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The Sentencing Project 
News related to legislation regarding criminal sentencing, disenfranchisement and other inmate-rights issues.
Post Frequency: 1.1/day Last Entry: July 14, 2009 at 17:20:01 Recent Entries: 209
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Read News: States Seek Less Costly Substitutes For Prison
Posted on July 14, 2009More than half the states and the District of Columbia are trying to reduce the growth in their prison populations through alternative sentencing and new probation and parole procedures. According to the Pew Center on the States, it costs an average of $79 a day to keep an inmate in prison but about $3...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on July 09, 2009Kentucky: Study Addresses Felon Voting Rights Fears Posted Date:7/9/2009 5:12:34 PM
Read News: Structuring Sentences
Posted on July 06, 2009The criminal justice perspectives – and overall experiences – of Virginia Senator Jim Webb, former journalist and best-selling author, are highlighted in a Washington Post feature article. Webb recently introduced legislation, the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009, which would establish a commission to develop means for reducing the overall incarceration rate, decreasing prison violence and improving treatment of mental illness in prisons...
Read Advocacy Material: House Crack Cocaine Legislation
Posted on July 02, 2009A comparison of the current law against three House Bills introduced to reform sentencing policy on crack cocaine. One of these bills lowers the quantities for powder cocaine that trigger mandatory minimum sentences, making them equal to the current quantities of crack cocaine...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on July 02, 2009National: NAACP Endorses Democracy Restoration Act National: First-time Voters' Thoughts Archived in New Publication National: Updated Book Chronicles Voting Rights from George W. Bush to President Obama Posted Date:7/2/2009 5:05:42 PM
Read News: Texas newspaper supports elimination of crack cocaine sentencing disparity
Posted on July 01, 2009A Texas newspaper published an editorial supporting the reform of harsh crack cocaine sentencing laws stating, 'our hope is that this growing rebellion among federal judges will spur Congress to act and reduce mandatory penalties for crack cocaine, so that its users aren't treated any differently than those who use powder cocaine...
Read Advocacy Material: Add Your Organization to a Sign-on Letter in Support of the Democracy Restoration Act
Posted on June 29, 2009The Sentencing Project is engaged with Senator Russ Feingold and Representative John Conyers on legislation to restore federal voting rights to individuals with felony convictions who are not incarcerated. The Democracy Restoration Act will be introduced in the coming weeks and we hope to have strong support from members of Congress...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on June 26, 2009TAKE ACTION: Add Your Organization to a Sign-on Letter in Support of the Democracy Restoration Act National: Department of Justice Makes Available State-specific Tools on Rights Restoration Alabama: Inmates Prepare for Municipal Election Posted Date:6/26/2009 6:21:02 PM
Read News: Attorney general wants review of cocaine sentences
Posted on June 25, 2009During a panel discussion featuring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and Attorney General Eric Holder, yesterday, Holder continued to support the administration's stance on eliminating the gap in prison sentences for crack and powder cocaine offenses...
Read News: Incarcerated Women Face Hurdles Re-Entering Society
Posted on June 23, 2009'The number of incarcerated women in the U.S. has risen dramatically in recent years. According to federal figures, about 207,000 women were held in prisons or jails last year, an increase of a third since the year 2000. Joanne Archibald, who was incarcerated as a young woman on drug charges; Gretchen Rohr, a lawyer who works for a non-profit group in Washington, D...
Read News: Hon. Breyer, Attorney General Holder featured on Congressional Black Caucus Federal Sentencing Panel
Posted on June 22, 2009The Congressional Black Caucus Community Re-Investment Taskforce is hosting "Rethinking Federal Sentencing Policy," in honor of the 25th Anniversary of the Sentencing Reform Act Wednesday at 4:30. Brief remarks will be offered by Eric Holder, Attorney General, U...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on June 20, 2009National: Sotomayor on Disenfranchisement Posted Date:6/19/2009 2:39:13 PM
Read News: City Council Rejects Gang Injunctions in Washington, DC
Posted on June 17, 2009The Council of the District of Columbia met yesterday for a passionate debate over the proposed Emergency Declaration and Legislation, which is designed to address the annual rise of violence during the summer months in the District. The legislation, introduced by Phil Mendelson, Chair of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, enhances penalties for certain crimes involving firearms, repeat violent offences, and vehicle theft, as well as easing prosecutions for identity theft...
Read News: National Criminal Justice Commission Act Hearing Panelists Agree: Criminal Justice System Requires a Comprehensive Review
Posted on June 16, 2009The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs held a hearing last Thursday on the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009, introduced by Senator Jim Webb of Virginia. Chairman Arlen Specter lead the hearing which assembled a wide ranging panel consisting of Chief William Bratton of the Los Angeles Police Department; Pat Nolan, Vice President of the Prison Fellowship; Professor Charles J...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on June 12, 2009National: Disenfranchisement Deserves its Day in Court Posted Date:6/12/2009 4:08:10 PM
Read News: Why We Must Reform Our Criminal Justice System
Posted on June 11, 2009"Ex-offenders are also confronted with a lack of meaningful re-entry programs. With the high volume of people who are coming out of prisons, it is in the self-interest of every American that national leadership design programs that provide former offenders a true pathway towards a productive future...
Read Advocacy Material: Urgent Action Alert: Call DC Council Urge ?no? vote on ?emergency? crime bills
Posted on June 10, 2009On Tuesday, June 16th, the DC Council is expected to vote on 'emergency' crime bills, including a proposal by Councilman Evans. DC Council should oppose the Evans bill because it will not increase public safety as the proposal: Casts a broad and wide net that will sweep many people – including people who have not been involved in a crime – into the criminal justice system; Proposes new gun crimes and provisions that are not targeted at reducing gun violence; Adds unnecessary new mandatory minimum sentences and makes it easier to detain people pending trial – proposals which will unnecessarily increase incarceration of District residents; May brand as gang members law-abiding District residents simply on the basis of guilt by association and permanently restrict who they can talk to or associate with in their neighborhoods through "gang injunctions...
Read News: Senate Judiciary Subcommittee to Host Hearing Thursday on the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009
Posted on June 10, 2009On Thursday, June 11th at 3:00pm, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs will hold a hearing on Senator Jim Webb's legislation to comprehensively review and recommend reform to the nation's criminal justice system. The hearing entitled "Exploring the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009," will take place at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226...
Read Advocacy Material: National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 Statement
Posted on June 09, 2009Posted Date: 6/9/2009 3:05:03 PM
Read Publication: Testimony of Marc Mauer on the Juvenile Justice Accountability and Improvement Act of 2009
Posted on June 05, 2009The Sentencing Project's submitted testimony on sentences of juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) prepared for the United States House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. Posted Date:6/5/2009 11:06:22 AM
Read News: Legislative Hearing June 9 on "Juvenile Justice Accountability and Improvement Act"
Posted on June 05, 2009On June 9, the U.S. House of Representative's Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security will convene a hearing at 2:30 p.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2141, to listen to testimony about sentences of juvenile life without parole (JLWOP)...
Read News: Man Serving Three Life Terms for Drug Deal Pins Hopes on Clemency From Obama
Posted on June 03, 2009'For Clarence Aaron, all that has changed is the president's name. George W. Bush can no longer grant him clemency. Now he's pinning his hopes on Barack Obama – and there just might be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Aaron was a 23-year-old junior at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La...
Read Advocacy Material: Take Action: Tell Your Councilmember 'No Gang Injunctions'
Posted on May 30, 2009The Sentencing Project is deeply concerned with portions of two recently introduced bills in the District of Columbia: Bill 18-138 and Bill 18-151. If enacted, these bills would allow the District to file a civil suit against persons alleged to be gang members and then obtain an injunction from the court that would result in what amounts to a lifetime sentence of probation for the youth targeted by these injunctions...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on May 30, 2009National: U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Sotomayor May Spark Voting Rights Debate Iowa: Voter Fraud or Miscommunication? Ohio: Department of Corrections Helps Offenders 'Reclaim Their Vote' Posted Date:5/29/2009 8:05:32 PM
Read News: Interfaith group seeks second chance for youths sentenced to life
Posted on May 26, 2009During Memorial Day weekend at about 200 churches, synagogues and mosques throughout California, an interfaith coalition appealed to individuals about long sentences for juveniles, including those given life sentences without parole. "When children commit certain actions, we stop thinking of them as children," Javier Stauring, director of Faith Communities for Families and Children, told a group of about 90 people Sunday at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena...
Read News: Willie Aikens Fights to Reverse Disparity in Cocaine Laws
Posted on May 22, 2009'Cocaine cost Willie Mays Aikens his Major League Baseball career and his life savings, but the former slugger says it shouldn't have cost him 14 years of his life. Aikens, who spent almost a decade and a half in a federal prison on drug charges, will tell a congressional panel on Wednesday that the disparity in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine erodes trust in the justice system, ruins lives and destroys families...
