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Did Illinois Get Bail Reform Right? Criminal Justice Advocates Are Optimistic
Under the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act — which would not be implemented until January 2023, after a two-year rollout plan — charged individuals will either be held or not held, eliminating any element of money. Along with the end of cash bond, there will be a new, strictly defined process to guide the decision-making for detention, NBC News reports.
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Kim Kardashian Surprises College Students Over Virtual Classroom in Indiana
Reality television star Kim Kardashian surprised a class of criminal justice students over Zoom at a northwest Indiana university Thursday.
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Why Trump's Approval of Firing Squads for Executions Is ‘Largely Symbolic,' But Still Leaves ‘a Mess' for Biden
In his final weeks in the White House, President Trump is rushing to approve execution methods such as firing squads and hanging for federal death-row inmates. The Marshall Project’s Keri Blakinger explains what these new rules really mean for prisoners.
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How Felony Disenfranchisement Affects Everyone—Not Just Former Felons
In many states across the country, people with felony convictions are prohibited from voting, or only allowed to vote under certain conditions, even after they’ve served their sentence. Jay Jordan, who served time in prison as a young man and is currently the Director for Californians for Safety and Justice, explains how limiting their rights hurts more than just former...
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Breonna Taylor Case: What Needs to Happen for More Charges to be Filed Against the Cops Involved in Her Death
An anonymous grand juror in the Breonna Taylor case has revealed that the jury was never asked to consider charges directly linked to her death. Attorney Michael Starr Hopkins joined LX News to discuss what may come next in the case, and said more charges against the police officers involved in her shooting are still possible.
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Florida Activists, the NBA Are Teaming Up to Restore Voter Rights to Former Felons
In Florida, African Americans make up 16% of the voting population but account for more than 20% of those who have lost their right to vote due to prior felony convictions. Even after a permanent ban on voting was lifted for people with felonies on their records, the state continues to bar them from casting ballots until they have paid...
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Proposition 25: End Cash Bail System
Proposition 25 would uphold Senate Bill 10, which would replace cash bail with risk assessments for detained suspects awaiting trials. NBC4’s Conan Nolan explains.
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What's Next for Breonna Taylor's Case: How Federal Charges May Still Be Possible Under a Biden Administration
A Kentucky grand jury has decided not to indict any of the police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor with homicide or manslaughter, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be additional charges in the future to hold the officers responsible for her death. Attorney Michael Starr Hopkins explains that federal charges could still be possible under a...
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Hate Crimes Are Still Underreported Across the U.S.
Incidents of racism have become more visible due to cell phone cameras and social media, but hate crimes are still underreported across the U.S., according to Roy L. Austin, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice. The reasons include distrust between the Black community and law enforcement, and a lack of incentive for officials to report...
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Jay-Z, Yo Gotti and Team Roc Are Still Fighting for Inmates at Mississippi's Parchman Prison
Roc Nation’s philanthropy arm, Team Roc, filed a lawsuit against the Mississippi Department of Corrections earlier this year on behalf of over 150 inmates in the state’s Parchman prison in response to conditions described as “barbaric.” Attorney Jessica Rice, who is working with Team Roc, explains why this case is important in Mississippi and details the long history of...
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Cyntoia Brown Long, Granted Clemency for Murder, Is Fighting for Other Victims of Sex Trafficking
Cyntoia Brown Long says sex trafficking is often not “black and white” and there is no “perfect victim,” as evidenced by her own case and the ongoing case of Chrystul Kizer, a teenager who is accused of killing her alleged sex trafficker and was released on bond last week.
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How Breonna Taylor's Death Illustrates That Black Women Are More Vulnerable to Police Violence Than Men
Andrea Ritchie of the Barnard Center for Research on Women says Black women are more likely to be killed by police than Black men, as evidenced by the shooting of Breonna Taylor. She says Breonna’s Law, while a positive step, doesn’t do enough to protect them.
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In Interview Before His Death, Rayshard Brooks Said Justice System Sees Us as ‘Animals'
Months before Rayshard Brooks was fatally shot by a police officer outside a Wendy’s in Atlanta, Georgia, he spoke about his experience with the U.S. criminal justice system and the struggles he faced after being incarcerated, NBC News reports. Brooks’ interview in February 2020 was conducted by Reconnect, a Maine-based public benefit corporation, as part of a project about...
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WATCH: Rayshard Brooks Talked About Disparities in Justice System Months Before Death
Rayshard Brooks, the man who was shot and killed by police last week at an Atlanta, Georgia, drive-through, gave an interview in February about the inequalities of the U.S. criminal justice system. Brooks’ interview was conducted by Reconnect as part of a project about individuals on probation or parole.
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Exoneration Doesn't Mean Freedom for Released Convicts
Louis Reed, a national organizer for #CUT50 who served almost 14 years in federal prison, explained the harsh long-term consequences suffered by exonerated and released convicts.