What we're reading
Law360
Data Collection Is Crucial For Equity In Diversion Programs
08/08/2021
Prosecutorial diversion programs are intended to create equity in the criminal justice system by stopping the incarceration of people who have mental health and substance abuse problems, but without proper data collection, prosecutors can't ensure equity in these programs, experts say.
Rapid City Journal
UHRE: Racial quotas in law enforcement are emboldening offenders
07/28/2021
Is Critical Race Theory now in use in our local Criminal Justice System? Is it because of the policies dictated by grants received by the County from the private non-profit.
FiveThirtyEight
Cities That Reduced Arrests For Minor Offenses Also Saw Fewer Police Shootings
07/26/2021
In response to nationwide protests last summer over the murder of George Floyd by police, many cities and states have tried to change their approach to policing…
Washington Post
Guest Post: Public defenders can do more for public safety — if we let them
07/21/2021
Funding public defense agencies to provide greater social service help to their clients will both reduce incarceration and the likelihood of reoffending, this former public defender argues. In some places, it's already happening.
Washington Post
Opinion: Mass incarceration is bad law enforcement policy. It’s bad for the economy, too.
07/14/2021
By tackling criminal justice reform, we can address the worker shortage in the process.
Next City
Cities Are Getting Money To Reduce Their Jail Populations. It’s Working.
07/13/2021
Two-year grants from the MacArthur foundation have gone out to over four dozen cities and counties across the U.S.
Chicago Tribune
Bail reform isn’t to blame for Chicago’s violence. And finger-pointing doesn’t help.
07/07/2021
On the heels of a grimly violent Fourth of July weekend, with more than 100 people shot and 17 killed, the last thing Chicago needs is city officials pointing fingers
CNN
Fact-checking claims bail reform is driving increase in violent crime
07/07/2021
Violent crime in the United States shot up last year as the pandemic raged. Major cities across the country saw a more than 30% jump in homicides as well as increases in aggravated assaults, according to a January report from the National Commission on Covid-19 and Criminal Justice.
The Crime Report
Reducing jail populatons didn’t increase crime, studies show
07/02/2021
Two recent studies examining the public safety effects after jail reductions spurred by COVID-19 found the narratives connecting reform to increased crime rates to be "damaging and misleading".