Read Advocacy Material: Former prosecutor testifies about sentences for crack cocaine offenses
Posted on May 22, 2009Before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime Thursday, former federal prosecutor Veronica Coleman-Davis of Memphis, testified that she made a conscious decision that her office would not prosecute "five gram crack cases," the Commercial Appeal reported...
Read Advocacy Material: Legislative Hearing Tomorrow: "Unfairness in Federal Cocaine Sentencing: Is it Time to Crack the 100 to 1 Disparity?"
Posted on May 20, 2009The U.S. House of Representative's Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security will convene a hearing tomorrow at 10am to examine the "Unfairness in Federal Cocaine Sentencing: Is it Time to Crack the 100 to 1 Disparity?" located in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2237...
Read News: Legislative Hearing Tomorrow: "Unfairness in Federal Cocaine Sentencing: Is it Time to Crack the 100 to 1 Disparity?"
Posted on May 20, 2009The U.S. House of Representative's Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security will convene a hearing tomorrow at 10am to examine the "Unfairness in Federal Cocaine Sentencing: Is it Time to Crack the 100 to 1 Disparity?" located in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2237...
Read News: Prison Legal News Publishes ?Prisoners? Guerrilla Handbook to Correspondence Programs in the United States and Canada?
Posted on May 19, 2009Numerous prisons have eliminated or defunded prison education programs, limiting incarcerated individuals ability to pursue a GED or higher education while incarcerated. To respond to this situation, the third edition of 'Prisoners' Guerrilla Handbook to Correspondence Programs in the U...
Read News: Administration Calls for End of 'War on Drugs'
Posted on May 14, 2009The U.S. Attorney General and White House Drug Czar have both signaled a need for drug policy reform. On the heels of testimony provided last month by the Department of Justice's Lanny Breuer supporting equalizing the cocaine sentencing disparity, Eric Holder and Gil Kerlikowske have publicly stated the necessity for change in addressing drugs and incarceration...
Read News: Introduction of Federal JLWOP Elimination Bill
Posted on May 12, 2009On May 6, 2009 Representatives Robert 'Bobby' Scott and John Conyers introduced The Juvenile Justice Accountability and Improvement Act of 2009 (HR 2289), which would require reviews of life sentences given to individuals under the age of 18 after fifteen years of incarceration, and every three years thereafter...
Read News: Report Provides National Look at Prison Nurseries
Posted on May 11, 2009The Women's Prison Association released Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment: A National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternatives, a report that examines the expansion of prison nursery programs across the U.S. and also looks at community-based residential parenting programs, which allow women to serve criminal justice sentences with their infants in a non-prison setting...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on May 08, 2009Washington State: Victory in Voting Rights International: New Book Highlights International Roots of Disenfranchisement Virginia: Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates Support Voting Rights Minnesota: Resident Arrested for Voting Posted Date:5/8/2009 6:17:25 PM
Read Advocacy Material: Advocates Call on Congress to Support Youth PROMISE Act
Posted on May 07, 2009A coalition of civil rights, religious and juvenile justice groups held a juvenile justice forum today calling on Congress to pass the Youth PROMISE Act, a bill that would use evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies to curb youth violence and gang activities...
Read News: Advocates Call on Congress to Support Youth PROMISE Act
Posted on May 07, 2009A coalition of civil rights, religious and juvenile justice groups held a juvenile justice forum today calling on Congress to pass the Youth PROMISE Act, a bill that would use evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies to curb youth violence and gang activities...
Read News: Court to rule on long juvenile sentences
Posted on May 04, 2009The Supreme Court has agreed to rule on the constitutionality of life prison terms without parole for juveniles who commit crimes other than murder in their teen years. The issue stems from two Florida juvenile cases involving a 13 and 17 year old...
Read Advocacy Material: National Month of Advocacy Lobby Day an Empowering Success for Crack Reform
Posted on May 01, 2009Nearly 100 supporters from around the U.S. descended on Capitol Hill this week to lobby for the reform of the harsh crack cocaine sentences that have existed for 23 years. Part of the Crack the Disparity coalition's National Month of Advocacy, the National Lobby Day was an empowering success as constituents from nearly 20 states met with their Congressional representatives Tuesday, April 28, following a breakfast briefing that rallied constituents to relay the harshness of the current crack cocaine sentencing laws on African-American communities...
Read News: Obama Administration Supports Complete Elimination of Cocaine Sentencing Disparity at Legislative Hearing
Posted on May 01, 2009In an historic legislative hearing, the United States Department of Justice this week endorsed legislation that would end the 100 to 1 quantity-based sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. Astanding-room only crowd attended the 'Restoring Fairness to Federal Sentencing: Addressing the Crack-Powder Disparity' legislative hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, where Lanny A...
Read News: Justice Department Backs Plan to Eliminate Cocaine Sentencing Disparity
Posted on April 30, 2009'Justice Department officials yesterday endorsed for the first time a plan that would eliminate vast sentencing disparities between possession of powdered cocaine and rock cocaine, an inequity that civil rights groups say has affected poor and minority defendants disproportionately...
Read Advocacy Material: "Restoring Fairness to Federal Sentencing: Addressing the Crack-Powder Disparity" Testimony
Posted on April 28, 2009April 29 testimony of Marc Mauer submitted to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs' hearing entitled "Restoring Fairness to Federal Sentencing: Addressing the Crack-Powder Disparity." Posted Date: 4/28/2009 10:06:15 AM
Read News: "Restoring Fairness to Federal Sentencing: Addressing the Crack-Powder Disparity" Testimony
Posted on April 28, 2009April 29 testimony of Marc Mauer submitted to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs' hearing entitled "Restoring Fairness to Federal Sentencing: Addressing the Crack-Powder Disparity." Posted Date:4/28/2009 2:04:21 PM
Read News: Advocates to Descend on Washington Tuesday to Lobby for Crack Cocaine Sentencing Reform
Posted on April 27, 2009Nearly 100 advocates will descend on Washington Tuesday to lobby legislators and call for the reform of the harsh federal crack cocaine sentencing laws. The effort is led by the Crack the Disparity Coalition, a host of organizations, including The Sentencing Project, working together to end the 100 to 1 quantity-based sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine...
Read Advocacy Material: Legislative Hearing April 29: "Restoring Fairness to Federal Sentencing: Addressing the Crack-Powder Disparity"
Posted on April 24, 2009The Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs will hold a hearing entitled "Restoring Fairness to Federal Sentencing: Addressing the Crack-Powder Disparity" on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 226 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building...
Read News: Legislative Hearing April 29: "Restoring Fairness to Federal Sentencing: Addressing the Crack-Powder Disparity"
Posted on April 24, 2009The Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs will hold a hearing entitled "Restoring Fairness to Federal Sentencing: Addressing the Crack-Powder Disparity" on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 226 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building...
Read Advocacy Material: The Sentencing Project Applauds Introduction of National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009
Posted on April 21, 2009The Sentencing Project would like to applaud Senators Webb and Specter for introducing the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009. The commission created by this legislation would establish an organized and proactive approach to studying and advancing programs and policies that promote public safety, while overhauling those practices that are found to be fundamentally flawed...
Read News: April 23 is National Call-In Day to End the Sentencing Disparity Between Crack and Powder Cocaine
Posted on April 21, 2009On Thursday, April 23, thousands of people across the country will phone their members of Congress to call for an end to the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. They will say that 23 years of a failed policy is long enough...
Read News: Re-entry Documentary, "The Released," Airs Tuesday
Posted on April 20, 2009'The Released,' a documentary that focuses on the community re-entry of people incarcerated in Ohio state prisons will air on PBS' 'Frontline,' Tuesday, April 28 at 9pm EST. The story takes off from 'The New Asylums,' which featured seriously mentally ill men being shuttled back and forth between a maximum security prison in Ohio and the state's hospital for the criminally insane...
Read News: Support for Treatment Alternatives, Drug Courts Grows
Posted on April 17, 2009As the Obama Administration vows to commit more resources for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse, drug courts are increasingly being seen as an important tool in advancing this strategy. However, the lack of an effective system of publicly provided drug treatment means that countless Americans are forced to face arrest and court processing in order to access these critical services...
Read Advocacy Material: National Call-In Day Alert
Posted on April 16, 2009On Thursday, April 23, thousands of people across the country will phone their members of Congress to call for an end to the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. They will say that 23 years of a failed policy is long enough...
Read Advocacy Material: Crack the Disparity Month of Advocacy Activities Highlighted in Quarterly Newsletter
Posted on April 15, 2009The fourth edition of the Crack the Disparity Coalition's quarterly e-newsletter highlights numerous activities going on during April – Crack the Disparity Month of Advocacy. The newsletter features various tools citizens can use to lobby for sentencing reform, including talking points for Lobby Day on April 28, and telephone scripts to assist advocates in calling congressional members on National Call-in Day scheduled for April 23...
