criminal justice
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Hillary Clinton, Jeff Sessions and America’s Secret Slave System
Contrary to popular belief, slavery was never outlawed in the United States. This statement is not a debatable, half-twisted analysis or a cynical opinion. It is a fact. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution does not outlaw slavery; it only prohibits slavery in certain situations. It is entirely constitutional to turn drug dealers, gangbangers and…
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La. Passes Criminal-Justice Reform That Will Reduce Prison Population by 10 Percent
The state with the highest incarceration rate in the U.S. just approved a criminal-justice-reform package that is expected to lower its prison population by 10 percent over the next 10 years. Members of the Louisiana Legislature agreed to the package of bills Thursday; the bills will move on to the desk of Gov. John Bel…
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New No-Cash Bail System Allows Dozens of Low-Level Offenders to Be Released From Jail in Houston
Dozens of low-level offenders in Harris County, Texas, are being released from jail under a new no-cash bail system after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas upheld a District Court ruling that said it is fundamentally unfair to detain indigent people arrested for low-level offenses simply because they can’t afford to pay bail. Harris County…
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Research Suggests Police Speak Less Respectfully to Black People
Researchers studying the use of language by police found that officers in Oakland, Calif., are more likely to speak to white people with a higher level of respect than they give to black people. While this news of racial disparity should come as a shock to no one, it is information worth investigating to see…
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Housing an Inmate in a Calif. Prison Costs More Than Tuition for a Year at Harvard University
There are 130,000 inmates in California’s prison system, and under Gov. Jerry Brown’s spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1, the cost of housing them is expected to reach a record $75,560, which is more than the annual cost of attending Harvard University. Brown’s plan includes a record $11.4 billion for the…
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#FreeBresha: Bresha Meadows Happy With Plea Deal, Says ‘Today Is a Great Day’
Updated Monday, May 22, 2017, 6:48 p.m. EDT: Bresha Meadows hugged her loved ones and attorneys after her hearing today and said, “Today is a good day.” The 15-year-old had just accepted a plea deal that could see her back home and with her family at the beginning of 2018. She has spent the last…
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LAPD Officers Will Not Be Charged in Fatal 2015 Shooting of Woman They Say Had a Knife
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday that it will not be filing criminal charges against the two police officers who shot and killed a woman in 2015, once again going against a ruling of the Los Angeles Police Commission. Prosecutors reviewed evidence that included video footage captured by the officers’ body cameras before…
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The Pretrial Profit System: How Corporations Make Billions Arresting Poor Blacks
In 2008, 18-year-old Demorrea Tarver was out with some friends when he was stopped by the police. Officers found a handgun in the handbag of a minor who was riding with Tarver (Tarver said he didn’t know about the gun) and a small amount of marijuana. The cops arrested Tarver and charged him with three…
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What Exactly Will Policing Look Like for Blacks Under the ‘Law and Order’ President?
A South Carolina judge on Monday declared a mistrial in the murder trial of a white South Carolina police officer after a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. Now-former North Charleston Police Officer Michael Slager was accused of shooting unarmed African-American motorist Walter Scott in the back five times as Scott fled after a…