Aaron Morrison

Aaron Morrison

Aaron Morrison is a senior staff reporter based in New York City. He has previously written about criminal justice for Mic, The Guardian and The International Business Times.

Articles by Aaron Morrison

New York City Agency Has Underreported Lab Errors In DNA Database It Oversees

At least one error led to a wrongful arrest, according to a Freedom of Information Law request, underscoring the need for better oversight of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, advocates say.

Stop-And-Frisk Made Michael Bloomberg A Big Target In The Presidential Debate. His Opponents Still Missed.

Advocates say the narrowing field of Democratic candidates did not seize an opportunity to lay out clear visions on criminal justice reform to contrast the former New York City mayor’s record on policing.

Michael Bloomberg’s Stop-and-Frisk Legacy Came Back to Haunt Him This Week

As old audio clips of Bloomberg defending the controversial policing policy went viral, new data showed the practice isn’t fading away in New York city.

A North Carolina Professor Gave Up His Free Speech Rights To Resolve a Case Involving a Controversial Sheriff

Rann Bar-On pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault of Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson to remain a legal U.S. resident. For the next two years, he isn’t allowed to protest in the county.

Harris County D.A.’s Office Dropped Theft Case After Defense Attorney Alleged Race-Based Jury Selection

A Texas judge approved a Batson motion, then overruled it. But a transcript shows that a Black man was struck unfairly, the attorney said.

Mississippi Man Given Extreme 12-Year Sentence For Having A Cell Phone In Jail Asks For Rehearing

The state Supreme Court erred this month when it failed to invalidate Willie Nash’s sentence as cruel and unusual punishment, his attorneys argue.

Black Women Prosecutors Rally Behind St. Louis Circuit Attorney Over Racist Backlash

Top prosecutors in Baltimore, Chicago, and New York City are supporting Kim Gardner over the “entrenched interests” that they say seek to undermine reforms and police accountability.

Queens County D.A. Reiterates Commitment to Ending Cash Bail After Critics Say She Reneged

Melinda Katz, who was inaugurated Monday, is facing criticism over what some say is a broken campaign promise.

Illinois Man Alleges Police Illegally Forced Him To Undergo A Strip Search, Rectal Exam

According to a complaint, police in Oak Lawn, a suburb of Chicago, subjected Tylus Allen Jr. to invasive searches, all of which turned up nothing.

Los Angeles County D.A. Jackie Lacey Skipped The First Democratic Debate of the Race

After two terms at the helm of the nation’s largest prosecutor office, Lacey has drawn pointed criticism from community advocates who say she is standing in the way of criminal justice reform.

Working Families Party To Endorse José Garza for Travis County D.A.

The Austin-based labor and immigrant rights attorney, who has pledged to end money bail and nonviolent drug prosecutions, is looking to unseat incumbent District Attorney Margaret Moore.

There’s A Pattern Of Police Unions Attacking People Who Call For Criminal Justice Reform, Especially When They Are Black

A Philadelphia police union’s recent attack on Players Coalition co-founder Malcolm Jenkins matches rhetorical tactics that officers’ groups are using in the face of outspoken support for criminal justice reforms.

Hundreds of Victim and Witness DNA Profiles Removed From New York City Database

Advocates say the removals are more evidence of a troubling and unregulated law enforcement tool, overseen by the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Michael Bloomberg Should Apologize For More Than Stop-and-Frisk, Critics Say

The billionaire and former New York City mayor defended the NYPD’s surveillance of Muslim Americans and mandatory minimum prison sentences for gun possession, among other policies.

New York City Voters May Expand Power of Civilian Review Board, Allowing It to Investigate Police Who Lie

If passed, Question 2 would also allow the board to force police commissioners to provide more insight into disciplinary decisions.

Tiffany Cabán Joins Working Families Party To Recruit Progressive Prosecutors, Sheriffs

Cabán, the career public defender who lost a primary bid for district attorney in Queens County, New York, will help the political party build nationwide support in criminal justice elections.

Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg Releases Criminal Justice Reform Plan

The South Bend, Indiana, mayor says his plan—which includes cutting the incarcerated population by half—will "rebalance" a system that is "unfair and racist in many ways."

Austin Braces As Texas Officials Plan Crackdown On Homeless Encampments

Last week, the City Council reinstated a “no camping” ordinance meant to discourage people experiencing homelessness from sleeping on sidewalks and outside a shelter. Advocates say the city is criminalizing poverty.

Virginia Sheriff Seeking Re-election Took Campaign Donations From Healthcare Provider For Jail He Oversees

Sheriff Mike Chapman, who runs the Loudoun County jail, has received close to $15,000 in contributions from the provider since taking office in 2012.

Nearly 600,000 New Yorkers Are Eligible to Have Their Records Sealed. Fewer Than 1,800 of Them Have Succeeded.

The results of record-sealing legislation enacted in 2017 shows the need for automatic expungement, advocates say.

Mississippi Sheriff’s Department Accused Of Racial Profiling Agrees To Reforms That Settle Black Residents’ Lawsuit

The Madison County Sheriff’s Department was sued in 2017 for allegedly subjecting Black motorists and pedestrians to unconstitutional stops and searches.

This Louisiana Gulf War Veteran Is Serving Life For Selling $30 Worth Of Marijuana

Derek Harris awaits arguments in the state Supreme Court about the sentencing, which one judge called ‘unconscionable.’

Convicted Of A Deadly Crime As A Teen, He Worked For Decades To Get A Second Chance At Life

Richard Rivera served more than 38 years in prison after killing an off-duty NYPD officer during a botched armed robbery. He was released in July after being denied parole five times.