Read News: Crack the Disparity Month of Advocacy Activities Highlighted in Quarterly Newsletter
Posted on April 15, 2009The fourth edition of the Crack the Disparity Coalition's quarterly e-newsletter highlights numerous activities going on during April – Crack the Disparity Month of Advocacy. The newsletter features various tools citizens can use to lobby for sentencing reform, including talking points for Lobby Day on April 28, and telephone scripts to assist advocates in calling congressional members on National Call-in Day scheduled for April 23...
Read News: New Findings: Sharp Decline in Black Incarceration for Drug Offenses
Posted on April 14, 2009For the first time in 25 years, since the inception of the "war on drugs," the number of African Americans incarcerated in state prisons for drug offenses has declined substantially, according to a study released today by The Sentencing Project...
Read Advocacy Material: Justice Integrity Act of 2009 (H.R. 1412 & S 495)
Posted on April 10, 2009Minority populations comprise two-thirds of persons convicted of offenses in federal courts and nearly three-quarters of federal prisoners are either black or Hispanic. While there is a strong perception that there exists elements within the criminal justice system that exacerbates this disparity, the federal government has yet to study the truth of such accusations...
Read News: 25 TO LIFE FOR 0.03 GRAMS OF METHAMPHETAMINE
Posted on April 10, 2009In 2000, Ali Forutan was convicted of possession of methamphetamine and misuse of an access card without the consent of the cardholder. The latter conviction was reversed by an appellate court, but the conviction for felony possession of 0.03 grams of methamphetamine (equivalent to three one-hundredths of a sugar packet) was sustained...
Read News: Teens locked up for life without a second chance
Posted on April 08, 2009Approximately 2,000 offenders are serving sentences of life without parole crimes committed when they were juveniles. CNN examines many of these cases and reports that in 73 instances, the offenders were 13 or 14 years old. The Sentencing Project's Ashley Nellis is quoted as saying, "Children aren't just little adults, and it's starting to resonate with people...
Read News: The Sentencing Project Publishes New Report Assessing Impact of Drug Courts
Posted on April 02, 2009The Sentencing Project is pleased to announce the publication of a new report, Drug Courts: A Review of the Evidence, that assesses the impact of the drug court movement. Since their introduction in 1989, drug courts have received a significant amount of attention by practitioners, policymakers, and the general public...
Read News: New Prison and Jail Figures Show Record Incarceration, Bureau of Justice Statistics Reports
Posted on April 01, 2009The U.S. prison and jail population has reached a record high exceeding 2.3 million people, according to a new report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. An analysis of the new data by The Sentencing Project finds broad variation in incarceration trends throughout the nation...
Read News: SENATOR WEBB TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION FOR NATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMISSION
Posted on March 26, 2009Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) will introduce today the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009, a bill to establish a blue-ribbon commission charged with undertaking a 'top-to-bottom review of the entire criminal justice system' and offering recommendations for reform, according to the Virginian Pilot...
Read Advocacy Material: The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2009
Posted on March 24, 2009The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2009 (S.678) was introduced today by Senators Leahy (D-VT), Kohl (D-WI), Specter (R-PA), and Durbin (D-IL). This bill strengthens the JJDPA in several important ways, including providing concrete guidance and support to states in their work toward reducing minority overrepresentation in the juvenile justice system...
Read Publication: House Crack Cocaine Legislation
Posted on March 24, 2009A comparison of the current law against three House Bills introduced to reform sentencing policy on crack cocaine. One of these bills lowers the quantities for powder cocaine that trigger mandatory minimum sentences, making them equal to the current quantities of crack cocaine...
Read News: The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2009 (S.678)
Posted on March 24, 2009The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2009 (S.678) was introduced today by Senators Leahy (D-VT), Kohl (D-WI), Specter (R-PA), and Durbin (D-IL). This bill strengthens the JJDPA in several important ways, including providing concrete guidance and support to states in their work toward reducing minority overrepresentation in the juvenile justice system...
Read News: To Save Money on Prisons, States Take a Softer Stance
Posted on March 18, 2009In attempts to manage state budgets, policy makers and criminal justice officials nationwide are looking at cost-cutting measures that include alternatives to incarceration. The Sentencing Project's Ryan S. King was quoted in USA Today as saying: "It's clear that locking up hundreds of thousands of people does not guarantee public safety … State governments operated on the principle that if you built it, they would come...
Read News: Marc Mauer Receives Award for Outstanding Contributions to Sentencing Advocacy
Posted on March 17, 2009The National Association of Sentencing Advocates and Mitigation Specialists recently presented the Executive Director of The Sentencing Project, Marc Mauer, with the John Augustus Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Profession of Sentencing Advocacy...
Read News: CONGRESSMEN COHEN, CONYERS INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO STUDY RACIAL DISPARITIES IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
Posted on March 12, 2009Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (MI-14) this week, introduced the Justice Integrity Act, which will examine the causes of racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system and to develop proposals for reducing or eliminating unjustified disparities where found...
Read Advocacy Material: Women's Prison Association Releases Advocacy Resource
Posted on March 10, 2009The Women's Prison Association recently released, Women's Voices: Advocacy by Criminal Justice-Involved Women, a report that spotlights the efforts of women around the country who are rolling up their sleeves, using their voices, and working to reduce our nation's reliance on incarceration...
Read News: Legislative Lunch Briefing on Crack Cocaine Sentencing March 13
Posted on March 10, 2009On Friday, March 13, a legislative lunch briefing on crack cocaine sentencing will be hosted by the 'Crack the Disparity' Working Group of the Justice Roundtable at the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2237 from noon to 1:15. The 100-to-1 disparity between crack and powder cocaine harshly punishes low-level offenders and has a disparate impact on African Americans...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on March 06, 2009National: Bipartisan, Religious Support for Federal Disenfranchisement Reform Alabama: Lobbying Against Disenfranchisement Bill Posted Date:3/6/2009 3:15:06 PM
Read News: Rep. Robert "Bobby" Scott Hosts Crime Summit March 3
Posted on February 26, 2009The Honorable Robert "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Chair, House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Invites is hosting, "Smart on Crime Policies: Increase Public Safety, Reduce Costs, and Improve Lives." Tuesday, March 3, 2009, 2 to 5 p...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on February 24, 2009Washington: Voting Rights Legislation Receives Editorial, Police Support Maryland: Bill Proposes Eligibility Notification Upon Release from Prison Virginia/Kentucky: Disenfranchisement Reform Being Considered by Strictest States South Dakota: Election Officials’ Misunderstanding Disenfranchises Two Citizens Posted Date:2/24/2009 2:26:44 PM
Read News: The Sentencing Project Distributes Policy Priorities to the 111th Congress
Posted on February 23, 2009The Sentencing Project recently published and distributed to the 111th Congress a collection of information and analysis on federal criminal justice policies which provide an overview of nine policy priorities in criminal and juvenile justice reform that address issues of reentry, sentencing, racial disparity and crime prevention...
Read News: Budget Crunch Impacts Prison Time Served
Posted on February 19, 2009"The financial crisis is forcing probation and parole agencies to reduce or drop prison time for thousands of offenders who violate conditions of their release. The changes, adopted by at least five states last year and under consideration in several others, worry some criminal justice analysts who warn loosening the rules might lead to more crime … Budget shortfalls have ‘created an opportunity for greater considerations of alternatives to prison,' says Ryan King of The Sentencing Project...
Read News: California?s Crowded Prisons
Posted on February 17, 2009“A three-judge panel has tentatively ordered California to reduce the population of its desperately overcrowded prisons by as much as one-third, or as many as 55,000 prisoners, over the next three years. The ruling was an extreme step — but a necessary one...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on February 12, 2009Alabama: State Quickly Approaching Definition of ‘Moral Turpitude' Virginia: Bill Hurriedly Voted Down Mississippi: Modernization Much Needed Kentucky: Lobby Day Pays Off Wyoming: Waiting Period Remains Same for Disenfranchised Posted Date:2/12/2009 7:56:48 PM
Read News: Editorial In The Washington Post Supports Virginia Reform
Posted on February 11, 2009A bipartisan plan to address the growing prison population in Virginia by expanding early release provisions and drug treatment programs drew the support of the editorial board of The Washington Post. Citing reduced recidivism rates and cost savings resulting from recent reforms in Washington State that reduced sentences for certain persons, the editorial stated: “Releasing offenders early always carries political and real-life risks...
Read News: Editorial In The Washington Post Supports Virginia Reform
Posted on February 10, 2009A bipartisan plan to address the growing prison population in Virginia by expanding early release provisions and drug treatment programs drew the support of the editorial board of The Washington Post. Citing reduced recidivism rates and cost savings resulting from recent reforms in Washington State that reduced sentences for certain persons, the editorial stated: “Releasing offenders early always carries political and real-life risks...
