Prisoner Reentry
Fee-Based Debit Cards for Ex-Inmates ‘Unlawful’: Lawsuit
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The cards are a popular cost-saving device for many jails and prisons, but a California lawsuit aims to end what prisoner rights advocates say amounts to sanctioned theft.
Reforming the System
Will Justice Reform Survive Washington’s ‘Tough on Crime’ Policies?
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Keir Bradford-Grey, chief defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, believes it will. In a conversation with The Crime Report, she argues that the work of local jurisdictions and community groups in developing problem-solving courts, diversion programs and other reforms will be hard to reverse.
Policing
A Police Chief Reflects: ‘Handcuffs Are Not the Solution’
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In his forthcoming book, former Dallas Chief David Brown ponders the lessons learned over a 33-year career in law enforcement, capped by the July 2016 shooting tragedy that left five Dallas officers dead. In a chat with TCR, he discusses the need to change the “culture of policing” in order to bridge the divide between communities and law enforcement around the country.
Juvenile Justice
When Being ‘Facebook-Famous’ Leads to Violence
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New York City ‘violence interruptors’ now use social media to intervene when online conflicts threaten to spill over into violence. Mike Perry and Samuel Jackson tell Crime Report editor Stephen Handelman how they do it in the latest episode of “Criminal Justice Matters.”
Corrections
Death Row Solitary: ‘Their Walls Have Driven Them Mad’
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Texas inmates on Death Row have been placed in mandatory solitary confinement since 1999— a situation that some advocates say leads to ‘human rights abuse.’ The problem isn’t limited to Texas.
Bail Reform
The Tiger Woods Version of Justice
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The pro golfer didn’t have to post bail after his arrest this week on a DUI charge, but individuals who aren’t rich or celebrities are more likely to have been shown to a jail cell. Such unequal treatment is a notorious feature of American justice that needs reform, says a report released today by the Prison Policy Initiative.
Reforming the System
Do All Violent Offenders Need Long Prison Terms?
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Fordham law professor John Pfaff says the country needs to re-examine the way “politics and punishment interact.” In part 2 of an extended conversation with TCR about his book, “Locked In,” Pfaff focuses on what he believes is local prosecutors’ aggressively punitive approach to people convicted of violence.
Washington Report
High Court Denies Police Liability in Use-of-Force Case
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A unanimous decision said Los Angeles sheriffs’ deputies could not be held liable for using reasonable force against a man who appeared to be pointing a rifle at them, even though the deputies had entered the property without a warrant.
Reforming the System
Why Prosecutors Are the ‘Heart’ of Our Prison Population Boom
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Fordham law professor John Pfaff argues in a new book that traditional explanations for America’s mass incarceration crisis distract from the central challenge of rethinking how we punish violent offenders. In part one of a chat with TCR contributing editor David Krajicek, he offers some solutions.
Washington Report
Will U.S. School Safety Research Get The Axe?
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Tucked away in Trump’s $4.1 trillion budget last week was a note that the White House was calling for a $54.8 million cut in school safety research. There was no explanation for the cut. When The Crime Report asked DOJ for an explanation, it said it was awaiting results of the earlier research.