Because 90% of all prisoners in the United States are in state facilities, the work that states are doing to reduce their prison populations is crucial. Attempting to end mass incarceration necessitates realizing this is a situation requiring not one national solution, but fifty state solutions. Below are current state solutions that could be effectively modeled by other states for meaningful reform.
“As part of the resolution, Pressley will call for the federal government to provide tax incentives to local governments and states that repeal Truth in Sentencing and Three Strikes provisions and that reduce their prison populations by 2035.“
The Appeal
November 14, 2019
Read More“De Blasio isn’t the only Democratic mayor in a major city branding himself as a progressive while embracing the carceral state. Although the 2020 presidential race has taken center stage in the media, people who care about policing and incarceration need to pay far more attention to mayors like de Blasio, London Breed in San Francisco, and Lori Lightfoot in Chicago. Big-city mayors control the largest police departments in the country and play a pivotal role in deciding what jails are closed or constructed.“
The Appeal
November 4, 2019
Read More“Pete Buttigieg will cut the nation’s incarcerated population by 50 percent and invest in programs that provide alternatives to jail and prison if he is elected president, according to a criminal justice reform plan his campaign shared with The Appeal on Friday.“
The Appeal
October 26, 2019
Read More“Even with overwhelming and bipartisan support for incarcerating fewer people overall, releasing prisoners convicted of murder, assault, and other violent offenses continues to be a third rail issue in presidential politics, says Howard Henderson, founding director of the Center for Justice Research at Texas Southern University, the historically Black college that hosted the debate. “It’s not yet politically safe to discuss the violent crime issue because so much of the public is still focused on the idea of retribution in that space,” he said.”
The Appeal
September 13, 2019
Read More“Grace explained that many judges, especially in Cook County, are using electronic monitoring as a “risk mitigation tool.” As an understanding emerges across the country that excessive bail is keeping too many people in jail because they can’t afford to pay, some judges remain hesitant to release individuals without restrictions. Meanwhile, the understanding of the risks of electronic monitoring is low, Grace said, as there have been few studies or reports. “
The Appeal
February 28, 2019
Read More“But Benjamin, a Black girl, was a homeless teenage mother, and Orleans Parish prosecutors were immediately skeptical of her story despite the fact that she had no criminal record. They acknowledged that Hecker solicited the teenagers for sex and that a struggle ensued afterward. But they also insisted that Benjamin and Desilva did not act in self-defense; they were instead greedy, evil murderers who sought to rob and kill Hecker.“
The Appeal
February 11, 2019
Read More“A lawsuit brought by a Compton resident detailing an alleged beating by deputies is just one nearly three dozen federal civil rights lawsuits alleging brutality and racial bias at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office.“
The Appeal
September 28, 2018
Read More"For Lewis Conway Jr., deciding to run for office was the easy part. The Austin native was a community activist looking for another way to make change. But until mid-August, the fate of his candidacy for City Council was uncertain. He had served eight years in prison and 12 on parole, and although his voting rights were restored, city officials questioned his eligibility. Only this month was he officially cleared for the November ballot."
The Appeal
August 30, 2018
Read More"'The question is how high can we aim?' Zeidman said. 'A governor can set a tone. They can use the bully pulpit, and say, ‘I’m going to keep talking about this issue until there’s a bill on my desk'.”
The Appeal
August 28, 2018
Read More"'This can’t be inhumane because we do it to our pets,' he said in defense of the proposal. Ludeman explained to a Toledo Blade reporter that he had seen many TV shows where fictional criminals were able to slip out of an ankle monitor to commit more crimes. He insisted that implanting microchips would be 'painless' and 'humane.'"
The Appeal
August 7, 2018
Read More"'When you announce a clemency initiative and you raise hopes and expectations, frankly it’s cruel to not actualize it,' said Steve Zeidman, director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at the CUNY School of Law, which is currently helping about 25 people with clemency applications and worked with Judith Clark on her application. 'Multiple people on the inside have told me that false hope is worse than no hope at all'."
The Appeal
August 6, 2018
Read More"In his first six months in office, Edwards commuted 22 sentences out of 56 sent to him with positive recommendation from the state’s Board of Pardons. Sixteen of the offenders whose applications he granted were serving life without parole."
The Appeal
July 9, 2018
Read More"New York's Democratic governor has granted only a trickle of commutations, fewer than many of his Democratic and Republican predecessors."
The Appeal
June 20, 2018
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