State and Local Issues — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

State and Local Issues

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.

Left and Right Agree on Criminal Justice: They Were Both Wrong Before

“If the messages were similar, the messengers were far from it. The first was Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, a Democratic candidate for president. The second was Mark Holden, a senior vice president of the company owned by Charles G. and David H. Koch, who have spent hundreds of millions of dollars promoting conservative causes. And if the report showed one thing, it was this: There is a new bipartisan consensus on criminal justice, and it is that the old consensus was wrong.“

The New York Times

May 16, 2019

2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesMay 16, 2019New York TimesComment

2020 Candidate Amy Klobuchar Pushes Bill to Fund Police

“Now a presidential candidate, Klobuchar has received her fair share of flack for her history as an aggressive prosecutor. She has tried to counter that in part by rolling out a plan that would allow the release of incarcerated people through the creation of a clemency advisory board and the installation of a presidential adviser to advocate for reform from within the White House.“

The Intercept

May 14, 2019

2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesMay 14, 2019The Intercept, Amy Klobuchar, COPSComment

Opinion: It might soon be time to close another prison

“Given all of this data, it’s safe to assume that our prison population will continue to decline as crime drops. The central indicator underlying this prediction is the extraordinary drop in young adults, persons under 25 years of age, being arrested. For example, the number of 18-year-olds arrested last year was down 63 percent compared to 2009. As you might expect, the number of young adults in prison in our state has declined by about the same amount. Arrests and incarceration of older offenders had declined, but only slightly. Since the farm system for our prison system consists of younger men, I am confident that our Department of Correction will continue to shrink for the foreseeable future.“

CT Mirror

May 14, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesMay 14, 2019The CT Mirror, ConnecticutComment

Trump Hailed This State’s Prison Reforms as a National Model — but the Numbers Reflect a Grim Reality

“Yet the implementation of Mississippi’s reforms has been marked by broken promises and a lack of funding, according to interviews, data and documents reviewed by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica. The Mississippi law promised to send offenders to drug courts for treatment rather than to prison; provide ID cards to all offenders leaving prison to help them secure housing and jobs; offer training for offenders eligible for parole; and keep offenders guilty of technical probation violations from returning to prison. But in each case, those efforts have faltered.“

ProPublica

May 9, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesMay 9, 2019ProPublica, MississippiComment

Swath of legislation reforming Colorado’s criminal justice system to affect tens of thousands

“Lawmakers passed bills that reduced personal drug possession to misdemeanors and made it easier to leave jail before trial. Those already convicted will face less strict penalties for some parole violations and could gain the right to vote before they finish parole. And once parole is completed, people convicted of certain crimes now have a more streamlined way to seal their records.“

Denver Post

May 7, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesMay 7, 2019Denver Post, ColoradoComment

The Big Blue Obstacle to Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform

“While swift reform following an in-custody death is a refreshing change, the knee-jerk police union opposition is predictable. Police groups have a long history of blocking reforms and pushing tough-on-crime policies. However, in this new era of bipartisan efforts to curb mass incarceration, police associations have increasingly become a voice in the wilderness.“

Texas Observer

May 3, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesMay 3, 2019Texas Observer, Police Unions, Texas, San AntonioComment

How to Fix the Criminal Justice System: Opinion

“What’s the best way to tackle America’s crisis of mass incarceration? This week on “The Argument,” Michelle Goldberg interviews Emily Bazelon, a staff writer at The Times Magazine, about her latest book, “Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration.” The book explores how prosecutors around the country are using their power to promote reform. Michelle and Emily talk about Brooklyn’s mandatory minimum sentencing laws for gun possession, Republicans on criminal justice reform and whether Kamala Harris really was a “progressive prosecutor.”“

New York Times

May 2, 2019

Mass Incarceration, OvercriminalizationPhillip ReevesMay 2, 2019New York Times, Emily Bazelon, The ArgumentComment

Amy Klobuchar has a plan to reverse the war on drugs — and doesn’t need Congress to do it

“Klobuchar’s plan would tap into one of the president’s few nearly absolute powers: the ability to grant pardons and commutations to any federal prison inmate. This is the power that President Donald Trump used last year when, after meeting with Kim Kardashian West, he commuted the life sentence of Alice Johnson, a great-grandmother in prison for drug trafficking. It’s the power that Trump has reportedly considered for former staff caught in the Russia investigation. And now Klobuchar wants to use that power, much as President Barack Obama did toward the end of his term, to roll back mass incarceration and the war on drugs.“

Vox

April 30, 2019

2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesApril 30, 2019Vox, Amy KlobucharComment

They’re Haunted by ‘Ghost Warrants’ Years After Their Arrests

“Erroneous or outdated criminal charges that linger on a person’s record for years—also known as “sticky warrants”—can result either from prosecutors and probation departments refusing to drop minor cases from the distant past, or from outright clerical errors.“

The Marshall Project

April 29, 2019

OvercriminalizationPhillip ReevesApril 29, 2019The Marshall ProjectComment

People in Prison in 2018

“The overall 1.8% decline in the national prison incarceration rate was driven by the large decrease in the number of people in federal prisons, as well as greater than 5% declines in incarceration rates in seven states. However, the declines were not universal. Mass incarceration is still on the rise in some states, such as Indiana, Texas, and Wyoming.“

