Barred: Why the Innocent Can’t Get Out of Prison (Book Review by Justin Marceau)
Within the last decade I had an informal meeting with a judge at a local restaurant. We talked about mutual […]
Criminal Justice
This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Welcome to This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Blockbuster cases came to the Supreme Court this week involving
Pretrial Transformation and Abolition
Carceral pretrial approaches lack evidence of effectiveness—in fact, research identifies that commonplace strategies such as money bail, detention, and even mandatory drug testing hamper pretrial success. In addition, these strategies are racially discriminatory while also contributing to harmful collateral consequences for individuals and communities. As jurisdictions across the country are beginning to confront these findings and explore alternatives, the pretrial space offers a unique opportunity for abolitionist transformations.
Alternatives to Incarceration: A Focus on Drug Courts
Alternatives to incarceration, which entail any form of punishment except jail or prison time, have been a large (and necessary)
Participatory Defense: What It Is and Why It Deserves Our Attention
For decades now, directly impacted communities, organizers, public defenders, academics, and others have sounded the alarm on the crisis of
The Impact of COVID-19 in Jails and Prisons Across America
Over the past 18 months, as the world has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, those detained in jails, prisons,
Hemphill v. New York: Supreme Court to Confront a Question on the Confrontation Clause
Next week, the Supreme Court’s October Term begins, with cases ranging from state water lines to state secrets. One of
Maryland Becomes First State to Repeal its Police Bill of Rights
This month, Maryland became the first state to repeal its statutory police bill of rights, thereby reducing the special protections
Historic New York State Legislation Shows Us What is Possible When Elected Officials Listen to Organizers and Directed-Impacted Communities
On the morning of March 31st, New York, home to the city once considered to be the marijuana arrest capital
Pretrial Detention Has Become Exponentially More Deadly in the Pandemic
Pretrial detention, or keeping a person accused of a crime in jail until their trial, is a common practice throughout the United States. Though the system is portrayed as a way to protect public safety and ensure people show up for their trials, most often it instead simply forces those who cannot afford bail to sit in jail, while those who are able to pay the fine roam free before their court date. Although some local governments have reduced jail populations by releasing detainees, it has not been enough to protect inmates from the spread of COVID-19 within jails.
The Family Regulation System: Why Those Committed to Racial Justice Must Interrogate It
The absence of the child welfare system from mainstream discussions on systemic racism, as well as the positioning of the system as a just alternative to policing, has caused concern for many family defense practitioners, scholars, and families impacted by the child welfare system.