Archives: Criminal Justice / Articles
Archives: Criminal Justice / Articles (page 4)
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Drug Treatment Programs of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Exist, but Need More Availability
For over 20 years, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has provided inmates the opportunity to take part in substance abuse treatment programs that make significant improvements not only to…
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Federal Judge Questions Use of Mandatory Minimum Sentencing for Nonviolent Offenders
Federal Judge Mark Bennett of Iowa strongly stated his opposition to mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses in an interview with National Public Radio. Since the 1980s, these…
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Congress Seeks to Expand Eligibility for Expungements for Nonviolent, First-Time Offenders
Congress is considering expanding the eligibility for an expungement for first-time, nonviolent drug offenders. The Renew Act, sponsored by U.S. Representative Hakeem Jefferies and cosponsored by Representative Trey Gowdy, would…
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States Continue To Make Civil Asset Forfeiture Process More Transparent
Civil asset forfeiture abuses in various states throughout the country are well-documented. There are several instances individuals have seen their property seized by the state or federal government, despite the…
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Iowa Places Limits on Civil Asset Forfeiture Practices
Iowa became the latest state to improve its civil asset forfeiture laws. In many states across the country, government agencies need merely a preponderance of evidence to obtain a judgment…
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Arizona Governor Doug Ducey Signs Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill
Arizona just substantially reformed its civil asset forfeiture laws. In many states, government agencies need to prove merely by a preponderance of evidence to obtain a judgment of forfeiture over…
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Michigan Passes Criminal Justice Reform Package
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has recently signed into law a package of bills which reforms the state’s criminal justice system. The package includes 18 bills which address parole and…
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Incarceration Rates of Juveniles Fall in South Dakota
South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard has published his findings on a series of juvenile justice reform initiatives. He says the Mount Rushmore state has made tremendous progress since the reforms went into…
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Sunshine State Sheds Light on New Diversion Program
Nearly 1 out of every 104 Florida residents is currently incarcerated in state jails and prisons. While criminal justice reform continues to be a nationwide discussion, the importance of…
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Mississippi Joins Several States in Passing Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform
Mississippi recently passed a law that will make the asset forfeiture process more open and transparent. Governor Phil Bryant signed HB 812 which improves its civil asset forfeiture process…
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Tar Heel State Considers Ban-the-Box Policies
“Ban-the-box” legislation is currently gaining momentum in North Carolina. If passed, House Bill 233 would require public employers to delay, but not prevent, inquiry into a person’s criminal history,…
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Illinois Legislature Proposes to Reform State’s Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws
Civil asset forfeiture reform is a major topic in 2017. Many states are considering legislation that would replace civil asset forfeiture with criminal forfeiture. Illinois is currently addressing such reforms…
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Raise the Age Efforts Gain Momentum
In most states, the maximum age an individual can be tried as an adult is 17. Currently, there are only five states that treat 17-year-olds as adults in criminal…
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Criminal Justice Policy a Hot Topic at CPAC
At the Conservative Political Action Committee, criminal justice reform was a productive topic of discussion. Panelists Marc Levin of Right on Crime, Pat Nolan of the American Conservative Union, Louisiana…
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Michigan Legislator Seeks to Replace Civil Asset Forfeiture with Criminal Forfeiture
Michigan is poised to become the next state to address civil asset forfeiture reform thanks to Representative Peter Lucido. Civil asset forfeiture reform has become a very important issue for…
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Georgia Examines a Pre-Arrest Diversion Program
Politicians and citizens from both sides of the aisle have been pushing for criminal justice reform for years. In 2008, a study was released by the Pew Center on…
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Lone Star State Poised to Consider Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform
Civil asset forfeiture reform is poised to remain a top issue in the states in 2017. For example, a bill introduced in Texas would remedy the problems posed by current…
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Montana Examines Potential Probation and Parole Changes
Montana’s prisons are significantly overcrowded due to high recidivism rates. As a result, state resources have become significantly strained, according to a recent report by The Council of State Governments Justice…
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Illinois Creates Robust Juvenile Re-Entry Facility
In an attempt to reform Illinois’s criminal justice so that offenders can better transition out of the corrections system, Gov. Bruce Rauner announced that the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC)…
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ALEC Continues Criminal Justice Reform Efforts
The 1990s saw Americans broadly favor tough on crime policies. Both political parties strongly supported such measures, including then-President Bill Clinton and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. However,…