Criminal Justice
Efforts to release prisoners from long sentences draw new interest
As America’s prison population both ages and increases, the “second look” movement has gained interest as a way to reduce overcrowding and potentially save money. But some say the laws could retraumatize crime victims and further burden a strained court system.
Maryland is on track to process a nearly 50-year-old backlog of rape kits
A new law extends the state’s sexual assault evidence protections to cover DNA samples. But getting justice in hundreds of cold cases will require more than just testing, survivors say.
Criminal justice reform may be under pressure, but it still has plenty of life
COMMENTARY | Policy advances in areas such as prison conditions, reentry and record clearing may seem incremental, but they will produce durable, measurable results.
These wrongly arrested black men say a California bill would let police misuse face recognition
Three men falsely arrested based on face recognition technology have joined the fight against a California bill that aims to place guardrails around police use of the technology. They say it will still allow abuses and misguided arrests.
Greater focus on crime sparks another wave of juvenile justice bills
Nearly every state this legislative session considered changes in juvenile age limits, detention or education programs.
New veteran justice program aims to steer veterans back to ‘hero status’
Nebraska is the first state to adopt recommendations from a commission on veteran justice that calls for treatment and case plans that address military service-connected conditions that contributed to criminal offenses.
The possibility of parole: A powerful incentive that makes us all safer
COMMENTARY | Researchers have found that offenders incarcerated under truth-in-sentencing laws racked up more disciplinary infractions and engaged in fewer rehabilitation programs. And after release, they were much more likely to reoffend.
Pretrial diversion programs are effective. And expensive for participants.
Courts often charge high fees for people to get into programs that allow them to avoid prison. Alabama's Jefferson County is trying a different approach.
With addiction bill passed, now Oregon faces biggest challenge
Counties have to build new treatment facilities to deflect people away from the criminal justice system but they only have a few months before possession is recriminalized.
‘Tough-on-crime’ policies are back in some places that had reimagined criminal justice
Several states are considering or have already enacted legislation undoing more progressive policies.
Report shows Ohio one of many states still prosecuting ‘HIV-related’ crimes
A new report shows more than 200 cases of "HIV-related prosecutions" in Ohio between 2014 and 2020.
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As xylazine surges, some lawmakers want jail time for dealers and people who use the drug
The animal sedative is cheap, easy to get and sometimes winds up in other illicit substances.
Governors roundly condemn Alabama ruling that effectively halts IVF
Republican leadership in the state is working on legislation that would narrow the impact of the ruling after several Alabama fertility clinics halted the procedures.
Releasing suspects pretrial doesn’t lead to higher crime rates, experts say
Some states and jurisdictions are taking different approaches to cash bail.
‘The world is watching.’ Alabama executes inmate using nitrogen gas
The state opted for the method following a botched execution of the same inmate in 2022. Two more states have since adopted the until now never tried method.
Shortage of prosecutors, judges leads to widespread court backlogs
The pandemic worsened problems that already had caused state and local court delays.
Recovery Court: This judicial diversion program converts sweat equity into freedom
COMMENTARY | Recovery Court in Grayson and Carroll counties in Virginia allows some defendants to add a fitness program to their judicial interventions. The program may help some defendants stay out of jail, and the judges behind the initiative hope it will contribute to long-term recovery.
Expungement backlogs swamp courts
Thousands of new expungement applications are causing months-long backlogs in jurisdictions with manual and paper-based processing. Automation can help.
How many inmates return to prison? Inconsistent reporting makes it hard to tell.
States define recidivism differently, which can result in misleading interpretations of the statistics.
Philadelphia reduced school-based arrests by 91% since 2013—researchers explain the effects of keeping kids out of the legal system
COMMENTARY | Launched in 2014, the city's diversion program looks to prevent youths from being referred to the criminal justice system. In the first five years, it decreased school-based arrests by 84%, and researchers say it saves taxpayers millions of dollars.
Michigan to automatically register people to vote when exiting prison
The law signed this week is the first in the nation and expands the state's Department of Corrections’ current effort to restore voting rights to returning citizens.
