The Sentencing Project has released a report showing that automatic charging of youth in adult courts has had a detrimental impact on youth well-being and community safety, with racial disparities and a lack of access to rehabilitative programs being key concerns.
The Sentencing Project’s new fact sheet highlights a dramatic increase in the number of women incarcerated in the US, with the female population behind bars now more than seven times higher than in 1980, and over 1 million women currently under the supervision of the criminal justice system.
Despite a 75% decline in youth incarceration since 2000, racial and ethnic disparities remain in the arrests, sentencing and detention of youth, with youth of color disproportionately affected.
The Death Penalty Information Center reports that 226 military veterans have been executed, 14% of all executions in the modern era, with 66% of them having served in Vietnam, and 77% of them being executed for killing only white victims.
One year after California voters passed Proposition 36, Los Angeles County Public Defender Ricardo Garcia has warned that the measure has failed to address the root causes of addiction and poverty, and has instead led to increased incarceration and racial inequities in the justice system.
Millions of drivers are pulled over every year for minor violations, which rarely make roads safer and instead lead to racial disparities, violence, and loss of trust in police, prompting the ACLU to work to restore people’s rights on the road by limiting or ending traffic stops for issues unrelated to road safety.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a coalition of state attorneys general have written a letter opposing the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate federal reporting requirements that help identify and address inequities in special education and disability programs.
Judges in New York City frequently override official pretrial release recommendations, leading to unnecessary pretrial incarceration and widening racial disparities in bail decisions, according to new research from John Jay College’s Data Collaborative for Justice.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has urged Governor Gavin Newsom to use his executive powers to commute the death sentences of all individuals currently on death row in California, citing racial discrimination, mental illness, and wrongful convictions.
The Sentencing Project warns that the overreach of federal criminal law into local offenses disproportionately harms Black and Latino communities, and Congress has introduced legislation to limit federal prosecution of conduct already handled at the state and local levels.
A new report from the Prison Policy Initiative reveals that youth of color with disabilities are disproportionately subject to physical assault by staff while incarcerated, highlighting the need for decarceration efforts to prioritize the most marginalized youth.
The Prison Policy Initiative has released a report showing that neurodivergent youth are disproportionately confined and experience higher rates of assault by staff, and are more likely to be funneled into the criminal legal system than receive the care they need.
Black and Hispanic New Yorkers are disproportionately affected by the summons system, which results in high rates of dismissals due to paperwork errors and legally insufficient information, leading to lost time and income.
The Prison Policy Initiative report shows that while the number of youth in confinement has dropped over the last two decades, racial disparities in the juvenile system remain stark and are worsening, with Black and Indigenous youth being confined at far higher rates than their white peers.
Proposition 36, intended to provide a treatment-first approach to drug addiction and petty theft, has failed to deliver on its promises due to a lack of infrastructure and funding, resulting in a “treatment-mandated felony” and racial disparities in enforcement.
The Vanguard has deployed interns to monitor and report on court proceedings in San Francisco, uncovering examples of overcharging, racial disparities, and excessive bail, and is seeking to expand this model statewide and nationally to create transparency and accountability in the criminal legal system.
Black, Latino, and Tribal youth are facing disproportionately high rates of incarceration, with the Black-white disparity growing by more than 10% in 23 states, according to a report by The Sentencing Project.
DA Jeff Reisig boasts of a “new era of accountability,” but critics say it’s a return to…
WASHINGTON, DC – A new policy report highlights various systemic injustices in the U.S. criminal legal system,…
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The California Dept. of Justice (DOJ) state oversight of the San Francisco Police…