criminal justice
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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…
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For Decades, Split-Jury Convictions Imprisoned and Silenced Black Defendants. The Supreme Court Finally Found Them Unconstitutional
It’s a rule so common, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was law across the U.S.: that in order to be convicted by a jury of your peers, that jury has to unanimously agree on your guilt. For almost a hundred years, this wasn’t the case in Louisiana, where split decision votes of at least…
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How 27 Years in Prison Prepared Me for the Coronavirus
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletter or follow The Marshall Project on Facebook or Twitter. When I need to go to my local supermarket, I suit up with latex gloves I got from Target and…
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The 1st Rikers Island Detainee to Die From Coronavirus Complications Was Jailed for Parole Violation
The first jail inmate to test positive for COVID-19 at Rikers Island, Michael Tyson, died on Sunday. According to multiple people familiar with Tyson’s case, he contracted and died from the disease while awaiting a hearing on a parole violation. Tyson was just 53 years old, reports The New York Times, and had been detained…
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Andrew Cuomo Is Trash
In a crisis—and absent any real leadership from the president—people love an authoritative man with a PowerPoint. That explains, partially, the surge of popularity New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is experiencing. As the leader of the state that is currently the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S., he exhibits the sort of governance…
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Texas Upholds Draconian Conviction for Woman Who Cast an 'Illegal Vote' in 2016: 'It's a Tragedy'
Crystal Mason, sentenced to five years in prison for casting an illegal ballot, had her appeal denied by a Texas judge last week. As the Texas Tribune reports, on Thursday, a three-judge appellate panel affirmed Mason’s conviction for casting an illegal ballot in the 2016 presidential election. Mason, who was on probation for a federal…
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Responding to COVID-19 Outbreak Concerns, County Jails and Police Departments Look to Minimize Number of Inmates, Arrests
Jails and police departments around the country are releasing inmates early and reducing arrests in order to reduce the likelihood of a COVID-19 outbreak among those behind bars. Over the last week, Los Angeles County and Cuyahoga County, Ohio, have moved to release hundreds of people held in its jails and prisons. BuzzFeed News reports…
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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…