Read News: A Need for Mercy
Posted on February 09, 2009A Washington Post editorial urges that President Obama not repeat former President Bush’s track record on presidential pardons – which included only 189 pardons and 11 commutations over two terms. Making mention of the crack cocaine sentencing disparity, the Post stated, “Mr...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on February 05, 2009Virginia: Disenfranchisement Bill Condensed, Compromised Arizona: Amicus Brief Questions ‘Poll Tax’ Washington: Lawmaker Takes a Stand for Reenfranchisement International: Iraqi Journalist Votes in Prison Posted Date:2/5/2009 6:39:20 PM
Read News: The Sentencing Project Releases New Report, The State of Sentencing 2008: Developments in Policy and Practice
Posted on February 04, 2009A new report by The Sentencing Project highlights 17 states that enacted sentencing and corrections reforms in 2008. The State of Sentencing 2008: Developments in Policy and Practice finds that a nationwide budget crisis coupled with widespread prison overcrowding has led many states to address critical challenges in the areas of sentencing, drug policy, parole revocation, racial justice, felony disenfranchisement, juvenile justice, and higher education in prison...
Read News: Nonviolent Inmates Could Get Out Early
Posted on February 03, 2009In an effort to save at least $50 million, Republican and Democratic Senate leaders are proposing to close up to two prisons, expand home monitoring programs and allow nonviolent offenders to more easily reenter society after completion of drug treatment programs...
Read Publication: The State of Sentencing 2008: Developments in Policy and Practice
Posted on February 03, 2009Finds that a nationwide budget crisis coupled with widespread prison overcrowding has led many states to address critical challenges in the areas of sentencing, drug policy, parole revocation, racial justice, felony disenfranchisement, juvenile justice, and higher education in prison...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on January 30, 2009California: Appeals Court Denies Claim That State Disenfranchisement Violates 14th Amendment Virginia: Lawmakers Working Toward Reform Together Posted Date:1/30/2009 5:38:28 PM
Read News: Oregon joins momentum, introduces racial impact bill
Posted on January 27, 2009Oregon Rep. Chip Shields (D) has introduced a racial impact bill that would require lawmakers to consider the potential racial or ethnic impact of proposed criminal justice legislation. The bill, HB 2352, would apply not only to legislation considered by the legislature, but also to ballot measures considered by voters...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on January 23, 2009Maine: NAACP to Hold Annual Voter Registration Drive in Maine Prisons Washington: State on Its Way to Easing Voting Process International: Inmates to Vote in Next Election Virginia: Disenfranchisement Undermines Democracy, Faith in Prison System Posted Date:1/23/2009 6:12:34 PM
Read News: Budget Woes Prompt States to Rethink Prison Policy
Posted on January 12, 2009“Their budgets in crisis, governors, legislators and prison officials across the nation are making or considering policy changes that will likely remove tens of thousands of offenders from prisons and parole supervision. Collectively, the pending and proposed initiatives could add up to one of biggest shifts ever in corrections policy, putting into place cost-saving reforms that have struggled to win political support in the tough-on-crime climate of recent decades...
Read News: Connecticut becomes second state in nation to enact racial impact rule
Posted on January 09, 2009On Thursday, the opening day of the 2009 General Assembly session, Connecticut’s House and Senate approved the creation of a new rule that would allow lawmakers to consider the potential racial or ethnic impact of proposed criminal justice legislation well before it becomes law...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on January 08, 2009Minnesota: Resident Unaware of Voting Rights Laws; Casts Illegal VoteAlabama: Attorney General Wants to Introduce Disenfranchising Bill Posted Date:1/8/2009 7:41:08 PM
Read News: ABA Magazine Highlights Racial Impact Statements
Posted on January 06, 2009Momentum is growing for improving racial justice in the criminal justice system. In an article in the current issue of the American Bar Association magazine, Criminal Justice, Marc Mauer describes changes taking place across the country. Posted Date:1/6/2009 8:55:02 PM
Read Publication: FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS FOR PEOPLE RETURNING FROM PRISON
Posted on January 05, 2009This fact sheet highlights Congress’s authority to restore federal voting rights to people returning from prison. 1 page Posted Date:1/5/2009 2:20:21 PM
Read News: Former, current chief justices urge president-elect Obama to address federal sentencing guidelines, prison racial disparity
Posted on January 05, 2009In a letter addressed to president-elect Obama and his transition team, Missouri Supreme Court Justice Michael A. Wolff and Oregon Chief Justice Paul J. De Muniz requested a “major change” in federal sentencing. “Sentencing in the United States affects the lives of millions of Americans, usually adversely,” they wrote...
Read Advocacy Material: Presidential Commutations Urged for Prisoners Serving Long Crack Cocaine Sentences
Posted on December 31, 2008As the holiday season approaches, and President George Bush's term comes to a close, a broad coalition of 29 civil rights, religious, academic and justice organizations have asked the president today to commute excessive sentences for low-level crack cocaine offenses...
Read News: NEW REPORT ON BLACK YOUTH HOMICIDES MISLEADING
Posted on December 31, 2008A new report by James Alan Fox and Marc Swatt of Northeastern University has generated a good deal of media attention with its finding that homicides involving black males 14-17 grew by 43% from 2002 to 2007. The findings have variously generated calls for enhanced policing, prevention services, and other responses...
Read News: Pardon more than the turkey
Posted on December 05, 2008"In his last days in office and with the 2008 election decided, President Bush can afford to be generous with a power with which he was been notoriously stingy - that is, the president's near-absolute authority to pardon ex-cons and commute the sentences of federal offenders...
Read News: DISENFRANCHISEMENT NEWS
Posted on November 20, 2008Alabama: Voting for the First Time in Almost 40 Years Florida: Editorial Supports Democracy for All Pennsylvania: Is Disenfranchising Voters Really the “Right Thing to Do?” Posted Date:11/20/2008 8:38:35 PM
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on November 14, 2008Kentucky: Formerly Disenfranchised Voters Chronicle their Election Day Experience International: Government is Warned that Inmate Voting Must Be Allowed Florida: Voting for the First time in at Least 30 YearsNational: Familial Disenfranchisement Posted Date:11/14/2008 6:54:42 PM
Read News: Applied Research Center Releases Agenda for Racial Justice in Cooperation with The Sentencing Project
Posted on November 12, 2008The Applied Research Center (ARC) has just released its Compact for Racial Justice: An Agenda for Fairness and Unity. This proactive agenda reviews the steps that led the U.S. to its current status, as well as the steps needed to arrive at racial fairness and unity...
Read News: Oregon Voters Reject Mandatory Minimum Ballot Measure
Posted on November 11, 2008Oregon voters rejected ballot measure 61 last week diverting a major increase in incarceration of non-violent offenders and prison construction in the state, according to advocacy organization, Partnership for Safety and Justice. At the same time, a separate measure, with a more balanced approach to addressing nonviolent crime, passed...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on November 10, 2008First Time Voters National: ‘Mass Confusion,’ Lawsuits Shadow Election Day 2009 Georgia: To Vote, or Not to Vote Oklahoma: Legislator Supports Vote Restoration California: Report Says Felony Disenfranchisement ‘Single Greatest Factor Excluding People of Color’ Posted Date:11/10/2008 10:00:44 PM
Read Publication: CRIMINAL JUSTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEW ADMINISTRATION AND CONGRESS
Posted on November 07, 2008The 2009 Criminal Justice Transition Coalition’s collaborative report identifying critical needs for federal policy reform for President-elect Barack Obama's agenda. 263 pages Posted Date:11/7/2008 10:42:30 AM
Read News: Juvenile Justice Advocates Offer Obama Transition Team Suggestions for Next Administration
Posted on November 07, 2008The ABA hosted a gathering of juvenile justice advocates Thursday to offer suggestions to the Obama transition team for the next administration. The Sentencing Project’s Research Analyst, Ashley Nellis, presented three issues that The Sentencing Project feels need immediate attention from the incoming administration: Strengthen the focus on reducing racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system; dedicate more time and resources to exploring and advancing what works (and what doesn’t) in juvenile justice; and invest in evidence-based and community-oriented services and initiatives that support healthy family and community reintegration upon youth’s release from custody...
Read News: Crack cocaine disparity prioritized in President-elect Barack Obama?s transition agenda
Posted on November 06, 2008President-elect Barack Obama Wednesday unveiled a new Web site, www.change.gov, which highlights the incoming administration's policy priorities. Among the top civil rights priorities will be the complete elimination of crack cocaine sentencing disparities...
Read News: Voting Rights Restored
Posted on November 05, 2008Michael Hargrett cast his vote Tuesday – his first vote in several years after moving from Illinois where his rights were restored after having been incarcerated, to Florida, where they were revoked due to his former record. After missing several elections and working with the Florida ACLU, Hargrett’s rights were restored and he made it to the polls on Election Day with pride...
Read News: Records of Obama and McCain as Lawmakers Reflect Differences on Crime
Posted on November 01, 2008The criminal justice stances of presidential candidates Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama differ greatly according to the New York Times. Another point of view, noted by "Lives in Focus,” states that the candidates' views are vague...
