Corrections
Bail Reform Faces Backlash
New York rolled back key parts of its 2019 bail reform law amid fears of rising crime. Those concerns are echoed in communities nationwide—especially in places forging ahead with their own laws—despite data that shows bail reforms don't negatively impact public safety. Plus, more news to use from around the country in this week's State and Local Roundup.
Reducing the Staggering Backlog of Court Cases
COMMENTARY | State and local leaders can tackle the massive backlog of criminal cases by expanding pretrial services, transforming indigent defense and embracing restorative justice processes.
Death Penalty Used Sparingly by States in 2020 Amid Pandemic
States suspended executions due to the coronavirus outbreak and put just 7 people to death this year. Meanwhile, federal executions resumed for the first time in 17 years.
Inside the Covid Unit at the World’s Largest Women’s Prison
The Central California Women’s Facility quarantined prisoners with Covid-19 with those who never tested positive for the virus.
Family Members Raise Concerns as Florida Inmate Deaths Rise
STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | "Pooled testing" could speed up results ... Minneapolis council votes to get rid of police PIO ... Los Angeles County sheriff slammed for sexist statement.
The Prison Was Built to Hold 1,500 Inmates. It Had Over 2,000 Coronavirus Cases.
Prison overcrowding has been quietly tolerated for decades. But the pandemic is forcing a reckoning.
‘Prisons Are Bacteria Factories’; Elderly Most at Risk
“You’re going to see devastation that’s unbelievable.”
This State Has Figured Out How to Treat Drug-Addicted Inmates
More jails and prisons are starting to offer medication-assisted treatment for inmates addicted to opioids. But it's available at just a very small fraction of correctional facilities across the country.
The Human Cost of Missing Data in Prisons
COMMENTARY | Nowhere is good information about operations more critical than in prisons and jails. But too often states simply lack the kind of data that holds officials accountable.
California’s Jails Are in a Deadly Crisis. Here’s How Experts Suggest Fixing Them.
An investigation by McClatchy and ProPublica found unchecked violence and inhumane conditions in county jails, but the state’s oversight agency has no power to stop it. Experts say that needs to change.
Chicago Is Making the Case for Releasing Pregnant Inmates
Women in jail typically have limited prenatal support and return to custody soon after giving birth. One program is testing a different approach.
Restore Pell Grant Eligibility to Incarcerated Students
COMMENTARY | The National District Attorneys Association, the largest group representing prosecutors, supports federal grant funding for prisoners to get college degrees.
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