How Criminal Justice Reformers Should Confront Justice Kennedy’s Retirement
First, look to local prosecutor elections.
First, look to local prosecutor elections.
The tactics outlined encourage courtroom ‘dishonesty’ and ‘gamesmanship,’ legal experts argue.
In one Pennsylvania county, more than three times as many people on the registry were charged in 2016 with failing to follow registry requirements than were charged with a new sexual offense
Their attorneys say the new video-teleconferencing policy is exacerbating backlogs and prolonging detention.
Prosecutors on the “J20” case faced grave allegations of misconduct after withholding exculpatory evidence contained in videos from defense attorneys. But this is far from the first time that this office has found itself in hot water.
Catina Curley suffered physical abuse at the hands of her husband for more than a decade. When she turned a revolver on him, she was charged with murder and sentenced to life. Now, thanks to a court ruling, she has a chance at freedom.
York County resident Aaron Hinds overdosed on heroin with a friend. The friend died, and Hinds now faces a ‘drug delivery resulting in death’ charge and a 40-year prison sentence.
Pedro Hernandez’s case has inspired calls for reform, but he’s still being targeted for an alleged cell phone theft.
Legislation passed in Massachusetts and pending in California would set a minimum age for children to enter the juvenile justice system.
Prosecutors and judges across the country are starting to feel eyes on them.
A teenage girl spent weeks in jail, and her mother is still locked up on a $150,000 bond.
The Hart family’s apparent murder-suicide drew headlines, but the path to the tragedy started much earlier—in Texas.
Unfortunately for millions of Americans, only one case matters: Trump’s.
In overdose-wracked Franklin County, Pennsylvania, a small-time dealer is denied bail, while the number of drug induced homicide cases has skyrocketed.
Defense attorneys say they’ll have only minutes to meet with their clients before the immigrants are convicted en masse.
Did a Louisiana police chief and a prosecutor cross a line when they issued televised threats to a man who’d just been granted relief by a federal appeals court in a child killing?
Lists that include out-of-state visitors are inflating the numbers and keeping fear at a boil.
When Caddo voters booted their infamous district attorney, some of his toughest prosecutors found a home in Calcasieu.
Human rights groups, sex worker rights activists, a digital archive and others say they are already facing censorship.
Advocates in Philadelphia say a new tool to assist judges in sentencing could perpetuate bias.
Advocates decry court’s shift to using teleconferencing for hearings.
In the Berkshire County DA race, the establishment is resorting to extreme measures to ensure it maintains power and avoids change.
As anticipated, district attorney finds no misconduct in raid that led to Yang Song’s fatal fall.
As voters begin to realize that prosecutors in the world’s most incarcerated nation may not be the best people to run the government, the era of the prosecutor politician could be on its way out.
Years after two landmark Supreme Court rulings, prosecutors in Louisiana are still overwhelmingly seeking life sentences for children.
As worthy cases for clemency from Cyntoia Brown to Calvin Bryant mount in Tennessee, advocates decry the fact that a Tennessee governor hasn’t commuted a prison sentence since 2011.
Public defenders say immigrants arrested under Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy are being denied their due process rights.
The DOJ just gave $1 million to the New Orleans DA for rape kit testing, but advocates question whether real change can come to an office fighting allegations that it threatens, intimidates and jails rape and domestic violence victims.
Walliris Velez thought the worst was behind her after she was slashed in a subway car, but then came an arrest and an attempted murder charge by the Bronx DA.
Across the state, most incumbents successfully fended off progressive challengers during the June 5 primary.
At a Pennsylvania school, an 18-year-old female student was arrested for a consensual sexual act with a 16-year-old boy.
As part of International Whores’ Day, hundreds gathered in New York City to protest new anti-sex work laws.
By charging shoplifters with felonies, Jeff Reisig is circumventing Prop 47, intended to reduce CA prison populations.
But their push to unseat judges is drawing backlash from a surprising source—fellow Democrats.
In the era of #MeToo, can we hold law enforcement officials accountable?
To reform the justice system, look to prosecutors.
The history of child sex abuse legislation in the United States follows a well-worn pattern: a chilling incident rouses public anger and fear, to which lawmakers respond with expansive, emotionally charged legislative action. The 1994 Jacob Wetterling Act, the first law to establish federal guidelines requiring states to implement sex offender registries, was named after […]
Public defenders say the problem has disastrous effects on their clients’ cases.
In the spring of 1983, Donald Mairena witnessed a shooting at New Orleans’ Latin American Club. He chased after the shooter and later told law enforcement what he’d seen. Mairena gave them his address in case they needed any more information from him. He heard nothing about the case until almost two years later, when […]
A widely shared, recent piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer tells the story of a woman’s grief six months after her husband was murdered. Gerry Grandzol was shot at close range by two young Black men while he was unpacking groceries from his SUV with his two young daughters. The family, which is white, lived in a typically […]