Topics

Support Independent Journalism. Donate today!

Matt Henry

Matt Henry is lead technologist and legal counsel at The Justice Collaborative. Prior to joining TJC, Matt was a Massachusetts public defender.

Illustration of prisoners in boxes.

Risk Assessment: Explained

Over the past decade, a growing number of cities, counties and states have recognized the profound injustice of a cash bail system, in which people who can afford bail walk free while those who can’t are detained. But that awareness gives rise to a thorny question: What should replace it? How should judges decide whom […]

Illustration of prisoners in boxes.

Risk Assessment: Explained

The reality of risk assessment algorithms is complicated. Critics say bias can creep in at every stage, from development to implementation to application.

Dispatches from the Still Raging Drug War

Note: This first appeared in our daily In Justice Today newsletter. To get stories like these in your inbox every day, you can sign up here. Media narratives around drug prosecutions have tended to overstate a turn away from punishment and towards rehabilitation for substance users. While this has been true in some instances, many jurisdictions are continuing […]

These NFL stars say it’s time to end cash bail. Here’s why.

Here’s more information on why bail reform is so important (by Jessica Pishko) Kalief Browder, 16-years-old at the time of his arrest, was held on Rikers Island for three years because he could not afford to post bail. Browder was accused of stealing a backpack. When he refused to plead guilty, and instead continued to profess his […]

ICYMI: Yesterday’s can’t-miss justice system news

Note: This first appeared in our daily In Justice Today newsletter. To get stories like these in your inbox every day, you can sign up here. In today’s news roundup, we bring you stories about questions surrounding the use of DNA evidence, misuse of labor by ICE detainees, the lawsuit challenging drivers license suspensions for failure to pay […]

Spotlight on juvenile life without parole

Note: This first appeared in our daily In Justice Today newsletter. To get stories like these in your inbox every day, you can sign up here. Our focus today is on juvenile life without parole sentences. Yesterday, California became the 20th state to ban JLWOP. Washington could become the next state to eliminate JLWOP, as the question of […]