Washington Report
A New Trump Fact Check on Crime, Justice
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President Trump made 24 false or misleading claims in two recent public speeches, reports the Washington Post Fact Checker. Here are four pertaining to criminal justice.
Washington Report
‘Smarter Justice,’ Bail Reforms Make Headway Across U.S., Advocates Say
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Progressive prosecutors and scientific pretrial release systems are reducing jail populations, say Jeremy Travis of the Laura and John Arnold Foundation and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh. New policies by newly elected Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner, including decriminalizing marijuana possession, were cited as examples.
Washington Report
Crime Victim Aid Getting Big Boost in Spending Law
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Grants to help crime victims and to support programs that assist them will get a 78 percent increase in the current fiscal year, estimates one expert. The measure was signed last Friday by President Trump.
Policy & Politics
Congress Slates $75M for Expanded School Violence Research
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After the school shooting in Parkland, Fl., brought much more attention to the school violence issue, Congress is increasing funds for research –although the Trump administration is seeking to reduce the program.
Policy & Politics
Overhaul of Crime Stats Should Include Data Theft, Toxic Spills: Expert Panel
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A 15-member panel assembled by the National Academy of Sciences said Wednesday that current statistics collection has left gaps in data about many offenses affecting American life today. It also recommended that the government consider centralizing the control of collecting crime statistics.
Washington Report
Can Better Health Care Help Ex-Inmates Avoid Returning to Jail?
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Giving former inmates better health care through Medcaid and other coverage can “enhance public safety, reduce recidivism, and more efficiently use public resources,” says a new guide from the Urban Institute and the law and consulting firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.
Washington Report
Trump’s ‘Bipartisan’ Nominees to Sentencing Commission Tilt Conservative
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The president has nominated four people to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, including three well-known conservatives. Families Against Mandatory Minimums opposed one of the nominees–Georgetown law Prof. William Otis, a former prosecutor—for his “outdated views.”
Washington Report
Trump Seeks Shutdown of New School Safety Studies
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Two days before the Parkland, Fl., school shooting, the Office of Management and Budget asked Congress to shut down a $50 million federal program funding research on school safety. Criminologists warn ending the program would “detract from efforts to reduce/avoid future school shootings and violence.”
Policy & Politics
Top Lawmaker: I’ll Fight Trump Police Cuts ‘Tooth and Nail’
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Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), co-chair of the House Law Enforcement Caucus, says the Trump plan to downgrade the Community Oriented Policing Services Office is an “odd way…to show support for the brave men and women in blue who rely on the office and grants to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
Washington Report
Trump Budget Seeks $13B for Opioids, $23B for Border
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The White House budget proposal to Congress for the next fiscal year includes a large sum aimed at combatting the opioid epidemic and an even-larger amount for border security and immigration enforcement, including the southern border wall.