Read News: Proposition 5: The Most Threatening (to the Prison Industrial Complex)
Posted on October 31, 2008California’s Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act, known as Proposition 5 on the state’s upcoming election ballot, is an effort to reduce prison sentences and provide drug rehabilitation to offenders in need of assistance. According to an L...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on October 24, 2008Maine & Vermont: Voting Interest Up in Prison Facilities Illinois: SomeState Employees Well Versed on Voting Rights Laws, Some Not Kansas: Voter Registration Ends on Positive Note National: Broadcasters Pay Attention to Disenfranchisement Maryland: Press Conference to Spotlight Unlawful Cancellation of Registration Applications; Voting Leads to Community Connection, Empowerment Iowa: Voting Rights Law is “Simple”Ohio: Secretary of State Backs Voter Education for Individuals with Felony Convictions Florida: Restoration Change Still Doesn’t Fix the Problem Alabama: NAACP Settles Voting Rights Case, Allows Inmate Voter Education to Continue California: ACLU Voter Education Campaign will be Mainstay for Future Campaigns Posted Date:10/24/2008 6:51:27 PM
Read News: Brookings Institution Quarterly Journal Highlights Juvenile Justice
Posted on October 22, 2008On October 15, the Brookings Institution held a forum to accompany the release of its quarterly journal, The Future of Children, produced as a joint enterprise with Princeton University. This issue focused exclusively on juvenile justice. In attendance at the event were about 150 advocates, researchers, practitioners, and government agency representatives...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on October 20, 2008Virginia: The Law ‘Stinks’ National: Voting rights confusion, education, history California: Accessible Resources at Prisons for Families, Inmates Georgia: Those yet to be Sentenced Can Vote Alabama: Several Voting Rights Suits Challenge Constitution, Political Party, Antiquated Law Tennessee: State Reports Increase in Registration of Individuals with Felony Convictions New York: Voting Rights Must Not Be Denied; State Officials Must be Educated to Educate Others Posted Date:10/20/2008 8:08:46 PM
Read News: Marc Mauer Participates in Sen. Jim Webb's Justice Symposium, ?Drugs in America: Trafficking, Policy, & Sentencing?
Posted on October 17, 2008Executive Director Marc Mauer participated in a panel discussion hosted by Senator Jim Webb and the George Mason University Administration of Justice on Wednesday, October 15th in Arlington, VA. The panel, moderated by Senator Webb, was titled “What’s Happening to Users...
Read News: Support Youth, Reduce Crime
Posted on October 16, 2008Marc Mauer reacts to recent Washington Post article about claims of rising juvenile violent crime in D.C. Posted Date:10/16/2008 6:16:51 PM
Read News: Illinois Governor Signs Racial Impact Legislation
Posted on October 10, 2008Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed legislation this week to create a state commission to study the impact of the state’s drug laws on minority communities. This legislation is linked to the findings of a 2007 study that showed African Americans in Illinois were nine times more likely to be incarcerated than whites, ranking Illinois 14th highest in the nation in racial disparity...
Read Publication: Sentencing Times
Posted on October 09, 2008The Sentencing Project's achievements in research and analysis, and strides towards policy reform are featured in our latest fall newsletter, Sentencing Times. Posted Date:10/9/2008 12:27:55 PM
Read News: Sentencing Times highlights this year's advances in criminal justice reform
Posted on October 09, 2008The Sentencing Project's achievements in research and analysis, and strides towards policy reform are featured in our latest fall newsletter, Sentencing Times. Articles featured include: · U...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on October 07, 2008Last minute registration efforts Inmate voting Alabama: Registration Suit Ensues National: Sen. Feingold introduces federal voting rights legislation National: The Sentencing Project, ACLU, Brennan Center for Justice Publish Disenfranchisement Reports National: Reader’s Digest ‘Rocks the Vote’ Florida: State fails to restore rights accurately Illinois: For the Record, They Can Vote New Jersey: Voting is a Must Virginia: Governor Believes in Vote Restoration Maryland: State Attorney Agrees with Year-old Reenfranchisement Law Oklahoma: Confusing Law Keeps Individuals Away from Polls Posted Date:10/7/2008 1:52:02 PM
Read News: MAUER ADDRESSES ANNUAL CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS EVENT
Posted on October 01, 2008Executive Director Marc Mauer participated in a panel discussion at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference on Friday, September 26th in Washington, DC. The session, sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers, was titled “The Challenges of Criminal Justice Reform Under a New Administration: Juvenile Justice, Gun Violence and Police Accountability...
Read News: The Sentencing Project Publishes Racial Disparity Manual for Practioners, Policymakers
Posted on September 25, 2008The Sentencing Project has just published a new edition of “Reducing Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System,” a comprehensive manual for practitioners and policymakers. The publication provides insight into how racial disparities develop in the criminal justice system, and workable solutions to address and reduce disparities...
Read Feature: DOROTHY GAINES
Posted on September 25, 2008Former nurse Dorothy Gaines lived a simple life in Mobile, Alabama. She was a devoted mother who never separated from her children. She was a self-proclaimed PTA mom and always brought snacks to the football field where her son played on the team, and her daughter was a cheerleader...
Read News: Philadelphia's record on juvenile lifers put under scrutiny
Posted on September 23, 2008The Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing Monday in light of the fact that the Commonwealth leads the nation in the number of juveniles sentenced to life without parole. The panel of those giving testimony included The Sentencing Project’s Research Analyst, Ashley Nellis and, via satellite, two adult men who have been incarcerated since they were 14 years old...
Read News: New Prisons Seldom A Lock On Prosperity
Posted on September 22, 2008"Prisons have become a growth industry in rural America, where communities suffering from decades of decline in farming, mining and manufacturing jobs are grateful for solid employment opportunities. Although many state and local officials boast about the positive impact prisons have on their host counties, public policy analysts and criminal justice experts argue that other than creating jobs, correctional institutions do little to boost local economies...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on September 19, 2008Alabama: Inmate Voter Registration Efforts Halted National: Disenfranchisement Gets National Attention, Gains Momentum Mississippi: Lawsuit Demands Right to Vote South Carolina: Elections Officials in Need of More Training Oklahoma: Election Board Passing on Faulty Information, ACLU Survey Documents Tennessee: Excitement About Election, Elections Officials See Registration Increase Florida: Statewide Ad Campaign Targets Individuals with Felony Offenses Virginia: Increase in Vote Restoration Posted Date:9/19/2008 9:09:07 PM
Read News: FBI REPORT INDICATES DECLINE IN VIOLENT CRIME
Posted on September 16, 2008A new report released by the FBI indicates that violent crime in the U.S. declined slightly in 2007, after small increases in the previous two years. Overall, crime rates have declined significantly since the early 1990s. Marc Mauer of The Sentencing Project stated that, “We’ve learned that variations in crime rates by city or region are often a function of local circumstances that should be addressed through targeted initiatives...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on September 12, 2008New York: Voting Rights Education Hits the Road Nevada: Automatically Eligible, but You Have to Know the Rules North Carolina: Campaigning off the Beaten Path Tennessee: NAACP Offers Restoration Assistance Posted Date:9/12/2008 1:51:30 PM
Read News: Overcharged
Posted on September 08, 2008“Paying a debt to society now means more than doing time. In addition to prison sentences or alternatives to incarceration such as drug programs, fees and surcharges are being imposed on criminal offenders throughout the country. In some states, offender-based revenues start to accumulate upon arrest, without a wait for conviction...
