criminal justice
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The Curious Case of the NFL’s Endorsement of Criminal-Justice-Reform Bill
The NFL, the proverbial messy bitch that loves drama, just a week after announcing that team owners would revisit rules about player conduct during the playing of the national anthem, has now decided to throw its weight behind a criminal-justice bill. NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart announced Monday that the NFL will endorse a bipartisan bill…
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La. Sheriff Furious at New Laws Allowing for Release of ‘Good,’ Nonviolent Inmates Because ‘We Use Them to Wash Cars’
In case you ever wondered about the way (some) correctional officers see their inmates, I lead you no further than to Caddo Parish, La., Sheriff Steve Prator, who is ranting and raging mad about new criminal-justice reform laws that will go into effect next month—because it will mean getting rid of cheap labor. But don’t…
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Murder Conviction Overturned After Court Determines Teen Was Coerced by LAPD
A teenager’s murder conviction was overturned Friday by a federal appeals court, which ruled that the Los Angeles Police Department violated the teen’s rights by denying his request for a lawyer and forcing him into a confession. The Los Angeles Times reports that Jessie Rodriguez was 14 years old in 2005 when the LAPD questioned…
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Inmates in La. Jail Will Lose in-Person Visits; Friends and Family Will Have to Pay for Video Visitation
Face-to-face visits are something many inmates serving time look forward to. Being able to see friends and family members in person, to laugh and enjoy conversations together, is a way to make long sentences seem shorter. It helps families stay bonded, helps children know family members who may otherwise be absent from their lives and…
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Prosecutor Seeks to Lock Up a Mother for Crimes Allegedly Committed by Her Children
A mother of two in Shreveport, La., is facing criminal charges and could be locked up for crimes she did not commit if Caddo Parish, La., District Attorney James E. Stewart Sr. has his way. He wants to punish her for a series of crimes allegedly committed by her children. Latonya L. Dillard was arrested…
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Watch: Breaking Down the School-to-Prison Pipeline
School is back in session, and it’s time to learn about a system that funnels black and brown kids from schools into our criminal-justice system. It’s called the school-to-prison pipeline, and it’s affecting black children as early as preschool. Watch above. Tune in to The Root on Friday for a Facebook Live panel discussion on…
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Killings of Black Men More Likely to Be Deemed Justifiable: Report
A recent analysis conducted by the Marshall Project confirms what most of us have known, or at least suspected, all along: When a black man is killed by a white person in America, his killer is less likely to face legal consequences, and the killing is more likely to be deemed justifiable. The Marshall Project…
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Bodycam Footage Appears to Show Baltimore Cop Planting Drugs: Report
A police officer in Baltimore has been suspended and two of his colleagues have been placed on non-public-contact administrative duty after the public defender’s office released bodycam footage that appears to show the first officer planting drugs at a crime scene prior to making an arrest. Police and prosecutors have launched an investigation into the…
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Is 48 Hours Too Long to Wait for a Police Officer to Give a Statement After a Fatal Shooting?
Police officers in Portland, Ore., who were involved in a shooting that resulted in death or serious physical injury were previously given 48 hours during which they could consult with an attorney before having to make a statement about the shooting. It was a rule that was objected to by advocates for police accountability. In…
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Influenced by The New Jim Crow and 13th, Art Collector Sells Painting for $150,000,000 to Start Criminal-Justice-Reform Fund
Agnes Gund is an art collector who sold her prized 1962 Roy Lichtenstein Masterpiece for $150 million, one of the 15 highest-known prices ever paid for artwork, in order to start a fund that supports criminal-justice reform and seeks to reduce mass incarceration in the United States. Gund, who is president emerita of New York…