By: Thomas DesoutterAssociate Editor, Vol. 26 The most famous sheriff in U.S. history is Bull Connor, the Alabama lawman who turned fire hoses on peaceful civil rights protesters in defense of white supremacy. No prosecutor is quite so recognizable by name, but many a District Attorney is infamous for harsh punishment in his own town. […]
criminal justice reform
Overdue Expungement Legislation Signals Michigan’s Commitment to Criminal Reform and Recognition of Racial Inequality
By Meghan Patero Associate Editor, Vol. 26 2020 has drawn attention to the glaring consequences of racial inequality within the criminal justice system.[i] And while efforts to enact policies aimed at decreasing the number of people who enter the criminal justice system are important, we must also not forget about those who have already exited […]
We Have the Technology: Reducing Deaths by Cops and Crashes
By Chris Hemry Executive Editor, Vol. 24. The police have a lot of power over civilians. This is especially palpable on the roads.[1] The police can pull you over for a “broken taillight,” order everyone out of the car, frisk everyone, arrest the driver for the broken taillight, impound the car, and then search every […]
Chilling Effect: Brooklyn Detainees Bang on Prison Walls as Temperatures Drop
By Elizabeth Morales Associate Editor, Vol, 24 On the first day of February, as temperatures in East Coast dropped below-freezing, a video showing inmates banging on the walls and windows of their cells at a Brooklyn jail went viral. The inmates were trying to alert people on the outside that their building had been with […]
The First Step Act: It Needs to be the First Step
By Jules Hayer Associate Editor, Vol. 24 On December 21, 2018 the President signed into law the First Step Act. The First Step Act is a criminal justice reform bill that decreases mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses, modifies the three strikes rule from requiring a life sentence to mandating a 25-year sentence, and […]
What the Passage of Michigan’s Proposal One Means for Black and Latinx People
By Elizabeth Morales-Saucedo Associate Editor, Vol. 24 On November 6, 2018, 56% of Michigan voters supported the passage of Proposal One approving the legalization of recreational use and possession of marijuana by persons 21 and older.[1] Michigan is the tenth state in the United States, and the first state in the Midwest, to legalize the […]
California’s Efforts to Reform Bail Leaves Much to be Desired
By Jules Hayer Associate Editor, Vol. 24 Despite recent developments in California to overhaul the bail system, the state still has a long way to go in order to create effective change. In January of this year the California Court of Appeals ruled that, before setting bail, judges must take into account the financial situation […]
The End of Mass Incarceration: A Blueprint for Transformative Change
By Rasheed Stewart Associate Editor, Vol. 23 He sued the Philadelphia Police Department over 75 times.[1] As a career civil rights and criminal defense attorney he routinely represented individuals subjected to the oppressive forces of racism pervading law enforcement and the criminal justice system.[2] His nationally acclaimed representation of arrested protestors involved with the “Black […]
Undoing Past Wrongs: Chipping Away at Capital Punishment
By Hira Baig Associate Editor, Volume 23 The vast majority of countries, 140 to be exact, consider the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment.[1] The current constitution of Germany, for example, forbids use of capital punishment.[2] Lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson comments on this policy choice by suggesting there is a connection between Germany’s consciousness of […]
Clearing the Smoke: Marijuana Reform is a Racial Justice Issue
By David Bergh Associate Editor, Volume 23 Over the past few decades there has been a sea change in the American public’s attitude towards marijuana prohibition. In 1990 only 16% of the US public supported legalization, and 81% were opposed. Twenty seven years later the numbers were 61% in favor of legalization and 37% against.[1] […]
Michigan Journal of Race & Law 