criminal justice reform
-
Florida State Prosecutor Launches Program to Reduce Number of People Charged With Resisting Arrest
In Florida, State Attorney Aramis Ayala has launched a program to reduce the amount of people prosecuted for non-violently resisting arrest. On Tuesday, Ayala revealed a new policy that grants prosecutors more discretion in being able to drop resisting arrest charges, the Orlando Sentinel reports. At a news conference announcing the policy, Ayala said data…
-
Virginia House of Delegates Approves Budget Focused on Criminal Justice and Police Reform
The ongoing racial reckoning in the U.S. has had Democratic legislators in Virginia looking to pass police reform policies in recent months. On Tuesday, the state’s House of Delegates approved a two-year budgetary plan that includes funding for a multitude of criminal justice and police reform initiatives aimed at addressing police misconduct and racial injustice.…
-
Maya Moore Announces Marriage to Jonathan Irons, Who She Helped Free From Wrongful Conviction
When Maya Moore decided to step away from the WNBA in 2019 in order to fight for criminal justice reform, little did we know she was also fighting for love. On Wednesday, the WNBA superstar announced on Good Morning America that Jonathan Irons, who she helped to regain his freedom after serving 22 years for…
-
A Judge Asked Harvard to Find Out Why So Many Black People Were In Prison. They Could Only Find 1 Answer: Systemic Racism
It wasn’t Black-on-Black crime. Violent video games and rap songs had nothing to do with it; nor did poverty, education, two-parent homes or the international “bootstraps” shortage. When a judge tasked researchers with explaining why Massachusetts’ Black and Latinx incarceration was so high, a four-year study came up with one conclusion. Racism. It was always…
-
Vehicle Transporting the Governor of Iowa Struck a Black Lives Matter Protester
Apparently, somewhere along the line, hitting protesters with a car just became the default move of authority figures. While we’ve seen multiple police officers employ this horrific tactic over the last month, a driver for the Governor of Iowa has become the latest to use it as well. The Des Moines Register reports that a…
-
Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Alicia Garza on How to Organize and Stay Inspired During a Crisis
Doing “the work” is an oft-used phrase in social justice circles, arguably overused to the point that it can include everything from reading a poem to starting a movement. Alicia Garza knows what “the work” is. A co-founder of Black Lives Matter, the writer and activist now works as the Special Projects Director for the…
-
Belly of the Beast Documentary Aims to Uncover Injustices Faced by Incarcerated Women
Belly of the Beast, a powerful documentary film about the human rights abuses experienced by women at the hands of the criminal justice system, will premiere on Thursday during the Human Rights Watch Film Festival at 6:30 p.m. ET. A Q&A with the filmmakers is set to take place at 8:00 p.m. ET, and those…
-
Bailout of Black Mothers Takes on New Urgency as Coronavirus Pushes Fundraising Efforts Earlier
Black Mamas Bail Out was first conceived as a continuation of centuries-long idea: that black people must be co-conspirators in their own liberation. Erika Maye, deputy senior director of criminal justice campaigns for Color of Change, one of the founding organizations behind Black Mamas Bail Out, credits the event, now in its fourth year, to…
-
Kim Kardashian Visits Trump to Discuss Criminal Justice Reform That Isn't Really Criminal Justice or Reform…or Even Trump’s
Instagram model, activist and almost-lawyer Kim Kardashian, affectionately known as “the Rosa Parks of people who are nothing like Rosa Parks,” visited President Donald Trump on Wednesday to push for further criminal justice reform. Shortly before she was spotted at the White House, Kardashian tweeted: “Today Alice, Crystal, Judith, Tynice and I, along with the…
-
You Get a Pardon! And You Get a Pardon! Career Criminal Donald Trump Passes Out Get Out of Jail Free Cards to Disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Others
There are some words and phrases in the English language that are open to interpretation, while others—like “criminal”—are pretty cut-and-dried. Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is a fucking criminal. While most would point to his terrible dye job as proof that he belongs behind bars, there’s also the fact that he racked up an astounding…