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) […]
Policing and Law Enforcement
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,
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
This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Welcome to This Week in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. This week, President Biden forms a panel to study Supreme Court reform, Maryland establishes a multitude of police reform measures, and California’s COVID-19 related restrictions are once again struck down by the Supreme Court.
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.
Justice for Breonna Taylor: The Abuse of Prosecutorial Discretion
On March 13th, 2020, Breonna Taylor, an EMT, aspiring nurse, and unarmed Black woman, was fatally shot in her home.
Oh Deer!: Vermont Supreme Court’s Fourth Amendment Decision Generates Criticism from Supreme Court Justices
A recent Vermont Supreme Court decision imperils Fourth Amendment protections by further limiting the extent of curtilage. The decision drew criticism from Justices Gorsuch, Kagan, and Sotomayor in an interesting statement regarding the Supreme Court’s denial of certiorari.
America’s War on Black Trans Women
The message of our federal and state governments failing to protect (and sometimes actively harming) Black trans women is terrifying: if the government doesn’t care about Black trans women, then citizens don’t have to care either. In other words, because the law treats Black trans women with disregard and violence, it gives individuals a free pass to do the same.
School Policing was Designed to Criminalize Black Students. We Must Follow Black Voices Calling for its Abolition.
The recent uprisings in response to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black people by police have amplified decades-long efforts by Black students and activists to abolish school police. We must collectively follow these Black leaders to ensure that schools are redesigned to nurture their most vulnerable students.