The Roughest Ride of Your Life: A Tortuous Story of Custodial Transport
For me, the 45 minutes I spent in custodial transport from the courthouse to the prison was the roughest ride of my life....
The U.S. Constitution guarantees everyone the right to a fair trial and the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. But these constitutional rights are meaningless if prosecutors, judges and prisons aren’t held accountable for wrongdoing.
With 25% of the world’s prison population, the U.S. has one of the world’s worst mass-incarceration problems. There are many ways to end mass incarceration. But taking steps to end the unfair sentencing practices that created the problem is crucial.
More than half a million people are released from prison every year. But three-quarters of them end up back in prison. Ending this cycle means creating and supporting in-prison programs that focus on the skills necessary for a successful reentry.
“EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW.” That phrase is engraved above the front entrance to the United States Supreme Court. But the concept is often missing from U.S. criminal justice system. Equal access to justice is essential to a fair and just legal system.