Vanguard social justice articles involving criminal justice reform
James Duckett, a former Lake County police officer, is scheduled for execution on March 31, 2026, but his attorneys argue that newly revealed evidence and pending DNA testing raise questions about his conviction and the limited timeframe provided for postconviction review.
MomsRising is calling on Congress to reinstate the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD) to ensure oversight of federal agents and protect vulnerable communities from misconduct.
A coalition of advocates, scientists, and entertainers, including Penn & Teller and the American Psychological Association, are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review the death penalty case of Charles Don Flores, arguing that his conviction relied heavily on eyewitness testimony that was obtained through “investigative hypnosis”.
Orange County has agreed to pay $925,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought by a deputy district attorney who alleged she was subjected to repeated inappropriate conduct by a supervisor inside the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The Solano County Sheriff’s Department has been criticized for its lack of transparency and accountability after removing a previously criticized online complaint process for reporting officer misconduct, raising concerns about the public’s ability to report misconduct and the potential for federal intervention.
Carmen Mejia was exonerated after 22 years in prison for a murder she did not commit, when new evidence established that the death of a 10-month-old infant in her care was a tragic accident caused by a water heater lacking safety technology.
Solitary confinement is being challenged across the US due to its harmful effects on incarcerated individuals and its failure to improve prison safety, with studies and legal cases showing that it can lead to serious injury or death.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey commuted the death sentence of Charles “Sonny” Burton, a 75-year-old man who was on death row for his role in a 1991 robbery that resulted in the fatal shooting of a customer, to life imprisonment without parole due to concerns about the felony murder doctrine and the uneven application of capital punishment.
The University of Maryland’s Violence Reduction Center hosted a symposium to examine the connection between social media and community violence, bringing together researchers, youth voices, law enforcement officials and community organizations to explore how online dynamics can escalate real-world harm.
Aaron Spencer, an Army veteran and farmer, won the Republican nomination for sheriff in an Arkansas county after being charged with second-degree murder for allegedly killing his daughter’s reported abuser.
The Alabama Solution, an Oscar-nominated documentary about the retaliatory violence and systemic repression faced by incarcerated organizers in Alabama, was created through the collaboration of incarcerated journalists, outside journalists, and advocacy networks, and highlights the fragility of free speech and the need for vigilance in defending it.
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that questions whether plea agreements can force Americans to surrender fundamental constitutional rights, highlighting the power of the criminal legal system to pressure individuals into waiving their liberties.
The Death Penalty Information Center’s “What to Know” report concludes that decades of research have failed to produce credible evidence that the death penalty reduces homicide rates.
The Oklahoma Survivors Act is a law designed to give domestic violence survivors serving long prison sentences a second chance at freedom, but prosecutors and courts remain reluctant to revisit violent crime cases even when abuse played a central role.
Tennessee lawmakers have introduced a bill modeled on the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Researcher Access to Data Act, which would require criminal justice agencies to share data with qualified researchers to improve evidence-based public safety policy.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor has raised concerns about the lack of transparency in Florida’s execution protocols, warning that the state’s secrecy laws may place people on death row at risk of Eighth Amendment violations.
Matilde Hernandez, founder of Dare 2 Lift It, has released a new book, Beyond These Walls, which combines her personal journey through incarceration with a healing guide to help others reclaim their power and rewrite their stories.
New York State spent a record $450.6 million on prison healthcare in 2025, despite the aging incarcerated population driving these costs reoffending at some of the lowest rates in the system and being denied parole at increasing rates, prompting the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign to call for the passage of the Elder Parole and Fair & Timely Parole bills.
Over 60,000 signatures have been collected on a petition urging Alabama Governor Kay Ivey to grant clemency to death row prisoner Sonny Burton, who did not personally commit the killing that led to his conviction, and a demonstration is planned to deliver the petition to the governor’s office on Monday.
Rodney Reid recounts his experience in Rikers Island, describing the brutal conditions he endured during years spent in solitary confinement, which he argues were intentionally designed to drive prisoners to insanity.