Sentencing Posts
New NJ Criminal Justice Data Law Could Spur Reforms Elsewhere
On Nov. 9, Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a bill calling on New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal to set up a program to collect and record data on defendants age 18 or older. The data collection and analysis are intended to provide a closer look at potential problems in the system and better equip lawmakers to tackle those issues.
Life Without Parole Sentencing in North Carolina
What explains the puzzle of life without parole (LWOP) sentencing in the United States? In the past two decades, LWOP sentences have reached record highs, with over 50,000 prisoners serving LWOP. Yet during this same period, homicide rates have steadily declined.
Arizona Supreme Court Rejects Eighth Amendment Claims by Juvenile Offenders Given De Facto Life Sentences for Multiple Offenses
On Friday, [Oct. 9] the Supreme Court of Arizona handed down a unanimous rejection of claims by multiple juvenile offenders subject to de facto life sentences for multiple sentences in Arizona v. Soto-Fong.
Prosecutors and Mass Incarceration
It has long been postulated that America’s mass incarceration phenomenon is driven by increased drug arrests, draconian sentencing, and the growth of a prison industry. Yet among the major players—legislators, judges, police, and prosecutors—one of these is shrouded in mystery.
Collateral Consequences Resource Center Releases “The Many Roads to Reintegration”: A 50-state report on laws restoring rights and opportunities
We are pleased to release a new report describing the present landscape of laws in the United States aimed at restoring rights and opportunities after an arrest or conviction. This report, titled The Many Roads to Reintegration, is an update and refresh of our previous national survey, last revised in 2018.
Beyond Bail
This Article argues that the reduction or eradication of money bail alone has not and will not ensure a fair and unbiased system of pretrial detention, nor will it ensure that poor and marginal defendants will benefit from pretrial release.
#MeToo and Mass Incarceration
This Symposium Guest Editor’s Note is an adapted version of the Introduction to “The Feminist War on Crime: The Unexpected Role of Women’s Liberation in Mass Incarceration” (UC Press 2020).
Criminal Justice in the U.S.
Student Training & Education in Public Service has published a new guide on careers and degrees students can purse in order to promote criminal justice reform.
The Case for a Federal Criminal Court System (and Sentencing Reform)
This article proposes the establishment of a federal criminal court system, comprised of separate criminal trial courts, circuit courts of appeal and a National Court of Criminal Appeals, with discretionary review by the Supreme Court.
Law360 Article on Prosecution’s Role in Correcting Wrongful Convictions
The article “Mo. Exoneration Bid Tests Limits Of Prosecutorial Power” tells the story of Lamar Johnson, who was convicted of murder in Missouri in 1995. However, both Johnson and St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner agree he did not actually commit the crime.