criminal justice reform
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C.J. Wallace, Son of Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans, Launches Cannabis Line to Benefit the Prison Arts Project
“Smoking blunts was a daily routine, since 13,” Biggie once famously rapped. But now his son, C.J., is showing the public that marijuana use goes far beyond the typical “Party and Bullshit” of most rap lyrics. C.J. Wallace is best known for playing the role of his iconic father in 2009’s Notorious biopic. Now, 10…
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Man Out of Prison for Nearly 13 Years May Have to Go Back Over Government Error [Updated]
In 2006, Demetrius Anderson walked out of a Connecticut state prison a free man. And then, last week, getting ready for work at New Haven’s parks department, he was confronted by eight U.S. marshals who showed up at his apartment door. Of course, the 43-year-old was confused. “They pushed me on my refrigerator, so now…
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‘Real Life For a Black Kid in America’: Free Meek Docuseries to Premiere Summer 2019 on Amazon Prime
Meek Mill has had his share of Dreams and Nightmares, but now he’s documenting what has been his reality for more than a decade since he was arrested for illegally owning a firearm and assaulting a police officer when he was 18 years old. According to the Hollywood Reporter, a six-part docuseries entitled Free Meek…
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ACLU Sues Philadelphia Courts Over Money Bail Practices
In 2015, Eugene Lee spent three months in jail for a botched armed robbery. While that might not seem like a long time, you should know that Lee was not convicted before being sent to jail. He was also not the gunman in the incident. In fact, the robbery involved a toy gun that someone…
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Prosecutors Around the Country Petition Governor Andrew Cuomo, State Lawmakers to End Cash Bail in New York
Earlier this week, 15 of the country’s most progressive prosecutors co-signed a letter urging New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to overhaul the state’s current detention policy by abolishing pretrial cash bail. The letter, sent to Albany on March 6, was signed by some of the country’s most prominent reform-minded prosecutors, including St. Louis County’s Wesley…
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Paul Manafort’s Sentence Proves White Lives Matter
I know black people like Paul Manafort. Like Manafort, Larry Langford, the former mayor of Birmingham, Ala., was essentially jailed for collusion after he directed $7.1 million in county bond business to investment bankers in exchange for $230,000 in cash, a few suits and some jewelry. Like Manafort, Larry Langford was found guilty in a…
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The Friend of My Enemy Is … Van Jones?
I like Van Jones. I like Van Jones in the same way I like Cardi B, Barack Obama and grits, which is to say I like the idea of Van Jones. I’ve agreed with a lot of his commentary on CNN, and I support his efforts on criminal justice reform, most recently as CEO of…
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Baltimore’s Marilyn Mosby Becomes Latest Top Attorney to Stop Prosecuting Marijuana Cases But Faces Major Hurdle—the Police
Marijuana possession cases will no longer be prosecuted in Baltimore, regardless of how much marijuana is found or whether the person has a criminal record. Marilyn Mosby, the State’s attorney for Baltimore, made the announcement on Tuesday, making her the latest prosecutor to move away from trying marijuana cases. “We need to get serious about…
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Almost 70 Years After Being Falsely Accused of Rape, the Groveland Four Have Finally Been Pardoned
Throughout the course of American history, justice has proven itself to be a privilege that far too often eludes black people. And while often times this infringement on our humanity is rectified retroactively, it can never replace our dignity or the lives broken or engulfed by a corrupted criminal justice system. The most recent example…
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A Pregnant Woman Was Found Dead in a Mississippi Jail After Complaining About Stomach Pains. Her Family Has Yet to See Her
A pregnant mother of two was found dead in a Madison County, Mississippi jail cell sometime last week after complaining to jail officials of stomach pains, her family says. Now, the family of 37-year-old Lanekia Michelle Brown is trying to piece together what happened to her in a death they deem “very suspicious.” “We talked…