Vanguard social justice articles involving criminal justice reform
Kevin Cooper, who has been on California’s death row for 42 years, maintains his innocence and is seeking a new trial based on alleged evidence tampering, destruction and withholding, as well as racial bias in his prosecution and appeals.
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law has released a report detailing how federal funding cuts are undermining the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act, which has led to increased risks for incarcerated individuals, including LGBTQ+ individuals, and has resulted in the closure of the National PREA Resource Center.
The families of two Trinidadian men killed in a U.S. missile strike last October have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that the strike was part of a broader campaign to target civilian boats in international waters without warning, justification or due process.
Sen. Steve Padilla introduced SB 941 to prohibit excessive markups on basic goods sold in private detention facilities in California, in an effort to curb corporate profiteering and protect detainees from exploitation.
Winter storms have left many incarcerated people without heat, reliable electricity, food, water, and medical care, exacerbating existing health risks and increasing mortality rates and suicide levels.
The Biden administration’s criminal justice reform efforts have been criticized for relying on short-term measures and political signaling rather than durable policy changes, leaving the system vulnerable to reversal under future administrations.
A coalition of local prosecutors from across the country has been formed to support state-level prosecutions of federal law enforcement officers who violate state criminal laws, in response to what they describe as increasingly aggressive federal enforcement tactics.
The 2025 Police Violence Report released by Mapping Police Violence shows that at least 1,201 people were killed by law enforcement officers across the US in 2025, with 95% of deaths involving police officers resulting from police shootings and fewer than 3% of police killings resulting in officers being charged with a crime.
The U.S. Supreme Court has created confusion in the criminal justice system through its Second Amendment jurisprudence, leaving lower courts uncertain about how to apply gun laws and causing conflicting rulings.
The Prison Policy Initiative has highlighted the importance of independent data projects in tracking police misconduct, providing models for local and national efforts to hold law enforcement accountable.
Governor Jeff Landry’s “tough on crime” policies have resulted in a 78% drop in parole approvals in Louisiana, with stricter eligibility requirements and a new law banning parole for those convicted after August 2024, leading to increased prison populations and criticism from civil rights attorneys and prison reform advocates.
Paul Gentile Smith, who was sentenced to life without parole for a 1988 torture-murder in Orange County, will be released in five years after prosecutorial misconduct undermined his conviction, marking another major consequence of the county’s long-running jailhouse informant scandal.
San Jose police justified their use of deadly force after a 30-year-old man was struck by a patrol vehicle and fatally shot by nine officers during a confrontation, despite concerns raised about the chaotic and potentially disorganized police response.
Reentry services are essential for helping formerly incarcerated individuals successfully reintegrate into society, and cutting these services will only perpetuate the cycle of incarceration and negatively impact communities.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office is participating in the investigation of a fatal incident involving an on-duty Richmond police officer that occurred Thursday morning on westbound Interstate 80 in Hercules, with the California Highway Patrol leading the investigation and the Attorney General’s Office overseeing the legal review.
Proposition 57, passed in 2016, was intended to reduce overcrowding in California prisons and incentivize rehabilitation, but was later limited by the California Court of Appeals, causing concern among criminal justice reform advocates.
The ACLU of Georgia released a report documenting chronic overcrowding at the Fulton County Jail, which has led to 32 deaths since 2021, and outlining policy changes to reduce the jail population and improve conditions.
Adolescents in the US face significant barriers to accessing effective drug treatment, with only 31% of children ages 12-17 with an opioid use disorder receiving any form of treatment in the past year.
Arizona’s botched executions have sparked a national debate over the use of lethal injections, with questions raised about the humanity of capital punishment and the need for alternative execution methods.
The ACLU and ACLU of Pennsylvania withdrew from a class action lawsuit challenging Montgomery County’s probation and parole practices after the county implemented reforms to reduce pre-hearing detention and guarantee timely hearings.