In Third Debate, Democratic Presidential Candidates Condemn Mass Incarceration Without Naming Its Main Driver

Candidates offered reforms for people accused of low-level, nonviolent offenses, but more than half of U.S. prisoners have committed a violent crime.

Louisiana Prosecutors Use The ‘Habitual Offender’ Statute To Jail People For Life. Attorneys For Lifers Are Fighting Back.

Henri Lyles is challenging his life sentence under a statute that penalizes people for prior convictions. A favorable decision by the state Supreme Court would mean that he and a dozen people sentenced to life could one day be freed.

Meet the Latinx 19-Year-Old Running for Sheriff in a Majority-White Louisiana Parish

Jose ‘Lil Joe’ Chapa says one way to make Beauregard Parish ‘great again’ is to stop construction of a new jail and divert resources to services that keep people out of lockup altogether.

‘You Don’t Own Me’

At 16, Larry Rosser was imprisoned for killing a woman who sexually and physically abused him. He served 22 years in the California prison system before being released in 2017, after parole commissioners became convinced he was a rehabilitated victim.

Sanders And Warren Just Released the Most Decarceral Criminal Justice Platforms Ever

The 2020 presidential candidates recently unveiled national criminal justice agendas that reimagine public safety and punishment.

Caught on Video: A Texas Man’s Fatal Pursuit By Police

The family of Ricardo Treviño, an unarmed 21-year-old killed by police last year, says they’ve spent months waiting for answers on why he was shot.

Mayors Running for President Take Heat on Police Brutality and Racial Profiling During Debates

Current and former mayors were questioned about how they managed their police departments.

In Queens D.A. Race, Criminal Justice Reform Is The Real Winner

Establishment candidate Melinda Katz declared a narrow victory in the New York City borough’s district attorney primary, but progressive Tiffany Cabán pushed the race to the left on issues like marijuana and sex work.

Decarceration Activist Janos Marton Launches Run For Manhattan D.A.

An organizer in the effort to close New York City’s Rikers Island jails is challenging Cyrus Vance Jr., whom he calls ‘the city’s leading jailer.’

In Rare Motion, Atlanta’s D.A. Reversed Tough-On-Crime Stance

The office of Paul Howard supported early release for a woman convicted of armed robbery. But a judge and advocates questioned the move since thousands of others don’t get that consideration.

A Case That Pushed Tiffany Cabán To Run For Queens D.A.

The public defender has garnered big-name endorsements and gained momentum heading into Tuesday’s primary.

A Troubled Virginia Jail Looks To Add Guards, But Advocates Push For Decarceration

As the Hampton Roads Regional Jail proposes spending $7 million for 113 new guards, advocates renew calls for officials to improve conditions—and an Appeal analysis suggests that the jail could save millions by incarcerating fewer people with mental illness.

Aaron Morrison, Jonathan Ben-Menachem

Queens Prosecutor’s Office Failed to Share 911 Tapes in Murder Trial And Then Lost File, Attorneys Say

Carlton Roman has been stuck in prison for nearly 30 years for a murder he has long denied. Now, with a crowded primary for Queens district attorney weeks away, he could finally get a chance to go free.

‘I Was in Constant Fear’: Immigrant Faces Deportation After Prison for Domestic Dispute

Aylaliya Birru has served over four years in a California prison for assaulting her husband, who she said was physically abusive. A pardon from Governor Gavin Newsom is her last hope to stay in the U.S.

Atlanta Bail Reform Is Leaving Behind Homeless and Mentally Ill People

A number of people spent multiple days at the Atlanta City Detention Center for low-level offenses, including for driving while using a cell phone and for walking in the roadway.

‘They Sent Him to His Cell to Die’

Rashad McNulty entered a guilty plea in a series of federal gang indictments in New York that have been criticized as racist and overly punitive. But before McNulty was even sentenced, he died in jail. Now, his family is seeking justice.

Deputies ‘Tortured, Then Killed’ Man At Georgia Jail On ‘Taser Tuesday,’ Attorneys Say

Antonio May, a 32 year-old father of three, died in the Fulton County Jail in September after deputies pepper-sprayed and shot him with a Taser.

‘They’re Trying To Kill Us In Here’

At Virginia’s Hampton Roads Regional Jail, reform has been slow even after high-profile tragedies including the death of mentally disabled man incarcerated who allegedly stole $5 worth of snacks.

Queens D.A.’s Office Blasted for ‘Spiteful’ Treatment of People on Probation or Parole

As the borough’s district attorney race takes shape, advocates press for changes to the office’s approach to people who reoffend.

Black Mississippians Say Sheriff’s Office Deputies ‘Terrorize The Community Like A Gang Would’

Attorneys and advocates call for change in Madison County after the deaths of three Black people at its jail and because of what they allege is a system of roadblocks targeting Black residents.

Albany Police Shot a Teen in the Back and Paralyzed Him. The D.A. Said It Was Justified.

Activists suspect the investigation was tainted by the close relationship between the police and prosecutors.

‘I’m Not Going Anywhere Until They Stop Killing People’

In 2009, Anaheim police shot and killed Theresa Smith’s son. A new California law promises police transparency, but her quest for answers faces a substantial cost.

Bail Activist Jailed For Trying To Help When Cops Confronted Man In Mental Health Crisis

Colorado-based attorney and bail activist Elisabeth Epps was just released after serving a short jail stint related to a 2015 encounter with Aurora Police. The experience gave her a new understanding of the experiences of the people she has bailed out.

‘I Feel The Oxygen Going Out Of My Mouth’

In October 2018, Marshall Miles was taken into custody by Sacramento County sheriff‘s deputies outside a convenience store. About 14 hours later, he was dead.