Tag: Prison

Weighing the Impact of Simple Possession of Marijuana | United States Sentencing Commission

(January 2023) This publication assesses recent trends in federal sentencing for simple possession of marijuana, as well as how prior sentences for simple possession affect criminal history calculations under the guidelines.
— Read on www.ussc.gov/research/research-reports/weighing-impact-simple-possession-marijuana

Policy Recommendations to Renew and Reform New York State | Manhattan Institute

NOTE: Keep checking back new policy recommendations are added.

The following are policy recommendations adapted from the Empire Center’s The Next New York series, which aims to renew and reform New York state. Topics addressed by Manhattan Institute scholars for this briefing book include criminal justice, education, mental health, and…
— Read on www.manhattan-institute.org/policy-recommendations-to-renew-and-reform-new-york-state

National Registry of Exonerations – Annual Report 2021

EXONERATIONS. The Registry recorded 161 exonerations in 2021.

YEARS LOST TO WRONGFUL IMPRISONMENT. In 2021, exonerees lost an average of 11.5 years to

wrongful imprisonment for crimes they did not commit — 1,849 years in total for 161 exonerations.

OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT. Official misconduct occurred in at least 102 exonerations in 2021. Fifty-nine homicide cases — 77% of murder and manslaughter exonerations in 2021 — were marred by official misconduct.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL EXONERATORS. Professional exonerators — Innocence Organizations (IOs) and Conviction Integrity Units (CIUs) — continued to play essential roles. Jointly, they were responsible for 97 exonerations, 60% of the total. IOs and CIUs worked together on 31 of these exonerations in 2021. IOs took part in 67 exonerations, and CIUs helped secure 61 exonerations

www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Documents/NRE Annual Report 2021.pdf

Who Gets Caught Doing Crime? | Bureau of Justice Statistics

This is an interesting article that discusses that amount of crime a criminal commits before getting caught. This is an important consideration when discussing recidivism, open cases, and reoffending.

Rand survey respondents were considered to be “high-rate” if they reported committing any one of seven types of crime at rates higher than 70 percent of respondents who also committed that crime. The offenders who are arrested frequently despite their relatively low rate of committing crimes are called “low-rate losers” in this study. The study shows that some arrestees with apparently extensive arrest histories are not high-rate, serious offenders. Rather, they are somewhat inept, unprofessional criminals who may be arrested nearly every time they commit a crime. Based on their arrest record alone, it is practically impossible to distinguish them from offenders who commit crimes at high rates. Based on this finding, the authors caution against trying to use as indicators of high-rate criminal behavior the total number of times individuals have been arrested or convicted as adults.

Who Gets Caught Doing Crime? | Bureau of Justice Statistics
— Read on bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/who-gets-caught-doing-crime-0