criminal justice reform
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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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New Los Angeles District Attorney Announces Plans to End Cash Bail, Office Will No Longer Seek the Death Penalty
Newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced plans to enact sweeping reforms— including ending cash bail and the death penalty—while being sworn in on Tuesday. According to CNN, Gascón’s plan to immediately end cash bail for specific crimes could see hundreds of currently incarcerated people released as soon as tomorrow. While these releases…
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America Has Yet to Achieve Racial Equity in Cannabis Reform. New Jersey Is Hoping Dianna Houenou Can Change That
On Election Day, New Jersey became one of four states where voters legalized marijuana for recreational purposes, joining a wave of drug reform and decriminalization that has been sweeping the country since Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis in 2012. This means that a third of Americans (more than 111…
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The Winner of the 2020 Election Was Drug Reform
The clear victor on election night was neither President Donald Trump nor Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden—it was drugs. Voters in six states across the country backed more progressive drug laws, continuing a long march toward legalization. Among them are New Jersey, Arizona, Montana and South Dakota, who each voted to legalize recreational marijuana, and…
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Exonerated Five's Kevin Richardson Reflects On Receiving Honorary Degree from Syracuse University, Using It As an Opportunity to Inspire Others
In 2019, many of us learned the story of Kevin Richardson, who was one of five teenagers wrongly convicted for the 1989 rape of a white woman jogging in New York City’s Central Park. Netflix’s When They See Us gave us a glimpse into Richardson’s life before and after it was derailed by our corrupted…