The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/category/reforming-the-system/)
Prisons that foster a “culture of negativity” for both inmates and correctional workers make our communities less safe, according to a review of a February prison riot in Delaware. The review, led by a team from the Police Foundation, urges correctional authorities to recognize their “core” role in preventing recidivism.
Oklahoma leads the nation in female incarceration – at a rate more than twice the national average. On Wednesday, legislators, activists and academics will explore how to reduce the rate in a livestreamed conference hosted by The Atlantic magazine in collaboration with Reveal, of California’s Center for Investigative Reporting.
Flawed forensic evidence is a key reason for many wrongful convictions in criminal cases. Setting rigorous standards for judges and prosecutors to follow in pretrial discovery would reduce its use, argues a study published in the Northwestern University Law Review.
A New York City experiment that used partially secured and unsecured bonds suggests that these are viable alternatives to a system that puts thousands of individuals behind bars awaiting trial because they can’t afford to make bail, according to a September 15 report by the Vera Institute of Justice.
Talk about criminal justice reform has ebbed on Capitol Hill, but outside the legislative chambers, three major projects led by academics are underway this year that could set the stage for comprehensive changes at federal and state levels.
Federal Judge Jed S. Rakoff says the use—and abuse—of plea bargaining gives prosecutors more power than judges to affect justice outcomes. In a forthcoming Northwestern University Law Journal essay, he proposes one way to “temper” their powers.
The “Reid Interrogation Method” was developed in the mid-20th century to eliminate abuses in police interrogations. But it hasn’t eliminated concerns about false confessions and should be shelved, writes a University of Virginia law researcher.
In most prisons in America, LGBTI inmates face systematic discrimination and cruelty. But the Stafford Creek facility in Washington state has implemented model policies that address their special needs.
A federally funded database called NamUs provides free forensic and analytical resources for missing, unidentified and unclaimed person cases. But unless all states make it mandatory for use by local authorities, its full potential won’t be realized, say three Florida researchers.
The University of Cincinnati’s John Paul Wright writes, “In short, while academic criminology has had much to say about crime, most of it has been wrong.” He blames a predominant liberal bent in his profession.