Criminal Justice
Articles focusing on prison reform and the criminal justice system.
Since the Supreme Court of the United States allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976, only fourteen women have been executed, including Suzanne Basso last month.
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The United States Department of Justice recently took steps to expand the use of compassionate release, withdrawing the guidelines put in place during President George W. Bush’s administration.
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On December 24, 2013, the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit affirmed an order authorizing medication to be administered to Simon Dillon “by force if necessary” so that he would be competent to stand trial. By weighing the government’s prosecutorial interests above “special circumstances,” the Court’s opinion examines forcibly medicating a defendant to restore his competency. It is not morally acceptable to punish a defendant who does not understand why he is being punished.
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While inmates face many obstacles after they are released from prison, correctional education programs offer them the skills necessary to find gainful employment and reduce their likelihood of reoffending.
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Pretrial release services suggest a data-driven alternative to the traditional money bond schedule.
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FBI will review thousands of convictions from between 1985 and 2000 that relied upon hair sample analyses.
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As the nation faces rising incarceration rates and dropping violent crime rates, government leaders, conservative and liberal alike, are calling for changes in sentencing guidelines.
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Updated June 7, 2013: The North Carolina General Assembly House voted on Wednesday, June 5 to repeal the Racial Justice Act on a 77 to 39 vote. The vote was split strictly along party lines, with no Democrats supporting repeal and only one Republican representative opposing repeal. The Senate passed an almost-identical bill in April 2013 but must now approve minor changes made by the House. Republican Governor Pat McCrory is widely expected to sign the bill, as well. Although the
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In 1997, Kimberly McCarthy of Texas was convicted of forcing her way into Dorothy Booth’s home under the pretext of borrowing some sugar, then killing 70-year-old Booth. McCarthy proceeded to use Booth’s credit cards and attempted to pawn Booth’s wedding ring before she was caught. McCarthy was found guilty of Booth’s murder and sentenced to death by a Dallas County jury in 1998, but the Texas Court of Appeals later overturned her conviction after they discovered she had no attorney
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In June 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Miller v. Alabama that mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles convicted of murder are unconstitutional. Writing for the majority in a 5-4 decision, Justice Kagan explained that imposing such mandatory sentences on adolescents, who tend to have “diminished culpability and greater prospects for reform,”1 constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The ruling struck down compulsory sentencing statutes in 29 states. More
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Have you ever heard of Marcus Reymond Robinson? He is the man who was convicted of kidnapping 17-year-old high-school student Erik Tornblom and shooting him in the face with a sawed-off shotgun during a robbery that netted a grand total of $27. In 1994, Robinson was sentenced to death in Cumberland County Superior Court for his heinous crimes – crimes with an arguably racially-tinged motive. The facts set forth in the order of the North Carolina Superior Court state: Other evidence
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Imagine reading “convicted sex offender” on an individual’s Facebook or LinkedIn page. Such social media websites may need to add a new field to users’ profiles because on August 1, Louisiana will become the first state to require convicted sex offenders to openly list their status on social networking pages. The Louisiana law was signed into law in May 2012 and mandates that sex offenders and child predators “shall include in his profile for the networking website an indication
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The law deems minors too young to vote, drink, or drive; however, a minor may be sentenced to life without parole for committing certain crimes. The issue of whether juveniles can be sentenced to life without parole is currently pending before the Supreme Court and there are strong proponents on both sides of this controversial issue. In 2005, the Court held in Roper v. Simmons that juveniles cannot face the death penalty, and in 2010 the Court further held that juveniles can no longer
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The Fourth Amendment, originally adopted in the Bill of Rights in response to abuse of the writ of assistance (a type of general search warrant) during the American Revolution, contains the well-known prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures. The rights granted by this amendment have been extended into the walls of prisons across the country, particularly to detainees and inmates who retain most of their constitutional rights while incarcerated. The strip search, a process
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