Tag: Criminal Justice Reform
Tag: Criminal Justice Reform (page 2)
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New Hampshire Becomes Latest State to Overhaul Civil Asset Forfeiture Process
New Hampshire recently joined a growing number of states that have reformed their civil asset forfeiture laws in 2016. These reforms no longer allow government agencies to seize and keep one’s property…
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A Balanced Approach
Maryland Senate Bill 1005, colloquially known as the Justice Reinvestment Act, became law on May 18 with Governor Larry Hogan’s signature after passing the Maryland House of Delegates by an overwhelming…
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New York’s Suffolk County Gives Veterans a Second Chance
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 180,000 veterans are incarcerated each year nationwide, two-thirds of which have been previously imprisoned. To better reduce recidivism among this population, Suffolk…
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New Developments in Civil Asset Forfeiture in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety has recently purchased technology from the Electronic Recovery and Access to Data Group Inc. (ERAD) allowing law enforcement to freeze and seize funds loaded…
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New Hampshire Governor Signs Bipartisan Legislation Establishing Statewide Drug Court Program
Another tool has been added to help fight New Hampshire’s drug crisis, as drug courts are about to be established across the Granite State. Continuing her efforts to implement a…
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Raise the Age of Juvenile Jurisdiction Bill Passes the Louisiana Legislature, Governor to Sign
The Louisiana legislature passed LA S.B. 324 on June 6 and has sent the measure to Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, a former ALEC member legislator in the Louisiana Senate,…
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Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Signs Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill
On May 19, 2016, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed Senate Bill 161 (S.B. 161), which was introduced by state Senator Michael Hough. It contains several provisions of the ALEC…
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Iowa Passes Series of Criminal Justice Reforms
Iowa recently became another state to tackle criminal justice reform. Governor Terry Branstad on May 12, 2016 signed into law a criminal justice reform package that provides more leniency…
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Oklahoma Passes Four Criminal Justice Reform Measures
Oklahoma policymakers are well aware of the challenges facing the Sooner State’s criminal justice system, which include laying claim to the second-highest incarceration rate in the country. Legislators have concentrated on…
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Sentencing Juveniles as Adults is Not Always The Best Policy
The issue of presumptively treating 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system has been discussed and debated in a number of states. Currently, 41 states presumptively treat 17-year-olds as…
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New Report Shows Benefits of Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Reform at State Level
State prison systems have been unsuccessfully scrambling to keep pace with the increasing number of inmates since the 1980s. Many penal facilities throughout the country are significantly over-capacity and draining…
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State Factor: Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Reform Saves States Money and Reduces Crime Rates
The United States has been experiencing increasingly high levels of incarceration, particularly over the last three decades. Several states have realized such levels are not sustainable and have been examining…
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New Report Reveals Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Unsustainable for State Prison Systems
Arlington, VA (March 29, 2016)— States are experiencing unsustainable levels of incarceration in their prison systems , some as high as 171 percent of the design capacity, according to a…
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Transparency Critical to Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform
Civil asset forfeiture abuses in various states throughout the country are well-documented. There are several instances where individuals have seen their property seized by the state or federal government, despite…
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Virginia General Assembly Unanimously Passes Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform
On March 10, 2016, the Virginia House of Delegates unanimously voted to reform a certain aspect of their civil asset forfeiture system by passing SB 457. The bill changes the…
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Tennessee Senate Passes Ban-the-Box Legislation
The Tennessee Senate recently passed Senate Bill 2440 with a 25 to 7 vote. The bill, colloquially known as “ban-the box,” requires state employers to delay inquiring about criminal…
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Prison Programming with Education Focus Reduces Recidivism
For every dollar invested in a prison education program it will ultimately save taxpayers between $4 and $5 in reincarceration costs. The relative price of educating prisoners is negligible in relation to the annual cost of incarceration.
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Exorbitant Costs Exposed in Los Angeles Juvenile Justice System
The Los Angeles Times recently reported on the high annual expenditures associated with housing juvenile offenders in Los Angeles. According to a recent county audit, it costs over $230,000…
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Charles Koch, Senator Bernie Sanders Agree on Criminal Justice Reform
Charles Koch, in a Washington Post Op-Ed, applauded Senator Bernie Sanders for his proposals on criminal justice reform. “The United States’ next president must be willing to rethink decades…
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Louisiana Newspaper: Treat 17-Year-Old Suspects as Juveniles
The issue of presumptively treating 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system has made headlines in Louisiana. Currently, 41 states presumptively treat 17-year-olds as juveniles. Louisiana remains one of…