Read Publication: Letter to U.S. Sentencing Commission Recommending Future Priorities
Posted on September 05, 2008Comments to the United States Sentencing Commission regarding priorities for the Commission's focus for 2008-09. 5 pages Posted Date:9/5/2008 3:48:41 PM
Read News: The Sentencing Project Submits Letter to U.S. Sentencing Commission Recommending Future Priorities
Posted on September 05, 2008The Sentencing Project has submitted comments to the United States Sentencing Commission regarding priorities for the Commission’s focus for 2008-09. The letter recommends that the Commission address the following: continue to work with Congress to promote reform of crack cocaine sentences; engage in a comprehensive assessment of the effects of mandatory minimum sentencing in the federal courts; pursue consideration of expanded options for alternatives to incarceration; and, follow the lead of states such as Iowa, Connecticut, and Minnesota in establishing policies to forecast the racial impact of proposed policy changes...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on September 04, 2008Florida: Executive Order Aimed to Speed Up Process New York: Personal Fulfillment Includes the Right to Vote Michigan: Attempting to Correct False Information Wisconsin: State Representative Thinks Law Should Change - for the Better National: Voter Awareness Program Unveiled; Research Offers Judges' Views on Collateral Consequences National: New York Review of Books Features Disenfranchisement Publication Posted Date:9/4/2008 6:26:13 PM
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on August 28, 2008Florida: ‘Bureaucratic Shuffle’ Disappointing Virginia: Officials Working to Restore Rights of Hundreds by September Kentucky: Advocates Mobilize for 11 Weeks of Registration, Education Alabama: No Advocate in Attorney General National: BET Documentary on Disenfranchisement Airs Friday, Sunday Pennsylvania: 'Felons Can Vote' Sign at Campaign Headquarters Causes Minor Stir Posted Date:8/28/2008 8:02:34 PM
Read News: Government estimates nearly 810,000 inmates in U.S. prisons were parents to more than 1.7 million minor children at midyear 2007
Posted on August 27, 2008An estimated 809,800 prisoners of the 1,518,535 held in the nation's prisons at midyear 2007 were parents of minor children, according to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Fifty-two percent of state inmates and 63 percent of federal inmates reported having an estimated 1,706,600 minor children...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on August 22, 2008Alabama: Moral Turpitude ‘Vastly Inferior’ California: County Jail Inmates Educated About their Right to Vote in Upcoming Election Indiana: Advocacy Organization to Recruit 500 Volunteers to Register Voters Florida: Committee Supports Restoration While Commission Continues to Experience Backlog Illinois: ‘Myth’ Misinforms too Many Posted Date:8/22/2008 3:06:29 PM
Read News: Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment Hears Testimony From Advocates, Attorneys
Posted on August 21, 2008On August 19th, Marc Mauer, Executive Director of The Sentencing Project, testified before the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment, created by Governor Martin O’Malley in 2008 to study all aspects of the death penalty in Maryland. The 23-member Commission is chaired by former United States Attorney General (1979-1981), Benjamin Civiletti...
Read News: Marc Mauer, Executive Director of The Sentencing Project, Receives Volunteers of America Maud Booth Correctional Services Award
Posted on August 19, 2008Early prison reformer Maud Booth campaigned against abuses in the prison system before the turn of the 20th century when the U.S. made use of the ball and chain, prison stripes and the indiscriminate use of solitary confinement. From 1896 to Booth’s death in 1948, the Volunteers of America cofounder worked tirelessly – and successfully – at prison reform...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on August 14, 2008National: “New Constituency” Targeted as Election Day ApproachesFlorida: Automatic Restoration is in the Governor's HandsNevada: More Difficulty Ahead Posted Date:8/14/2008 3:55:15 PM
Read News: In Ohio, Inmate Mothers Care For Babies In Prison
Posted on August 13, 2008NPR’s “Morning Edition” is airing a three-part series examining the composition of the expanding U.S. prison population. Today’s segment featured the Ohio Reformatory for Women, where a dozen babies spend time with their incarcerated mothers – part of a program that enables incarcerated mothers to raise their children in their cells...
Read News: For Those Once Behind Bars, A Nudge to the Voting Booth
Posted on August 11, 2008Florida civil rights lawyer Reggie Mitchell, Alabama activist Rev. Kenneth Glasgow and the advocacy efforts of various other grass-roots groups around the nation are trying to register tens of thousands of newly eligible citizens with felony convictions for the upcoming election...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on August 07, 2008Virginia: “There is Some Hope” Kentucky: Governor’s Move to Restore Rights “Makes Every Kind of Sense”Tennessee: Voting While (Unknowingly) Disenfranchised Pennsylvania: Preventing Disenfranchisement National: Punishment Versus Basic Rights Florida: Continue Momentum, Disband Disenfranchisement Alabama: Father, Son Disagree on Disenfranchisement Policy in Op-ed Posted Date:8/7/2008 6:27:50 PM
Read News: Racial Fairness Gaining Ground in the Justice System
Posted on July 30, 2008Commenting on the recent introduction of the bipartisan Justice Integrity Act which addresses unwarranted racial disparity within the federal criminal justice system, The Sentencing Project’s Executive Director Marc Mauer points out in a Baltimore Sun commentary the state and federal momentum to address these issues...
Read Publication: Facts About Prison and Prisoners
Posted on July 29, 2008Fact sheet on the growing number of incarcerated persons in federal and state prisons with details on race, gender, substance abuse and crime offenses. 1 page Posted Date:7/29/2008 12:59:43 PM
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on July 24, 2008Alabama: ACLU Files Lawsuit Challenging Crimes of Moral Turpitude, Restitution Requirement Florida: Make a “Simple Fix” Virginia: Collateral Consequences Unfair, Unnecessary North Carolina: Community Groups Get Out The Vote Posted Date:7/24/2008 10:12:57 PM
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on July 18, 2008Louisiana: Bill Requiring Voting Rights Notification Gets Thumbs Up from Local ACLU Posted Date:7/18/2008 4:14:07 PM
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on July 11, 2008Tennessee: Changing Attitudes, Lawsuit May Increase Number of Voters Come November Florida: Clock Running Down for Eligible Formerly Incarcerated Individuals to Register to Vote Louisiana: New Law Requires State to Notify Individuals of Voter StatusVirginia: Citizens’ Voting Rights Turns Political Delaware: House Bill Defines Completion of Sentence as Having Paid Restitution National: Formerly Incarcerated Individuals Need Voting Rights to Speak up for their Issues Posted Date:7/11/2008 8:15:43 PM
Read News: Communities Pay for High Prison Rate
Posted on July 10, 2008“In South Mountain, a district in south Phoenix, more than 3,800 residents are displaced, serving time in prison or the county jail. For every 100 adults, 6.1 are behind bars. That's more than five times the national average of 1.09 per 100 … Arizona has the fastest-growing prison population of the Western states, having increased 5...
Read News: Drug Courts: A Better Mousetrap?
Posted on July 08, 2008Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour signed a bill into law this year to “restore common sense to sentencing in the criminal courts” and relaxing sentencing guidelines. As a result, approximately 7,000 incarcerated individuals were eligible for parole...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on July 03, 2008Michigan: Officials’ Misunderstanding Leads to Misinformed, Nonvoting Citizens Tennessee: Lawsuit Aims to Strike Down “Poll Tax,” Restore Rights National: “Illogical System” in Florida In Need of “Complete Overhaul” Posted Date:7/3/2008 3:04:59 PM
Read Feature: Theresa McIntyre Smith
Posted on July 01, 2008“I raised four daughters – three of them are college graduates and you think I have time to sell drugs? I don’t think so,” – Theresa McIntyre Smith Theresa McIntyre Smith had never been in trouble with the law. College educated, pursuing a degree in criminal justice, Theresa worked for many years in the airline industry, eventually becoming a flight attendant...
Read News: PBS Broadcasts "Election Day" Documentary Featuring Disenfranchisement
Posted on June 30, 2008On PBS tomorrow at 10 p.m., POV will broadcast "Election Day," a film by Katy Chevigny that combines 11 stories - shot simultaneously on November 2, 2004, from dawn until long past midnight - into one. A segment of the documentary highlights felon disenfranchisement with formerly incarcerated New York City resident Leon Batts who just regained his right to vote...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on June 27, 2008Virginia: Governor Receptive to Disenfranchisement Reform for those Charged with Non-violent Offenses Florida: To the Governor, Congrats … and Continue On Massachusetts: Voting Not a “Privilege for the Virtuous” Posted Date:6/27/2008 1:36:19 PM
Read News: Do More Prisoners Equal Less Crime?
Posted on June 26, 2008In a recent syndicated column ("More Prisons, Less Crime"), commentator George Will argues that the world record incarceration rate in the United States has produced safer streets and has been beneficial in particular to African Americans, who are disproportionately victims of crime...
Read News: States Act to Reduce Racial Disparities in Prisons and Jails
Posted on June 25, 2008Following the lead of Iowa and Wisconsin, Connecticut, this month, has become the third state since April to implement policy changes to address the rising rate of racial and ethnic disparity among the jail and prison population. Posted Date:6/25/2008 3:07:48 PM
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on June 20, 2008Florida: Finally, “Sub Group” of Potential Voters Getting Attention Virginia: Governor, Advocates Play ‘Beat the Clock’ to Register Former Offenders Posted Date:6/20/2008 5:49:57 PM
Read Advocacy Material: Crack the Disparity Newsletter Released by Coalition of Advocates
Posted on June 19, 2008The Sentencing Project has participated in the release of the inaugural edition of the Crack the Disparity Coalition's quarterly e-newsletter. The coalition unveils this publication on an important day, the 22nd anniversary of Len Bias' death - a young man at the apex of a promising basketball career, whose drug overdose fueled the passage of the harsh sentencing laws this coalition seeks to change...
Read News: Crack the Disparity Newsletter Released by Coalition of Advocates
Posted on June 19, 2008The Sentencing Project has participated in the release of the inaugural edition of the Crack the Disparity Coalition's quarterly e-newsletter. The coalition unveils this publication on an important day, the 22nd anniversary of Len Bias' death - a young man at the apex of a promising basketball career, whose drug overdose fueled the passage of the harsh sentencing laws this coalition seeks to change...
