Sheriffs Offered Caribbean Cruises and Florida Retreats as Part of Jail Telecom Contracts
Smart Communications, a for-profit Florida company that sells phone, videochat, and email-like services to prisons and jails, told at least one sheriff’s department that it can live “the resort life” on a trip to Florida.
Hayden Betts Oct 17, 2022
The Las Vegas D.A. Is Seeking The Death Penalty More Than Nearly Any Other
Steven Wolfson, the Clark County DA, says the death penalty is reserved for ‘very rare’ circumstances, but advocates and public defenders say his actions show otherwise.
Sam Mellins May 19, 2021
A Veteran Was Sent to Jail for Stealing Masks to Give to Homeless People
Peter Lucas was jailed overnight at a time when prosecutors across the country are actively working to reduce the number of people behind bars to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Meg O'Connor Apr 16, 2020
Billionaire Victims’ Rights Advocate Finds Himself at the Defense Table
Spotlights like this one provide original commentary and analysis on pressing criminal justice issues of the day. You can read them each day in our newsletter, The Daily Appeal. This month, billionaire Henry T. Nicholas III, who made his fortune as a co-founder of the semiconductor firm Broadcom, was arrested in Las Vegas for narcotics trafficking […]
Sarah Lustbader Aug 27, 2019
Nevada Supreme Court says man cannot be tried again after prosecutors hid evidence
A former Las Vegas hospital executive cannot be tried again on charges of theft and misconduct after prosecutors withheld hundreds of pages of evidence in his first trial. The Nevada Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that Lacy Thomas, the former chief executive officer at University Medical Center, cannot go on trial again due to the misconduct […]
Larry Hannan Sep 28, 2017
Las Vegas jury decides that a brutal murder does not justify the death penalty
John Valerio shows that violent offenders can change.
Carimah Townes Sep 25, 2017
Las Vegas area cops seizing millions of dollars from low-income people of color
Between July 2015 and June 2016, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) made $1.9 million from civil asset forfeiture, the law enforcement practice of seizing cash and property from members of the public and forcing them to legally forfeit those belongings. Now, evidence shows that the funds came from low-income, predominately non-white neighborhoods. According to […]
Carimah Townes Jul 11, 2017