Media Coverage — Civil Society Issues — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Civil Society Issues

Many issues that are primary drivers of mass incarceration cannot be remedied through government solutions alone. Issues such as broken families and mental health, both forever altered by over criminalization, cannot be simply be repaired through legislation. Civil Society has the unique capability to address certain social issues that government cannot, or to address them more effectively than government can. This section also addresses issues in which over-policing attempts to fix issues that should be handled through the community.

Posts in Media Coverage

The My Favorite Murder Problem

“There is a definite whiff of the Colosseum about the whole thing. But it’s easy to see how you could get swept along to these reactions—they provide the clarity and catharsis that the stories demand. But My Favorite Murder didn’t develop these vindictive tendencies in a vacuum. In fact, the show partakes in a long-standing relationship between the crime-story genre and modern law enforcement, in which the stories we tell about crime and how to stop it prop up a system that is often as much about maintaining fantasies of social order as it is about implementing real justice.“

The New Republic

November 22, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesNovember 22, 2019The New Republic, My Favorite MurderComment

We Investigated the Crisis in California’s Jails. Now, the Governor Calls for More Oversight.

“Newsom’s comments follow a yearlong investigation by McClatchy and ProPublica that exposed how county jails have struggled to handle an influx of inmates serving longer sentences after realignment, the 2011 series of reforms that diverted inmates from the state’s unconstitutionally overcrowded prisons to local facilities.“

ProPublica

November 14, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesNovember 14, 2019California, ProPublica, Gavin NewsomComment

Tabloids Fuel Collective Anxiety Attack Over Bail Ban

“Nowhere did the articles note that only six defendants, out of the nearly 5,000 who go through the city’s “supervised release” programs every year, have ever gotten to go to a baseball game—that it was a one-time event, six months before the law was even set to take effect. And it was a private donor who’d paid for their tickets, not taxpayers. The teens were there as a reward for having attended every one of their court dates, for actively participating in their group therapy sessions and for being responsive to feedback on their behavior.“

The Marshall Project

November 14, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesNovember 14, 2019The Marshall Project, New York PostComment

What Does Our Fascination with True Crime Say About Us?

“True crime has never been more popular. The 2014 hit podcast Serial ignited a burgeoning genre whose recent entries include Netflix shows (Making a Murderer, Unbelievable), books (I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Bad Blood), and countless podcasts (Doctor Death, based in part on a Texas Observer story; My Favorite Murder, Criminal, S-Town). Meanwhile, crime rates have fallen to record lows. So why is our desire for grisly stories so insatiable?“

Texas Observer

October 7, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesOctober 25, 2019Texas Observer, True CrimeComment

Exploiting New York City's Chinatown Killings to Attack Bail Reform

“The New York Post used a tragedy to target bail reform activists, rather than point to the challenges of a failed mental health system and poverty.“

The Appeal

October 21, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesOctober 21, 2019The Appeal, New York Post, New York City, ChinatownComment

It's Time to Change the Way the Media Covers Crime

“But we journalists have also helped drive decades of harsh criminal justice policy. In the American media, coverage of violent crime rose sharply just as the rate of violent crime actually began to fall. From 1990 to 1992, the evening broadcasts of the three major networks averaged fewer than 100 murder stories each year. By 1999, they were broadcasting an average of 511 murder stories per year, although the murder rate plummeted 40 percent during the 1990s.”

The Marshall Project

May 31, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesSeptember 23, 2019The Marshall ProjectComment

A Producer's Notebook: The story behind 'Justice For All'

“It was the middle of the night, and I was staring at the chipped ceiling of my dimly lit cell inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola. It was hot, and loud, especially when a flushing toilet echoed down the hallway … or when one of the men on the tier would scream out in the darkness. Thoughts were circling my mind.“

NBC Dateline

September 6, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesSeptember 6, 2019NBC Dateline, Justice for AllComment

