported KCRA. The non-AI, data-driven tool would automate the process of reviewing an incarcerated person’s rehabilitation files as part of “second-chance” laws that allow county prosecutors to recommend post-conviction resentencing, which often triggers the person’s release from prison. The … [Read More...]
VOTING RIGHTS ACT LIVES ON DESPITE RECENT ATTACK IN SUPREME COURT
The Voting Rights Act has survived another attack on its existence in a surprise ruling by the majority conservative Supreme Court in June, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Court ruled 5-4 in Allen v. Milligan t hat Republican legislators in Alabama must create a new election district that would allow for the likelihood of a Black Democrat’s election to Congress, reasserting the Act’s … [Read More...]
CONGRESS EXAMINES ASSET SEIZURES BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
Congress is considering legislation that would end illegal confiscation of property from people who have not been convicted of a crime, according to a FOX News report. The proposed bipartisan bill would overhaul asset forfeiture laws, restoring Americans’ protection from private property seizures without warrants, said the article. “The lawless seizure and ‘forfeiture’ of people’s … [Read More...]
CAN FELONS RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE?
The recent arrest of a New Mexico political candidate has highlighted a series of disparate state laws dictating whether people with felony convictions are eligible to run for public office. Solomon Peña, a Republican candidate for the New Mexico statehouse, was arrested earlier this year for allegedly recruiting hired guns to shoot at the homes of Democratic lawmakers after he received just … [Read More...]
NEW STATE CRIME: ‘AGGRAVATED DEATH BY DELIVERY’
Expansive criminal justice bills to protect public safety have been signed into law by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Sweeping changes will target the state’s parole system and dealers of dangerous drugs such as fentanyl, who are responsible for overdose deaths, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “We will not rest until we hold criminals in Arkansas accountable … [Read More...]
GREATER OVERSIGHT PROPOSED FOR FEDERAL PRISONS
bipartisan legislation to provide additional oversight of federal prisons to address widespread scandals and misconduct, in particular sexual abuse of incarcerated residents at the hands of prison officers. \ Under the proposed reforms, people incarcerated by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons would have the ability to report abuses to an accountability office through a hotline, reported ABC News. … [Read More...]
RETRO(IN)ACTIVE
failure to apply criminal justicereforms retroactively causesdisparate punishments Recent laws aimed at easing lengthy “tough on crime” punishments typically do not apply retroactively, which disproportionately harms Black and Hispanic people, the Huffington Post reports. Several states have passed criminal justice reform legislation aimed to correct harsh sentencing practices. But … [Read More...]
REPORT FINDS EXCLUSIVITY IN DIVERSION PROGRAMS
creators of programs and policies structurally exclude lower income minorities Almost anyone in front of a judge for infractions such as DWI or possession of small amounts of illegal drugs hopes to avoid jail or prison. Diversion programs like education for drunken driving or drug rehabilitation seem a far more preferable solution. Diversion programs came about as a way to move persons from … [Read More...]
BILL AIMS TO STOP THE PRISON TO SHELTER PIPELINE
New York lawmakers are once again considering legislation aimed at helping formerly incarcerated people get a place to live, The New York Times reported. A similar bill was rejected last year by the Governor’s office during budget negotiations. The bill, known as the Housing Access Voucher Program, would provide assistance to people affected by high-rent costs, which contributes to … [Read More...]
STUDY EXAMINES IMPACT OF BAIL REFORM ON REARREST RATE
A college study concludes that low-level offenders released under New York’s bail reform law are less likely to return to jail. The 2020 reform eliminated a judge’s ability to set bail for low-level crimes. The study found this actually reduced the likelihood the offender would be re-arrested, the nonprofit Gothamist reported. The re-arrest rate under the reforms was 44% compared to 50% … [Read More...]
STATE SET TO RESUME EXECUTIONS
The state of Alabama is resuming executions after a three-month delay in the wake of problems with lethal injections that forced the cancellation of three executions, according to reporting by The Associated Press. Last November, Gov. Kay Ivey ordered executions paused to allow for a “top to bottom” internal review of death penalty procedures. “I am confident that the Department is … [Read More...]
CASH BAIL ALTERNATIVE
SCIENCE-BASED ALGORITHM FOCUSESON ISSUES OF FAIRNESS, PUBLIC SAFETY A new procedure for releasing detainees focuses on public safety and fairness by using a scientifically based algorithm rather than relying on a cash-based bail system. The algorithm, known as the Public Safety Assessment tool, was developed by examining 750,000 criminal cases, and it identified nine factors that help … [Read More...]
