Posts tagged Washington Post
How 2020 Democrats want to overhaul criminal justice laws

“The proposals illustrate the influence of black voters in the primary and reflect Democrats’ refusal to cede any ground with them to President Donald Trump, who has also sought to highlight his efforts to change the justice system. The ideas from Democrats range from ending requirements that bail be paid in cash — which opponents decry as a driver of unnecessary incarceration — to an end to the federal death penalty, which Trump recently reinstated.“

Washington Post

September 10, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesWashington PostComment
D.C. has gone too far on criminal-justice reform

“By stripping the law of the requirement that judges consider the original crime when weighing sentence reductions — and suggesting long sentences are rarely justified for youthful criminals “despite the brutality or coldblooded nature” of their offense — the council assured that proceedings will tilt in favor of convicts. The reform legislation’s sponsor, council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), contends the court could still consider a crime’s severity if it is weighed against other factors, including evidence of remorse and rehabilitation.“

Washington Post

August 3, 2019

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State ReformsPhillip ReevesWashington Post, Washington DCComment
A death penalty case shows the absurdity of the worst crime bill from the ’90s

“The rules laid out by AEDPA are incredibly complicated, but for the purposes of this post, the relevant provision states that to get a federal court to review a state court’s ruling, a defendant must show not only that the state court (and the state courts that upheld the ruling) were wrong, but that the prevailing ruling was either ‘contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law,’ or an ‘unreasonable determination of the facts in light of the evidence presented.’ Put plainly, you must convince the federal courts not only that the state courts were wrong, but also that they were unreasonably wrong.“

Washington Post

May 20, 2019

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SenatePhillip ReevesWashington Post, AEDPAComment
The new criminal justice law will modestly shrink prison populations. Should we go further?

“That reality, combined with the fact that the generational cutback in the size of the federal prison system has caused no evident problems, suggest the First Step Act should be considered just that — a first step. The extremely broad coalition that supported the First Step Act can reasonably aim higher in its next round of proposed reform, returning the federal prison system to its traditional role as an important — but small — part of the U.S. correctional system.“

Washington Post

February 25, 2019

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SenatePhillip ReevesWashington Post, First Step ActComment
D.C. doubles down on destructive prison-first policies

“Which brings me to a feature of the new policy that everybody should find objectionable: It is thoroughly undemocratic. The criminal laws that govern D.C. Superior Court are written by the D.C. Council, whereas the criminal laws that govern federal courts are written by Congress. As a result, in a city with no congressional representation, taking cases to federal court means moving them to a place where local citizens have no say in the law.“

Washington Post

February 14, 2019

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State ReformsPhillip ReevesJames Forman Jr, Washington DC, Washington PostComment