Lester Holt Slept in a Maximum-Security Prison for His Upcoming Dateline Special

““The important thing for me was that we didn’t go as some kind of a gimmick, that this would be a reporting device,” Holt tells PEOPLE. “We tried to be as unobtrusive with the cameras as possible, which allowed me to have organic conversations with people. I think we built a level of trust with those we spoke with.”“

People Magazine

September 4, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesSeptember 4, 2019People Magazine, Lester Holt, Dateline, Angola PrisonComment

Assuming Guilt While Reporting on Mass Arrests

“The headlines and ledes of these reports leave no doubt that those accused were guilty. How, one might ask, would these media outlets know all 355 people arrested were “violent criminals” before they’ve had a trial, much less been convicted of anything? Only 41 of the arrests disclosed by prosecutors were for violent offenses (22 for assault, eight for homicide, six for sexual offenses, four for sexual assault, and one for arson). The rest are either unknown or for drugs, burglary, failure to register as a sex offender, or weapons possession.“

The Appeal

September 3, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesSeptember 3, 2019The AppealComment

Boston Globe Accused of 'Willie Horton'-Style Fearmongering

“The 19 signatories are advocating for the practice of two interrelated standards: the inclusion of fact-based context in all local journalism and a heightened sensitivity to the role that local media plays in the politics of criminal justice policies. They say the Globe practiced neither in its recent article. Rather than scrutinizing the statements made by Leary and other critics of Rollins, the university professors say the paper acted as a bullhorn for them.“

The Appeal

July 12, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesJuly 12, 2019The Appeal, Boston Globe, Rachael RollinsComment

Media Frame: A 'War on Cops' Narrative without Evidence

“But the article by Emily Shapiro and the social posts promoting it made a much larger—and unsubstantiated—claim: that these unrelated killings are part of a national “trend” of violence directed toward the police. A tweet by ABC News sharing the article stated: “Four police officers fatally shot in the U.S. this week—part of what one expert calls a disturbing ‘multi-year’ trend of violence toward police.”“

The Appeal

July 2, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesJuly 2, 2019The AppealComment

Media Frame: Time to Ban Ride-Along Police TV

“Mass movements to reform the police, led most notably by Black Lives Matter, are beginning to question our culture’s default position of police deference. Why not extend that same scrutiny to police ride-along shows, which interfere in legal cases with far-reaching consequences, threaten lives, and overwhelmingly target poor people and people of color? In fact, local lawmakers everywhere should go further and ban these shows outright.“

The Appeal

June 24, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesJune 24, 2019The Appeal, CopsComment

Why We Need a Code of Ethics in U.S. Crime Reporting

“The Society of Professional Journalists already has an impressive “Code of Ethics” that, among other things, enjoins journalists to “avoid stereotyping (and) never deliberately distort facts or context, including visual information.” But it needs to weigh in on what responsibilities journalists owe the public when it comes to reporting on public safety and criminal justice–a code of ethics, perhaps, for crime journalism.“

The Crime Report

May 8, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesMay 8, 2019The Crime ReportComment

2,000 Leaked Photos Show the Cruelty of an Alabama Prison. Should They Be Published?

“So whose approach was right? That’s a question that Pete Brook, a curator and researcher of the history of prison photography, recently asked his students to consider. Brook, who runs the blog Prison Photography, teaches a class on the topic inside San Quentin State Prison. He shared his students’ responses to the question, posed at the start of the Times story—“Would we fix our prisons if we could see what happens inside them?”—with Mother Jones. Their statements reflect the ethical gray area of the issue.“

Mother Jones

April 19, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesApril 19, 2019Mother Jones, Alabama, St Clair County, St Clair PrisonComment

Can Criminal Records Ever Truly Be Expunged in the Internet Era?

“His woes are typical of those faced by millions of arrestees each year. Even with expunction orders in place, it is legal for criminal justice and private websites to maintain the expunged criminal records online. The only requirement is that they be made public prior to the date of the order. Most law enforcement agencies release arrest information on a weekly basis—much faster than any arrestee could receive an order to expunge.“

Criminal Legal News

March 15, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesMarch 15, 2019Criminal Legal NewsComment