Criminal Justice
-
Unable to Press Charges in Jail Death of Mentally Ill Man, Virginia Attorney Indicts Justice System
It should have been clear that Jamycheal Mitchell was not well. At least, that’s what a recent report from Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney for Portmouth says. Mitchell died at Hampton Roads Regional Jail in 2015, after being arrested several months prior for stealing $5 worth of snacks from a 7-Eleven. A judge ordered Mitchell, diagnosed with…
-
Exclusive: ACLU Threatens Legal Action if North Carolina Doesn't Transfer Trans Inmate to Women's Prison
Despite numerous requests to be transferred, North Carolina continues to hold Kanautica Zayre-Brown, a trans woman, behind bars at a men’s correctional facility, a choice that imperils Zayre-Brown’s safety daily, she and her advocates say. On Monday night, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter (pdf) to North Carolina’s Department of Public Safety, demanding…
-
Osundairo Brothers Apologize for Ruining Black History Month with Their Involvement in Jussie Smollett’s Alleged Attack
“See, what had happened was …” is a staple phrase in black households that typically proceeds a preposterous explanation for questionable behavior. But since Abimbola “Abel” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo—the Nigerian-American siblings involved in the allegedly bogus attack on the self-proclaimed “gay 2Pac” Jussie Smollet—aren’t in a position to further incriminate the Empire star who’s…
-
Mother and Daughter in Pennsylvania are Charged With Murdering 5 of Their Family Members
A mother and her teenage daughter were arrested Tuesday and charged with murdering five of their family members in their Morrisville, Pa., home. Shana S. Decree, 45, and her 19-year-old daughter Dominique K. Decree were charged with five counts of criminal homicide and one count of conspiracy for the deaths of Shana Decree’s children, Naa’Irah…
-
This Black History Month, Let’s Recognize the African-American Prisoners Who Helped Build America
Like much of the rest of the discourse around jails, prisons and mass incarceration, Black History Month is not usually a time when we talk about the thousands of black prisoners that were forced to build America after the Civil War. It’s time to recognize them because the postwar South was literally rebuilt on their…
-
Judge Sets Bail for R. Kelly at $1 Million
CBS News reports that after turning himself into Chicago police on Friday, an Illinois judge set a $1 million bond for R. Kelly on Saturday, a day after he was formally charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. The “Ignition” singer has been accused of abusing four victims—at least three of whom were underage—in…
-
R. Kelly Indicted on 10 Counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse, No-Bail Arrest Warrant Issued [Updated]
There were decades of allegations. There was a criminal trial on charges of child pornography. There were hashtag campaigns and open letters. There was a high-profile series documenting the stories of his alleged victims. Now, there is a no-bail warrant out for Robert “R.” Kelly on 10 counts of aggravated child sexual abuse, approved by…
-
American Justice: Abuse Domineque Ray as a Boy, Discriminate Against Him as a Man, and on Death Row, Kill Him
Domineque Ray was born in a country that is proud of its stated principles, which supposedly include justice for all. For Ray, justice in America meant enduring sexual and other forms of physical abuse throughout his childhood, so much so that he was ashamed to even admit it to save his own life. Propublica summed…