Criminal Justice
Would Judges Sentence Fewer People to Prison if Local Governments Had to Pay for Their Prison Stays?
In a case where counties had to bear the cost of incarceration, local prosecutors and judges dismissed more cases. For one researcher, this raised a key question: If local governments had to pay for prison sentences, would incarceration rates decrease?
One State is Reforming Its Sex Offender Registry. Criminal Justice Advocates Aren’t Happy.
Michigan legislators passed legislation to revamp the sex offender registry, which courts have concluded is unconstitutional. Advocates say the new policies miss the mark.
People Convicted of Crimes as Young Adults May See a Chance at Early Release in D.C.
A veto-proof majority of the D.C. City Council passed a bill to open early release to people convicted of crimes they committed before they were 25, saying they deserve the chance for rehabilitation. Victims’ advocates are skeptical.
An Uncertain Future for a Key Missing Persons Program
Officials point fingers over the fate of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a singular resource.
In One State, a Racial Equity Task Force Suggests 100 Ways to Change the Criminal Justice System
North Carolina’s task force released a sweeping report calling for changes in policing and the courts.
How a Spreadsheet Could Change the Criminal Justice System
COMMENTARY | A lack of data instills trial-court judges with enormous, largely unrestrained sentencing power.
Setting the Record Straight on the Current and Future Role of Prosecutors
COMMENTARY | The job of a prosecutor is right in the job title: to prosecute. But prosecutors’ roles have grown more complex over time as they’ve worked to fulfill the many dimensions of justice that their jobs demand.
2020 Sees Largest Year-Over-Year Rise in Murder on Record
Preliminary data from this year shows that homicide rates are up in most major cities. The pandemic and social unrest are both possible factors in the rise.
States Halt Jury Trials Again, Leaving Many Defendants in Jail
The pandemic-related backlog of cases could take years to plow through.
Intimate Partner Violence Has Increased During Pandemic, Emerging Evidence Suggests
COMMENTARY | With COVID-19 came higher unemployment and financial strain, both correlated with domestic violence.
States Join Pilot to Investigate Cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People
Federal, state, and tribal agencies will create guidelines for investigations into missing persons and murder cases where Native American or Alaska Native people are involved.
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