THREE-STRIKE STRUGGLES
PRISONERS SENTENCED UNDER THREE-DECADE OLD LAW FIGHT TO EARN RELEASE As California’s Three Strikes law approaches its 30- year anniversary, prisoners sentenced under the 1994 law are gradually being released, but others complain they are still being denied justice. James Benson, 67, has served more than 25 years in prison under the Three Strikes law, which proponents said was necessary … [Read More...]
U.S. WEIGHING HUNDREDS OF ANTI-LGBTQ+ LAWS
Social justice and equality have come to the forefront of American consciousness in recent years, and many would agree the movement is long overdue. However, across the country, significant opposition stands between true equality and the Queer population. Nationwide, the American Civil Liberties Union is currently tracking more than 470 pieces of legislation aimed at limiting or restricting … [Read More...]
SCOTUS UPHOLDS ASSAULT WEAPON BAN – FOR NOW
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily upheld an Illinois law aimed at banning certain rapid-fire assault weapons, according to reporting by the Los Angeles Times. On May 17, the justices rejected an emergency appeal brought by gun rights groups (National Assn. for Gun Rights v. Naperville, Ill), in an unsigned order with no dissent. The groups were asking the justices to stop a local ordinance … [Read More...]
DISCRETIONARY PAROLE STYMIED – AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION SUES
The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska filed a lawsuit in February against the state’s corrections department and Corrections Commissioner Jen Winkelman, alleging that officials denied access to programs needed by four plaintiffs to prepare them for timely release under a discretionary parole program. The discretionary parole process granted to the men moved up their release dates, … [Read More...]
STATES WEIGH AUTOMATIC EXPUNGEMENT LAWS
Many states have begun to reform laws in an effort to improve employment opportunities for those with criminal records, according to a white paper from the CATO Institute dated Feb. 24, 2023. The Institute cited a report from the Collateral Consequences Resource Center (CCRC) that says Utah recently expunged over 60,000 records automatically. The CCRC report also said that Missouri has … [Read More...]
STATES MOVE TO RESTORE VOTING RIGHTS FOR RETURNING CITIZENS
Nationwide, the formerly incarcerated often find themselves barred from voting due to myriad legal restrictions that vary from state to state. Some are working to change that, according to an article by The Associated Press. “[Voting gives] a little bit of your strength back and a little bit of your voice back,” said TJ King, a formerly incarcerated outreach specialist with the Nebraska … [Read More...]
EXONERATED PASTOR FILES LAWSUIT OVER FALSIFIED EVIDENCE
After the State of North Carolina vacated charges against him, a pastor who spent more than eight years in prison filed a lawsuit in his hometown accusing local police of fabricating evidence, reported The News and Observer. In 1993, Darron Carmon was accused and convicted of armed robbery, of taking $281 from Fast Way convenience store. At the time, the young, Black college student studied … [Read More...]
COURT OKAYS ASKING RENTERS ABOUT CRIMINAL HISTORY
A federal court ruled in March that cities cannot completely prevent property owners from inquiring about a potential renter’s criminal history, but they can prohibit property owners from rejecting all applicants with criminal records. The split decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down portions of a Seattle ordinance that prohibited property owners from inquiring about … [Read More...]
DA Jenkins to drop manslaughter charges against former SFPD officer
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins intends to drop manslaughter charges against a fired San Francisco police officer, according to the Associated Press. According to a letter obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, Jenkins implied that her review of the case factors revealed internal conflicts and that the charges brought by former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin … [Read More...]
ABA examines plea bargain process
The American Bar Association’s Plea Bargain Task Force released its 2023 report in February, revealing that “98% of criminal proceedings end in a plea bargain instead of a jury trial,” wrote JP Leskovich of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in JURIST, Wickimedia (Tony Webster). The Plea Bargain Task Force came into being in 2019, a creation of the ABA’s Criminal Justice Section. Its … [Read More...]
National trend sees police groups attempt to ‘tilt scales’
Police unions are funding ballot initiatives and placing allies on oversight boards to undermine civilian monitoring of alleged misconduct, according to the Marshall Project. Law enforcement groups are often resistant to civilian oversight and contend that police are more suited to judge misconduct, said the Jan. 21 report titled How Police Unions Try to Tilt the Scales on Oversight … [Read More...]
California lawmaker undaunted in efforts to end involuntary servitude in prison
A California lawmaker has introduced a bill to put an end to involuntary servitude in state prisons. Assembly member Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun) introduced Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 (ACA 8). Wilson hopes this bill will fare better than a failed attempt last year to pass similar legislation in the state. “Slavery must not be a pillar of California’s justice system and this … [Read More...]
No executions in California in 17 years
It has been more than 17 years since California last executed one of its Death Row residents in January 2006. Administrative processes, executive actions and various legal battles have been contributing factors to prevent executions during the period, according to Fox 40 news. “We are starting the process of closing death row to repurpose and transform the current housing units into … [Read More...]