news
December 21, 2016
The Obama Legacy: Chipping Away at Mass Incarceration
Marc Mauer assesses the accomplishments of the Obama Administration and provides thoughts on criminal justice reform for the coming years.
news
December 20, 2016
Disenfranchisement News: Unlocking Democracy in the Cells and on the Streets
NAACP LDF and The Sentencing Project release new felony disenfranchisement brief, Florida Supreme Court to review voting rights amendment, and more in our latest Disenfranchisement News.
Denver Schimming
As a previously incarcerated person who had his voting rights restored in 1996, Denver Schimming knew the power and importance of voting. His years in prison taught him that the criminal justice system could change only if impacted people spoke out. After his incarceration, voting was one of his highest priorities.
publications
December 19, 2016
Free the Vote: Unlocking Democracy in the Cells and on the Streets
We can free the vote for people who have been made vulnerable by harmful and discriminatory felony disenfranchisement laws, and in turn, strengthen our collective democracy.
news
December 16, 2016
Race & Justice News: Black Women Overrepresented in Solitary Confinement
Among 40 jurisdictions providing data, black women constituted 24% of the total female incarcerated population but comprised 41% of the female restricted housing population. More in our latest Race & Justice News.
Theresa McIntyre Smith
In 1999, Theresa Smith was arrested at an airport after she met a drug courier in Roy Mercer’s network and according to the government, identified a suitcase containing eleven kilograms of cocaine for the courier. Smith said she had been told by Mercer that the suitcase contained his nieces’ clothes. For this first-time non-violent offense, Smith was sentenced to a ten-year mandatory prison term.
publications
December 14, 2016
Repurposing: New Beginnings for Closed Prisons
Twenty-two states have eliminated or are on pace to eliminate an estimated 48,000 prison beds. This policy brief highlights the wide range of ways, some profitable and some community-centered, states are repurposing prison facilities.
news
December 14, 2016
States shutter prisons as prison populations fall
States are increasingly turning to alternative uses for closed prisons, like the distillery at Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Tennessee.
Marlo Hargrove and David Waller
Marlo Hargrove and David Waller both successfully regained their voting rights after receiving felony convictions and serving their sentences.
publications
December 07, 2016
How Tough on Crime Became Tough on Kids: Prosecuting Teenage Drug Charges in Adult Courts
All but four states allow youth to be charged and tried as adults for drug charges. This policy report looks at the many pathways into adult courts for youth.
news
November 29, 2016
Law and order agenda should take note of bipartisanship’s results
Trump ran his campaign on “law and order,” but the incoming president and attorney general would be wise to build on successful, bipartisan criminal justice reform initiatives in the months and years ahead.
Lawrence and Lamont Garrison
Sentences for federal drug crimes are based on the quantity of the drugs involved, not the individual’s role in the crime. The emphasis on quantity rather than the role of the offender, along with the conspiracy laws, too often result in disproportionate sentencing, even for first-time offenses such as the Garrisons’.
publications
November 29, 2016
Citing Uncertainty of Next Administration’s Commitment to Criminal Justice Reform, Broad Coalition Calls On Obama to Expand Clemency Eligibility
A broad coalition of criminal justice reform advocates, former judges and prosecutors, and legal scholars urge President Obama to expand the number of people eligible for clemency by considering commutations for broad categories of non-violent offenses.
news
November 08, 2016
Disenfranchisement News: How Florida's felony disenfranchisement laws impact elections
Analysis finds Floridians with felony convictions would cast nearly 60K ballots in this election, D.C.mayor visits local jail to help eligible individuals vote, and more in our latest Disenfranchisement News.
Christopher Poulos
When Chris Poulos was arrested, he experienced firsthand the difference that money can make in the criminal justice system. He recounts the experience in his own words.
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