The Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act of 2021, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill will prohibit the use of acquitted conduct sentencing practice by various federal judges.
Jury sentencing has faced growing criticism for years, but Virginia now allows defendants choose between a jury and a judge.
The Supreme Court’s First Step Act decision in Terry v. United States is as predictable as it is disappointing for sentencing reform.
On May 24, Tennessee governor Bill Lee signed two new justice reform bills into law. Both bills provide mechanisms to reduce jail and prison populations and recidivism. But whether or not these laws actually achieve these reductions is still largely up to the state's judges
The First Step Act provisions on powder-versus-crack cocaine sentencing were significant, but maybe not for low-level offenders.
North Carolina holds the distinction as the only state in the US where a child as young as six can be petitioned to juvenile court for alleged criminal activity and face the possibility of being labeled juvenile delinquent. However, this North Carolina juvenile law is
One Michigan prosecutor fulfilled his promise of eliminating the cash bail policy.
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.
While the end of 2019 held promise for solitary confinement reform, 2020 painted a less optimistic picture.
Mental illness cases involving diminished-capacity defenses are procedurally complex and often result in underwhelming outcomes. And justice reform and mental health advocates are often left wishing for more. Two recent North Carolina cases illustrate the “we can do better” mindset well.