Read News: Sen. Webb to Lead Joint Economic Hearing on Drug Policy Thursday
Posted on June 18, 2008Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) will convene a hearing of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Thursday to examine the economic consequences of United States' drug policy at 10 a.m. at 106 Dirksen Senate Office Building. The hearing entitled, "Illegal Drugs: Economic Impact, Societal Costs, Policy Responses," will explore the illegal drug economy in the United States, assess the costs of U...
Read Feature: Willie Mays Aikens
Posted on June 17, 2008Willie Mays Aikens, former first baseman for the Kansas City Royals, made baseball history when he became the first player to have a pair of two-homer games in the 1980 World Series. Years later he made another kind of history when a longstanding addiction to cocaine ended his baseball career and ultimately led to a nearly 21-year sentence for selling crack cocaine to an undercover officer...
Read Publication: Relief from the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Conviction: A State-By-State Resource Guide
Posted on June 16, 2008A collection of individual state documents that can be downloaded; includes state law regarding loss of rights due to a felony conviction, process of restoration, pardon/expungement information, and contact information of corresponding agencies. (documents updated as developments warrant) Posted Date:6/16/2008 11:26:49 AM
Read News: Report Finds Racial Disparities in the Severity of Punishment
Posted on June 15, 2008"We are generating more violence and criminality in our effort to interrupt it," said Douglas W. Nelson, president and chief executive of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which just released its annual “Kids Count” study. The study found the nation's juvenile justice system doles out harsher punishment to black and Latino youths, locks up thousands of children for relatively minor offenses and ultimately makes them more dangerous...
Read News: Nineteenth Annual "Kids Count Data Book" Released
Posted on June 12, 2008The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 19th annual Kids Count Data Book is now available. The annual Data Book is a national and state-by-state profile of the well-being of America’s children that seeks to enrich discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all kids...
Read News: Lessons learned: From prison in R.I. to Yale
Posted on June 11, 2008Andres Idarraga has been accepted to Yale Law School – ten years after the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institution accepted him into its system for a cocaine conviction. Idarraga, who graduated this year from Brown University, has since become a prominent advocate for restoring the right to vote to thousands of persons disenfranchised in Rhode Island because of a felony conviction...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on June 05, 2008Ghana: Ensuring Inmates Are Able to Exercise Existing Voting Rights Puerto Rico: Incarcerated and Politically Active Mississippi: Individual Re-enfranchisement Bills Must be Sought for Each Citizen National: National Black Police Association Supports Automatic Vote Restoration with Resolution West Virginia: Why Not? Posted Date:6/5/2008 5:19:37 PM
Read News: Former Royal Willie Mays Aikens to be Released from Prison Today
Posted on June 04, 2008"I've always had hope something would happen with my case," said Willie Mays Aikens, former Kansas City Royals first baseman. Aikens is schedudled to be released from prison today after having requested a reduced sentenced under the newly enacted retroactive crack cocaine sentencing guidelines adopted by the U...
Read Advocacy Material: Cracking Open
Posted on June 02, 2008"Michael Short knows he was wrong to sell crack cocaine, but he questions whether he needed 15 years in prison to learn his lesson. Now some of the politicians who helped put him there are wondering, too." Posted Date: 6/2/2008 4:36:06 PM
Read News: Cracking Open
Posted on June 02, 2008"Michael Short knows he was wrong to sell crack cocaine, but he questions whether he needed 15 years in prison to learn his lesson. Now some of the politicians who helped put him there are wondering, too." Posted Date:6/2/2008 4:44:21 PM
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on May 30, 2008Georgia: A Dire Need to Define Crimes of Moral Turpitude Alabama: Rev. Kenneth Glasgow Honored for Restoration Work Virginia: Expedited Process Motivates Churches to Join Restoration Effort National: Federal Reform Bill Gets Support Before its Introduction Posted Date:5/30/2008 3:36:30 PM
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on May 22, 2008Virginia: Cumbersome, ‘Horrible,’ and in Need of ReformKentucky: Left Out of History – Again Posted Date:5/22/2008 9:44:03 PM
Read News: A Second Chance
Posted on May 20, 2008The New York Times editorial board encouraged Congress to appropriate the promised dollars toward the Second Chance Act, which was signed last month by President George W. Bush. The editorial points to successful parole-based, re-entry efforts in Texas, Illinois, and Kansas, which include drug treatment and rehabilitation services, and job training and placement...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on May 15, 2008National: The Association of Paroling Authorities International Approves of Re-enfranchisement Posted Date:5/15/2008 3:53:01 PM
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on May 08, 2008National: ‘What If’ Disenfranchisement Was No More? Tennessee: Arrest for Voting Further Disenfranchises Woman Massachusetts: ‘The More We Imprison, the Less We Vote’ Posted Date:5/8/2008 5:12:57 PM
Read News: U.S. Prison Policy Needs Reform
Posted on May 06, 2008Citing that the United States currently accounts for approximately 25% of the global prison population, an article on Forbes.com lists various reasons why the U.S. has a high incarceration rate which includes "tough" federal and state sentencing guidelines...
Read Publication: Disparity By Geography: The War on Drugs in America's Cities
Posted on May 05, 2008Documents the growth in drug arrests at the city-level between 1980 and 2003 and the role of the "war on drugs" in expanding racial disparity in the criminal justice system. The extreme variations in arrest rates among cities raise critical questions about the effect of local policy decisions, not overall drug use rates, in driving law enforcement patterns...
Read News: ?Drug War? Unjust to African Americans: Two Reports Detail Racial Disparity in Arrests and Imprisonment
Posted on May 05, 2008The Sentencing Project’s newest study, Disparity by Geography: The War on Drugs in America’s Cities, is the first city-level analysis of drug arrests, examining data from 43 of the nation’s largest cities between 1980-2003. The study found that since 1980, the rate of drug arrests in American cities for African Americans increased by 225%, compared to 70% among whites...
Read News: Fixing our criminal sentencing system
Posted on April 28, 2008Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has earmarked $1.4 billion in the proposed 2009 budget for the sheriffs' departments and the Department of Correction – the bulk of it going toward incarceration, according a Boston Globe op-ed by David W. White Jr...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on April 25, 2008Pennsylvania: Voter Education Still Necessary on 8-year-old Reform North Carolina: "Proud to Vote"Virginia: Legislators, Community Gather to Discuss Right to Vote National: Disenfranchisement Reform in Need of More Advocacy Posted Date:4/25/2008 3:26:06 PM
Read News: Inmate Count in U.S. Dwarfs Other Nations
Posted on April 24, 2008In the New York Times’ continuing series addressing America’s “unique” justice system a new article states that U.S. sentencing practices are harsher than most other countries. The Times reported: “the United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population...
Read News: Representative Miller (D-CA) Introduces Bill to Eliminate Abuse and Neglect in Private Residential Treatment Centers for Youth
Posted on April 24, 2008The House Committee on Education and Labor held a full committee hearing today to discuss claims of abuse and misleading advertising by private residential treatment centers around the nation. In the second hearing on the topic in the past 6 months, members heard from the Government Accountability Office about misleading statements made to parents by treatment center staff about curriculum, diet, health insurance coverage, and accessibility to their children while housed at the center...
Read Advocacy Material: President Bush Signs Second Chance Bill
Posted on April 18, 2008President George W. Bush today signed into law the Second Chance Act of 2007 – legislation inspired by his 2004 State of the Union address – which authorizes $362 million to expand assistance for people currently incarcerated, those returning to their communities after incarceration, and children with parents in prison...
Read Publication: INCARCERATION LIMITED AS A CRIME CONTROL STRATEGY
Posted on April 18, 2008In an opinion piece published in the annual report of the Open Society Foundation of South Africa, Marc Mauer cautions policymakers to avoid the U.S. model of massive prison expansion as a means of coping with the nation’s crime problem. 1 page Posted Date:4/2/2008 4:00:00 PM
Read News: Iowa Governor Signs Nation's First Racial Impact Sentencing Bill
Posted on April 18, 2008Less than one year after a national report found Iowa prisons and jails maintain the highest rate of racial disparity in the nation, Governor Chet Culver today signed legislation requiring examination of the racial and ethnic impact of all new sentencing laws prior to passage...
Read Publication: Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in The United States
Posted on April 01, 2008Overview of felony disenfranchisement policy and implications, includes state-by-state table illustrating the categories of persons disenfranchised due to a felony conviction. 3 pages Posted Date:4/1/2008 1:13:05 PM
Read Advocacy Material: Iowa House Approves Examination of Racial/Ethnic Impact of Sentencing Changes
Posted on March 27, 2008By a 99-0 vote, Iowa’s House passed legislation that requires lawmakers to review, prior to approval, the effect new sentencing policies may have on minority communities. The Des Moines Register credits a report by The Sentencing Project, which found Iowa incarcerates blacks at a rate 13 times that of whites, for helping instigate the legislative response...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on March 27, 2008Kentucky: Easing Disenfranchisement Barriers Florida: Minority Vote Sought After, More Support for Ex-Felons’ Rights Mississippi: Legislature Compromises, Moves toward Felony Re-enfranchisement Posted Date:3/27/2008 8:17:03 PM
Read News: Iowa House Approves Examination of Racial/Ethnic Impact of Sentencing Changes
Posted on March 26, 2008By a 99-0 vote, Iowa’s House passed legislation that requires lawmakers to review, prior to approval, the effect new sentencing policies may have on minority communities. The Des Moines Register credits a report by The Sentencing Project, which found Iowa incarcerates blacks at a rate 13 times that of whites, for helping instigate the legislative response...
