Sentencing Posts
Roundup of 2017 Expungement and Restoration Laws
A new report from the Collateral Consequences Resource Center shows that states across the country are continuing to expand opportunities to avoid or mitigate the adverse effects of a criminal record.
Finality and the Capital/Non-Capital Punishment Divide
This piece examines the role that concerns about finality have played in both capital cases and juvenile life-without-parole sentencing cases.
Louisiana’s public defenders face financial burden with new juvenile prisoner law
A state law that went into effect this year makes juveniles given life sentences eligible for parole after serving 25 years and meeting certain educational requirements. In extreme cases however, district attorneys can block access parole during a new sentencing hearing if the juvenile lifer is considered the “worst of the worst” and unable to be rehabilitated.
More States Need to Halt Prosecution of Youth as Adults
Several other states have introduced reforms aimed at correcting longstanding overreliance on punitive, criminal sanctions for young people. Recently, New York and North Carolina used their budget processes to expand the age bounds of their juvenile justice systems to ensure that 16- and 17-year-old youth can no longer be automatically placed in adult courtrooms.
California Justice Reforms Give Hope to Youthful Offenders
Governor Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed a criminal justice reform package focused on reducing juvenile sentences and recidivism in California, drawing applause from civil rights groups and celebrity activists.
Bill Introduced to Incentivize States to Reduce Prison Populations
House Democrat has introduced a bill in the House as a means to reduce the nation’s rate of mass incarceration.
A Few Criminal Justice Big Data Rules
But there is no doubt we are on the precipice of a criminal justice data revolution, and it is a good time to take stock and to begin developing guidelines so that, as much as possible, criminal justice systems might reap the benefits and avoid the pitfalls of this newly data-centric world.
Senators to Reintroduce Criminal Justice Bill
The Hill reports that Senators Dick Durbin and Chuck Grassley will reintroduce the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act.
Updated Sentencing Black Letter Text
Model Penal Code: Sentencing Reporters have updated the black letter text of the Proposed Final Draft.
Preview of 50-state report on effective relief mechanisms
The Collateral Consequences Resource Center is currently finalizing a 50-state report on the availability of relief from the adverse civil effects of a criminal arrest or conviction.