Video Gambling Linked to Crime Spike: Study
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A new study led by economists at the University of Illinois found that access to video gambling caused an increase in violent crime and property crime in Chicago.
Pretrial Release
NJ Bail Reform Works; Prosecution, Defense Complain
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New Jersey’s use of an algorithm to advise judges on pretrial release “is what the new vision of American justice looks like,” NBC News reports. Six months into the new practice, New Jersey jails are already starting to empty, and the number of people locked up while awaiting trial has dropped.
Policing
'Aggressive' Crowd Control After Trump Phoenix Speech
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When a few people began throwing rocks and bottles at police, officers used smoke, pepper spray and “flash bang” stun grenades, surprising many in the crowd.
Prosecutors
Prosecutors Drop Demand for Inauguration Protest Data
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Federal prosecutors had sought 1.3 million IP addresses for people who visited a website aimed at protesting President Trump’s inauguration. The government now says it is seeking only evidence of a “premeditated riot” on Inauguration Day.
Hate Crimes
White Supremacists Adept at Online Recruiting, Planning
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Research groups in the U.S. and Europe now see the white supremacist and jihadi threats as two faces of the same coin, says the New York Times. They’re working on methods to fight both.
Hate Crimes
IACP Joins With Lawyers on Hate Crimes Project
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The International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law are forming an advisory committee to focus on better prevention of and response to hate crimes.
Capital Punishment
Special Board to Review Missouri Death Penalty Case
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Gov. Eric Greitens halts the execution of Marcellus Williams, says he will appoint a board of inquiry after an “inconclusive” DNA test raised questions about Williams’ guilt.
Policing
Taxpayers Paying Most Damages in Taser Cases
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Reuters documented at least $172 million in publicly funded payouts to resolve litigation over deaths after Taser use. The manufacturer has escaped most damage claims recently after warning police not to fire the stun gun at people’s chests.
Prisoner Reentry
Do 'Ban The Box' Laws Hurt More Than Help?
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Studies have found that black men, even those without a criminal history, are less likely to get called back or hired after a ban the box law is enacted. Researchers suspect that employers who can’t ask about criminal backgrounds preemptively weed out young black men, who disproportionately have criminal records.
Immigration
What Would CA Lose as a 'Sanctuary State'?
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The Trump administration threatens to cut off funds for things like reimbursing sheriffs for detaining alleged illegal immigrants. Critics wonder if the state needs the money.
Media
White Nationalists, Counter-Protesters Lash Out at Media
Taylor Lorenz, a reporter for The Hill, was punched for recording the aftermath of the Charlottesville incident in which one woman was killed. She was only one of several journalists who was attacked.
U.S. Department of Justice
Jury Acquits Defendants in Bundy Ranch Standoff
A jury in Las Vegas refused to convict four accused gunman in a 2014 standoff with federal authorities near the Nevada ranch of states’ rights figure Cliven Bundy. The verdict delivered what the Associated Press called a stunning setback to federal prosecutors.
Drugs
Opioid Overdoses Don’t Scare Users Into Going Straight
Study of Medcaid records in Pennsylvania indicates that the number of people filling painkiller prescriptions in the six months after treatment for an opioid overdose declined only 10 percent.
Prisons
Gen. Mark Inch Called ‘Mystery Man’ at Bureau of Prisons
Little is know about what retired two-star general Mark Inch may do as new head of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. One former employee says he “has the ability to think outside the box.”
Cybercrime
‘Phone Hijackings’ Rise as Hackers Steal Mobile Numbers
Hackers are finding a lucrative market in stealing mobile phone numbers and resetting passwords on every account that uses the number as a security backup. the Federal Trade Commission had reports of 2,658 incidents as of January 2016.