Research shows that imposing longer sentences harms inmates and society. There are less expensive − and more effective − ways to hold people accountable and help them prepare for life after prison.
— Read on theconversation.com/states-that-impose-severe-prison-sentences-accomplish-the-opposite-of-what-they-say-they-want-247550
Tag: Criminal Justice System
Certainty as a foundation for justice – Niskanen Center
Certainty of punishment is not only a tool of deterrence but a structural necessity for an effective justice system. When consequences are clear and predictable, many offenders avoid crime, while those who persist reveal themselves to need more intensive responses.
— Read on www.niskanencenter.org/certainty-as-a-foundation-for-justice/
Why Cops Shoot: The entire Tampa Bay Times project on Florida police | Tampa Bay Times
No one was keeping track of police shootings in the country’s third-largest state. So in 2014, the Tampa Bay Times set out to count every officer-involved shooting in Florida during a six-year period. We learned that at least 827 people were shot by police — one every 2½ days. We learned that blacks are shot at a higher rate than whites. We learned that on-duty police are almost never charged with crimes for firing, even though agencies pay millions to settle civil lawsuits.
We learned that there are ways to avoid some of the violence.
— Read on projects.tampabay.com/projects/2017/investigations/florida-police-shootings/
Project on the 4th Amendment – Institute for Justice
The Institute for Justice’s Project on the Fourth Amendment strives to protect one of America’s foundational property rights: The right to be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures. As government has grown in size and scope, judges have invented one exception after another, poking holes in the Fourth Amendment until it resembled Swiss cheese.
These exceptions let Big Brother snoop on our daily lives–including by coming onto peoples’ land to snoop on them and demanding records about who people called or what websites they visited–all without ever having to get a judge’s permission. The threat these exceptions pose grows ever more dire because under current search and seizure law, the further technology advances, the more privacy must retreat.
But IJ’s Project on the Fourth Amendment will restore Americans’ rights to security and privacy. It will persuade both courts and the public that the Fourth Amendment is a fundamental aspect of our property rights. It will eliminate loopholes that let the government investigate us and our property without having to get a warrant. And it will convince courts that whether a search or seizure is “unreasonable” turns not on their own personal views, but rather on the protections that Americans fought a revolution to secure.
— Read on ij.org/issues/ijs-project-on-the-4th-amendment/
New York Focus | HALT Implementation
The HALT Act overhauled New York’s solitary confinement standards.
This is part of a series.
— Read on nysfocus.com/halt-implementation
Documentary Uses Body Cam Footage to Examine Fatal 2018 Chicago Police Shooting | Chicago News | WTTW
The movie is about Harith Augustus, a 37-year-old barber who was shot and killed by police in South Shore in July 2018. The shooting sparked immediate public outcry and legal fights for full access to police body camera video.
— Read on news.wttw.com/2025/02/19/documentary-uses-body-cam-footage-examine-fatal-2018-chicago-police-shooting
See the documentary here
Philadelphia Macy’s closing soon amid retail theft, poor sales – WHYY
In December, Macy’s reported the shoplifting of merchandise worth at least $200 to Philadelphia police 37 times, records show.
— Read on whyy.org/articles/macys-philadelphia-shoplifters-theft/
Why “Rehabilitating” Repeat Criminal Offenders Often Fails | Manhattan Institute
This report seeks to add much-needed perspective to America’s debate over criminal rehabilitation policies. Crucially, we document what is known and not known about the efficacy of rehabilitation programs in curtailing recidivism. We start by highlighting the psychological challenge of altering criminal behavior. We then review U.S. efforts to develop and deliver rehabilitation programs over […]
— Read on manhattan.institute/article/why-rehabilitating-repeat-criminal-offenders-often-fails
The myth of the revolving door: Challenging misconceptions about recidivism | Prison Policy Initiative
A guide to help advocates contend with efforts to derail reforms that are based on recidivism stories and statistics.
— Read on www.prisonpolicy.org/trainings/recidivism.html
Final Tally: Chicago Taxpayers Spent At Least $107.5M to Resolve Police Misconduct Lawsuits in 2024, Analysis Finds | Chicago News | WTTW
During the past six years taxpayers have spent at least $472.4 million to resolve police misconduct lawsuits, setting a new record, according to a WTTW News analysis.
— Read on news.wttw.com/2025/02/10/final-tally-chicago-taxpayers-spent-least-1075m-resolve-police-misconduct-lawsuits-2024