sentencing reform
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New Los Angeles District Attorney Announces Plans to End Cash Bail, Office Will No Longer Seek the Death Penalty
Newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced plans to enact sweeping reforms— including ending cash bail and the death penalty—while being sworn in on Tuesday. According to CNN, Gascón’s plan to immediately end cash bail for specific crimes could see hundreds of currently incarcerated people released as soon as tomorrow. While these releases…
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Supreme Court to Decide When It's Appropriate to Give Juveniles Life Without Parole
Sentencing children to life in prison with no possibility of release has long been a controversial aspect of the American justice system. Now, it appears the Supreme Court is set to weigh in on when it’s appropriate. The New York Times reports, the Supreme Court will decide whether or not a judge must deem a…
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Pain and Policy: Why Reparative Justice Is Needed to End the War on Drugs [Retracted]
RETRACTED (6/12/18): This story has been removed because we have discovered it was in breach of our editorial standards. If you’d like to know more, you can read an editor’s note here. A cached version of the story is available here for transparency.
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#FreeMeekMill: Judge Ordered to Rule on Rapper’s Petition for Bail ‘Without Further Delay’
The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas judge presiding over the case of rapper Meek Mill was ordered by the Pennsylvania Superior Court on Tuesday to make a decision on the rapper’s application for bail “without further delay.” Meek, 30, whose real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, is currently a few weeks into serving a two-…
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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…