Vera Institute

April 24, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesApril 24, 2019Vera InstituteComment

Washington State passes bill ending prison gerrymandering

““Washington’s legislation recognizes that prison-based gerrymandering is a problem of fairness,” said Aleks Kajstura, Legal Director of the Prison Policy Initiative. “All districts — some far more than others — send people to prison, but only some districts have large prisons. Counting incarcerated people as residents of the prison distorts the principle of one person, one vote. This new law offers Washington voters a fairer data set on which future districts will be drawn.”“

Prison Policy Initiative

April 23, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesApril 23, 2019Prison Policy Initiative, WashingtonComment

Scope of prison overhaul rides on tough talks between House and Senate

“The Senate legislation could open prison doors for non-violent and drug offenders who have served 65 percent of their sentences — a dramatic shift from the state’s toughest-in-the-nation, 85 percent standard in place since the mid-1990s. That change would free an estimated 7,800 prisoners over five years, eventually saving taxpayers $419 million a year.“

Gainesville Sun

April 20, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesApril 20, 2019Gainesville Sun, FloridaComment

Wayne Greene: If Oklahoma could get its incarceration rate down to the national average, we'd have $100 million a year do things other than mass incarceration

“So how would the state be different if our incarceration rate were at the national average? First and most obviously, there would be fewer people in prison. Based on a 2016 estimated state population of 3.93 million, there would have been 15,327 fewer people locked up in our state.“

Tulsa World

April 19, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesApril 19, 2019Tulsa World, OklahomaComment

6 bills could help fix Oklahoma's high incarceration rate

“‘Oklahoma is not a safer state as a result of mass incarceration. We need to be smart on crime, and we really need to look at how we rehabilitate people back into society, being productive members of society,’ said Stoycoff.“

ABC 8 Tulsa

April 15, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesApril 15, 2019ABC 8 Tulsa, OklahomaComment

Can Better Data Fix Florida’s Prisons?

“Last year, the Sunshine State became the first in the country to require its jails, prosecutors, public defenders, courts and prisons to coordinate their data collection, enabling lawmakers and the public to track how someone moves through the entire criminal justice system, from arrest to release. The new information will be sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which will publish it online.“

The Marshall Project

April 14, 2019

State Reforms, ProsecutorsPhillip ReevesApril 14, 2019The Marshall Project, FloridaComment

Trump Keeps Celebrating Prison Reform. His Administration’s Latest Move Could Sabotage It.

“Now there’s another key indication that the First Step Act isn’t being implemented as criminal justice reform groups and some lawmakers intended. On Monday, the Justice Department announced that the Hudson Institute, a conservative DC-based think tank whose leaders have espoused harsh views on incarceration, would choose the members of an independent committee to help develop a risk assessment tool—a crucial component of the law, as it will be used to determine which federal offenders get access to certain rehabilitative programs and therefore establish how long they remain in prison. “

Mother Jones

April 11, 2019

SenatePhillip ReevesApril 11, 2019Mother Jones, First Step Act, Hudson InstituteComment

Klobuchar: On criminal justice reform, it's time for a second step

“Our criminal justice system cannot lose sight of the principles of fairness and compassion -- for victims, yes, but also for offenders. Our Founding Fathers understood this point when they gave the president the power to grant clemency, such as the one Obama granted Josephine. As president, I would create a clemency advisory board as well as a position in the White House -- outside of the Department of Justice -- that advises the president from a criminal justice reform perspective.“

CNN

April 5, 2019

2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesApril 5, 2019CNN, Amy Klobuchar, ClemencyComment

Gov. Lujan Grisham signs criminal justice legislation

“Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a series of criminal justice bills into law Wednesday, allowing more New Mexicans to expunge records of past arrests or convictions, banning employers from asking about criminal history on an initial job application, and restricting the use of solitary confinement in prisons and jails around the state. “

Santa Fe New Mexican

April 3, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesApril 3, 2019Santa Fe New Mexican, New MexicoComment

Is Florida's $2.4 billion criminal justice system due for an overhaul?

“Florida will take up a bill that would make similar changes at the state level. Florida’s First Step Act would authorize judges to depart from mandatory minimum sentences in some drug trafficking cases. It would instruct the Department of Corrections to place offenders in prisons within 300 miles of their residence, a measure intended to ease the burden on families visiting inmates.“

South Florida Sun Sentinel

March 21, 2019

State ReformsPhillip ReevesMarch 21, 2019South Florida Sun Sentinel, FloridaComment

Nebraska prison population hits new high; 'I hope it's an anomaly,' corrections chief says

“It means that state prisons are holding 2,140 more inmates than they were designed to handle — about two prisons’ worth — and are at 163 percent of capacity, the second-worst overcrowding in the nation. It also casts even more doubt on whether the state can fend off a civil rights lawsuit from the ACLU of Nebraska and meet a July 2020 deadline to reduce overcrowding to 140 percent of capacity or else start paroling hundreds of prisoners.“

Omaha World Herald

March 19, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesMarch 19, 2019Omaha World Herald, NebraskaComment