Read News: 2008 Presidential Candidates? Platforms on Criminal Justice
Posted on March 24, 2008The Sentencing Project is pleased to publish a guide to the 2008 Presidential Candidates’ Platforms on Criminal Justice. This guide provides information on a range of key criminal justice issues, including sentencing policy, reentry, death penalty, and felony disenfranchisement...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on March 20, 2008Mississippi: Elections Chair Works for Restoration, but with Caveats National: Disenfranchisement on National Public Radio National: Legal Challenges and Overview Posted Date:3/20/2008 4:04:58 PM
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on March 14, 2008Florida: Advocate “Does Right Thing,” Makes Dent in DisenfranchisementKentucky: Editorial Sides with Governor, Rights of Formerly Incarcerated Individuals Posted Date:3/14/2008 7:18:28 PM
Read Advocacy Material: Senate Passes Second Chance Bill
Posted on March 12, 2008The Senate passed the Second Chance Act of 2007 late Tuesday, which will ease the re-entry process for individuals leaving prison by providing funding for prisoner mentoring programs, job training and rehabilitative treatment. The legislation, introduced in the Senate by Sens...
Read News: Senate Passes Second Chance Legislation
Posted on March 12, 2008The Senate passed the Second Chance Act of 2007 late Tuesday, which will ease the re-entry process for individuals leaving prison by providing funding for prisoner mentoring programs, job training and rehabilitative treatment. The legislation, introduced in the Senate by Sens...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on March 07, 2008Mississippi: Secretary of State Moves to Disenfranchise More Voters Kentucky: Governor Removes Some Disenfranchisement Barriers International: U.N. Body Recommends U.S. Restore Voting Rights National: Rate of Disenfranchisement Higher for African-American Women National: ACLU Aims to Help with ‘Toolkit’ National: U...
Read Publication: Felony Disenfranchisement Rates for Women
Posted on March 06, 2008Briefing sheet providing estimates of national rates of disenfranchisement for women. 3 pages Posted Date:3/6/2008 5:11:44 PM
Read Advocacy Material: Video: People Impacted by Unfair Sentencing Speak Out
Posted on March 05, 2008The ACLU has compiled footage from a press conference held in February in which people impacted by the crack cocaine sentencing law spoke about the harm caused by the harsh mandatory minimums for crack cocaine, and why Congress should advance reform. Reps...
Read News: Video: People Impacted by Unfair Sentencing Speak Out
Posted on March 05, 2008The ACLU has compiled footage from a press conference held in February in which people impacted by the crack cocaine sentencing law spoke about the harm caused by the harsh mandatory minimums for crack cocaine, and why Congress should advance reform. Reps...
Read Advocacy Material: U.S. Sentencing Commission Decision Takes Effect Today
Posted on March 03, 2008Three months after the U.S. Sentencing Commission voted unanimously to apply adjustments to the sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine offenses retroactively, sentencing reductions for eligible prisoners begin today. The Commission estimates that 19,500 persons in prison are eligible to apply for a sentence reduction expected to average just over two years...
Read News: U.S. Sentencing Commission Decision Takes Effect Today
Posted on March 03, 2008Three months after the U.S. Sentencing Commission voted unanimously to apply adjustments to the sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine offenses retroactively, sentencing reductions for eligible prisoners begin today. The Commission estimates that 19,500 persons in prison are eligible to apply for a sentence reduction expected to average just over two years...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on February 29, 2008Tennessee: ACLU Challenges State’s Disenfranchising “Poll Tax” Law Posted Date:2/29/2008 7:40:50 PM
Read Advocacy Material: Impacted People Speak Out on Crack Sentencing Law, Lobby for Reform
Posted on February 27, 2008Fifty community leaders from around the country descended on Washington on Tuesday to call for reform of crack cocaine sentencing laws before the House Judiciary's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security and urge their representatives in Congress to push through reform legislation this year...
Read News: People Impacted by Crack Sentencing Law Speak Out, Lobby for Reform
Posted on February 27, 2008Fifty community leaders from around the country descended on Washington on Tuesday to call for reform of crack cocaine sentencing laws before the House Judiciary's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security and urge their representatives in Congress to push through reform legislation this year...
Read Advocacy Material: House Committee to Review Unfairness in Crack Cocaine Sentencing
Posted on February 25, 2008Excessive federal penalties for low-level crack cocaine offenses will be scrutinized tomorrow during a hearing in the House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee, the same day community leaders from around the country descend on Washington to call for sentencing reform Posted Date: 2/25/2008 9:22:41 PM
Read News: House Committee to Review Unfairness in Crack Cocaine Sentencing
Posted on February 25, 2008Excessive federal penalties for low-level crack cocaine offenses will be scrutinized tomorrow during a hearing in the House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee, the same day community leaders from around the country descend on Washington to call for sentencing reform...
Read News: Crack Offenders Set for Release Mostly Nonviolent, Study Says
Posted on February 22, 2008Incarcerated individuals eligible for crack cocaine sentence reductions are mostly nonviolent offenders, according to an analysis conducted by the United States Sentencing Commission. The analysis has been circulated on Capitol Hill to counter Bush administration assertions that the guidelines would prompt the release of thousands of dangerous criminals, the Washington Post reported...
Read News: Reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act to Soon be Introduced
Posted on February 19, 2008The Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee are actively working to craft legislation for the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) reauthorization, and a draft should be released very soon which is based on the recommendations of lawyers, policy-makers, and youth advocates...
Read News: Disenfranchisement News
Posted on February 08, 2008Kentucky: House Committee Approves Restoration BillNational: Disenfranchisement’s Effects, RootsAlabama: Struggle Part of State’s HistoryCalifornia: Voting Behind Bars – Jail Inmates Eligible While Awaiting Trial Posted Date:2/8/2008 7:11:00 PM
Read News: Senate Schedules Crack Cocaine Hearing
Posted on February 06, 2008The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing before the Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs on “Federal Cocaine Sentencing Laws: Reforming the 100-to-1 Crack/Powder Disparity” for Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 226 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building...
Read Publication: Senate Crack-Cocaine Legislation
Posted on February 04, 2008A comparison of the current law against three Senate bills introduced to reform sentencing policy on crack-cocaine. All of the bills raise the quantities for crack-cocaine that trigger mandatory minimum sentences, but Senator Biden's bill is the only bill that equalizes the trigger quantities to those of powder cocaine...
Read Advocacy Material: Senate Schedules Crack Cocaine Hearing
Posted on February 01, 2008The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing before the Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs on “Federal Cocaine Sentencing Laws: Reforming the 100-to-1 Crack/Powder Disparity” for Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 226 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building...
Read Advocacy Material: The Sentencing Project Endorses Prevention and Intervention Programs for Youth
Posted on January 30, 2008In a letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives, The Sentencing Project endorsed and urged support for H.R. 3846, the Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support and Education (“Youth PROMISE”) Act...
Read Publication: Federal Crack Cocaine Sentencing
Posted on January 30, 2008An assessment of the cocaine sentencing debate that explores the racial impact of the crack sentencing disparity, clarifies misperceptions regarding crack addiction, and outlines solutions to eliminate sentencing unfairness. 8 pages Posted Date:1/9/2008 12:27:04 PM
Read Feature: Lawrence and Lamont Garrison
Posted on January 30, 2008Identical twins Lawrence and Lamont Garrison were inseparable. In elementary school, one would rush to the other’s classroom and wait until he was dismissed. Living in the same house in Washington, D.C. that their mother and grandmother had grown up in, they attended Howard University together...
Read News: Marc Mauer Addresses Iowa Policymakers About the State?s High Rate of Incarceration of African Americans
Posted on January 30, 2008Rep. Wayne Ford (D-Des Moines) invited Marc Mauer, Executive Director of The Sentencing Project, to Iowa to speak to policymakers about the state’s high black prison rate. Rep. Ford, who is executive director of the nonprofit Urban Dreams, which provides re-entry programs for ex-offenders, hopes to come up with solutions that address the “long-standing problem that has proven difficult to change,” according to the Iowa Independent...
Read News: Federal Crack Cocaine Disparity Addressed in Senate Hearing
Posted on December 31, 1969Sen. Joseph Biden chaired a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the federal crack cocaine disparity in standing-room only quarters which ultimately concluded with a consensus that Congress is “on the road to do something right,” Sen. Jeff Sessions said...
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