The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/author/jackatme/page/2/)
Does shrinking the size of prison populations save taxpayers money? Not always, says a study released May 23 by the Vera Institute of Justice. The study found that 25 states increased their spending on prisons even though the nation’s overall prison population has declined.
A free data tool launched by Measures for Justice (MFJ) is aimed at providing policymakers, practitioners and journalists with a county-level view at how criminal cases are handled from arrest to post-conviction.
A study by three researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas offers cautious support to arguments that federal consent decrees prod police departments into reducing racial basis.
Colombian President Juan Santos, who met President Trump at the White House last week, says the U.S. needs to change its hardline drug policy to focus on harm-reduction and the wider illicit activities conducted by transnational crime syndicates.
A National Juvenile Defender Center report finds “large discrepancies” across the U.S. in the guidelines and procedures used to determine juveniles’ access to a lawyer. In the report, entitled, “Access Denied,” it calls on state authorities to “recognize interrogation as a critical stage of juvenile proceedings requiring a publicly funded defense lawyer to protect children from potential abuses of authority.”
In a special report, the ACLU and Color of Change say just nine insurers underwrite the majority of bonds issued in the U.S. Another report from Texas A&M University , which compares pretrial strategies in two Texas counties, says “automated risk-assessment” tools are fairer for defendants, cost less and improve public safety.
A Police Foundation review of the February 2016 shooting in Michigan that took six lives credits the advance training of regional public safety organizations for limiting the impact of the tragedy. The lesson should be taken to heart by law enforcement agencies around the U.S., say the authors.
Mason, who headed the DOJ’s office of Justice Programs, will replace departing president Jeremy Travis, who welcomed his successor as a national “thought leader” in criminal justice.
The Administration’s hardline approach to crime gets scant support from Americans, including those who voted for Donald Trump in the last campaign, according to a survey released to coincide with the President’s first 100 days in office.
Citizen recordings are critical tools to hold police accountable for their actions, and efforts to limit them undermine First Amendment rights of free speech, says the Texas Public Policy Foundation.