Criminal laws are intricate and usually contain more provisions than just the ones which reach newspaper headlines. Studies done on trends in mass incarceration usually aren’t any more straight forward. The Policy Brief outlines the key aspects of major legislation and research—extracting the core elements of new policy or research in quick and straight forward one page briefings.
By Phillip Reeves
When having a criminal record makes you ten times more likely to be homeless, criminality, regardless of your crime, clearly still brands people with a scarlet letter. Prison Policy Initiative’s report “Nowhere to Go: Homelessness among Formerly Incarcerated People” provides the first look at this specific social effect of incarceration.
Read MoreWhen prosecutors seek various sentences at trial, their choice of sentence is not arbitrary. While certain laws and statutes mandate specific sentences, the US Sentencing Commission’s sentencing guidelines determine the majority of punishments handed out by prosecutors. Every year, the Commission reviews their guidelines and publishes their primary priorities for the coming twelve months.
Read MoreOn August 20, 2018, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) signed into law S2412--D, creating the New York State Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct. The bipartisan bill creates article 15-A which adds to the judiciary law the first regulatory authority overseeing prosecutors in the United States. The commission acts as an extension of the governor’s office to ensure ethical behavior and publically punish misconduct.
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