What we're reading
City Limits
New York State’s Slice of the Rural Jail Building Boom
11/22/2019
The United States appears to be turning away—very gradually—from the most extreme form of mass incarceration.
The Crime Report
Why Do Rural Areas Keep Building New Jails?
11/22/2019
A new Vera Institute report analyzes the jail building boom in rural and suburban areas in America, which has had many negative consequences and is an increase in contrast to urban trends.
The Crime Report
Pre-Arrest Diversion: Where You Live Can Determine Whether You Go to Jail
11/05/2019
Alternatives to arrest are now widely available across the U.S. to justice-involved individuals who pose no risk to public safety. But a new survey shows that how they are implemented and who benefits from them can depend on a “stunning variety” of state statutes and practices.
Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: How the language of justice is dehumanizing and counterproductive
08/31/2019
A proposal in San Francisco to swap out language like "convict" or "felon" for "previously incarcerated person" puts its justice system on the right track.
The Crime Report
How Many of 10.5M U.S. Arrests are Unnecessary?
08/13/2019
Because most arrests are not for serious crimes but for offenses like drug possession, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, many cases could be handled effectively by other means, and thus not contribute to the nation's mass incarceration, says a report from the Vera Institute of Justice.
Vox
Thousands of Americans are jailed before trial. A new report shows the lasting impact.
05/07/2019
The Vera Institute of Justice finds that the number of people in pretrial detention is rising even as crime rates fall.
Washington Post
Trump administration’s proposed hiring requirement undermines criminal justice reform, bipartisan group of senators says
04/23/2019
The proposal would require federal job applicants to disclose whether they went through a criminal diversion program. Critics say it would make it harder for former offenders to find work.
BuzzFeed
Here’s How One Small Town Beat The Opioid Epidemic
02/25/2019
Little Falls, Minnesota, didn’t do anything revolutionary. They just made a real effort — and spent real money — treating addiction as a disease, not a crime.
Wall Street Journal
LTE: Cotton Is Wrong, Sentencing Reform Is Right
08/23/2018
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