01 Mar EMU Launches Pilot Program for Formerly Incarcerated Students
Prisoners face many obstacles after release. For education, the EMU pilot program for formerly incarcerated students aims to change that.
Author: Peter J. Tomasek
23 Feb Everything You Should Know About Trump’s Last-Minute DOJ Memo
The Trump DOJ issued a last-minute memo that directly rejects science in pursuing charges.
05 Feb Icing Out Justice: A criticism on the ice and mixture methamphetamine federal sentencing guidelines
The current sentencing guidelines for ice and mixture methamphetamine are the product of a rash decision and an outdated assumption.
02 Feb It’s Time for the Next Step Act
Posted at 14:00h
in Emphasizing Rehabilitation, Ending Mass Incarceration, Mandatory Minimums, Prisons, Supervised Release
The First Step Act was literally that: a first step. Now that the political winds have changed, its time for the Next Step Act to become law.
26 Jan Could HR 7194 End Some Mandatory Minimums?
In 1991, the United States Sentencing Commission submitted a report to Congress calling for the abolition of mandatory minimums. We’re on the eve of the 30-year anniversary of that report. Yet we’ve made very little progress when it comes to the unfair sentencing practice.
25 Jan United States v Haymond Protects Major Constitutional Rights
In US v Haymond, the Supreme Court preserved the rights to a jury trial and to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. But it was close.
22 Jan Rehaif v US Defines “Knowingly” Under Federal Law
The U.S. Supreme Court addressed what the term "knowingly" means in a criminal statute in Rehaif v United States.
20 Jan U.S. Has First Execution of Woman since 1953 Though Mental Competency Questions Persisted
In early 2021, the U.S. executed a woman for the first time since 1953. And they did the execution without a mental competency hearing. How?
15 Jan HR 4488 is Latest move on Solitary Confinement
Posted at 09:15h
in Decriminalizing Mental Illness, Emphasizing Rehabilitation, Ending Mass Incarceration, Prisons
The Solitary Confinement and Reform Act of 2019 seems doomed to the same fate that Richmond’s previous bills suffered. There is a clear and urgent need to establish national standards around the use of solitary confinement.
29 Dec Voters Rejected California Cash Bail Reform in 2020
Californians could have made California the first state in the country to completely eliminate cash bail through reform. But its efforts stopped dead in their tracks in November 2020. CA voters rejected the move, opting instead for the system currently in place.