Criminal Justice
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'I Feel Like I'm Finna Die': Why Everyone in Alabama's Prison System Has a Death Sentence [Updated]
For a portion of his 22 years, Bernard Jemison has been incarcerated at Kilby Correctional Facility, a maximum-security penitentiary located just outside of Montgomery, Ala. According to Alabama Department of Corrections documents reviewed by The Root, in September, 1031 men were housed in a prison designed to hold 440 men, an occupancy rate of 234…
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Philadelphia to Pay $9.8 Million to Black Man Exonerated After 28 Years in Prison for Murder. Apparently, This is Happening a Lot in Philly
It appears that for years and even decades the Philadelphia criminal justice system has shown a pattern of locking up Black men for crimes they didn’t commit based on the work of corrupt police officers and conviction-happy courts that never really consider that a Black defendant might be getting railroaded despite a glaring lack of…
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Virginia Judge Rules Portraits of White Judges Prevents Black Defendant From Receiving a Fair Trial
A judge in Virginia’s Fairfax County has ruled that the portraits of white judges in the courtroom prevent Black defendants from receiving a fair trial. According to the Washington Post, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge David Bernhard issued an opinion on Monday saying that the portraits of the mostly white judges that have presided over…
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White Supremacists Plotted to Attack Power Plants, FBI Says
A group led by a teenage white supremacist plotted to attack multiple power plants across the country and write the words “teenage white supremacist” really drives home the feeling that we’re living in the darkest timeline. According to the Associated Press, an accidentally unsealed affidavit revealed allegations from the FBI that a teenager based in…
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Trump Pardons 20 Federal Prisoners, Including Convicted Trump Allies and Soldiers Who Killed Unarmed Iraqi Civilians
What do war criminals, Trump allies, embezzlers and other white-collar criminals have in common? Y’all’s almost-former president is spending his last days in office freeing them from prison. On Tuesday, Donald Trump pardoned or granted clemency to 20 prisoners and former prisoners, including three Republican congressmen, two people convicted of crimes during the investigation into…
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Malik Beasley Pleads Guilty to Threatening Family With Assault Rifle: 'I Was Not In My Right Mind'
For most of Malik Beasley’s NBA career, he’s been relegated to staying in the background, but in recent months, the Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. His “association” with Scottie Pippen’s on-again, off-again ex-wife, Larsa, has become tabloid fodder, and now comes the news that he could be…
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'If Black Lives Matter, What Are You Doing About Detroit Pistons Owner Tom Gores?': Advocacy Group Calls Out NBA In Full-Page Newspaper Ad
If you cracked open the New York Times on Sunday, you might’ve been greeted by the following full-page ad: “If Black Lives Matter, what are you doing about Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores?” That’s a hell of a question. And if you ask Worth Rises, a New York-based non-profit that would love nothing more than…