#criminal-justice-reform

#criminal-justice-reform

When Connecticut legalized recreational marijuana in 2021, the state's lieutenant governor, Susan Bysiewicz, boasted that the new law was "crafted to repair the wounds left by the War on Drugs." The move followed the same rationale that had motivated legalization in 18 other states: fewer resources exhausted on policing a drug that legalization advocates view as largely unharmful, fewer lives derailed by what they argue to be excessive lockups.

Blue-state governors seem to be responding to President Trump's anti-crime campaign with Marxist tactics. Not the communist, Karl, that is, but the comedian Brothers. In "Duck Soup," Chico Marx famously deceives a wealthy widow by asking "Who are you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?" It's an apt metaphor for Governor Kathy Hochul of New York when she poses as a defender of law and order.

Throughout his time in office, Trump has criticized Democratic-led cities for what he calls "radical left" policies on criminal justice. Those attacks have grown sharper in recent days, as the president took the extraordinary step of nationalizing the D.C. police force and deploying the National Guard all while signaling other cities may be next. Democrats have decried Trump's actions, arguing that while crime did surge nationwide during the pandemic, numbers have since fallen.

Families gather to demand justice for Jalani Lovett, a man who died in solitary confinement in L.A. County jail. They seek accountability from Attorney General Rob Bonta.

"What is set in stone is we are absolutely going to build something," Deputy County Executive Consuelo Hernandez stated, emphasizing the necessity of addressing deteriorating jail facilities and community needs.

"Gang injunctions are not intended to last for perpetuity; they are designed and implemented to correct criminal behavior."

Spolin promoted false hopes in his clients and their families that the clients' sentences would be reduced when in fact that was highly unlikely.

It's like a little jungle. Everybody wants to be tough. Everybody wants to fight. It's a lot to go through.

"We need to look at the action we need to take so that people do not carry around those criminal convictions for the rest of their lives."

"Nearly one in two Americans has had an immediate family member incarcerated, with Black people being more likely than white and Hispanic people to experience this."

May is National Treatment Court Month, a time to highlight how treatment courts can reduce crime, save taxpayer dollars, and enhance community safety.

The current plans for community sentences carry significant risks unless the Probation Service is overhauled, as warned by HM chief inspector of probation.

His death, and his shocking mistreatment at the hands of law enforcement, underscore how people with mental illness are at risk when they encounter the police in the US.

While the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, it preserves a loophole allowing forced labor as punishment for crime, perpetuating exploitation of incarcerated individuals.

The recent reunion of Drake and Ye is not just a momentary truce; it's a call for genuine change that prioritizes accountability and action over mere performative gestures.

California's recent Proposition 36 has challenged Democrats' progressive criminal justice reforms, emphasizing a shift towards harsher penalties for certain crimes.

It is just an opening salvo. Vera might be the first organization to lose its federal funding, but I am certain we will not be the last in the criminal justice field.