Posted inSystemic Problems
Buying Judicial Elections
A new series of reports tracking spending trends in judicial elections since 2000, titled "The New Politics of Judicial Elections" shows an explosion of spending in the last 14 years.…
Posted inSystemic Problems
Black American Citizens Being Held At Interrogation Center
The Guardian reports that 3,500 people held at Homan Square, a police warehouse described by some of its arrestees as a secretive interrogation facility in Chicago, have been subsequently charged with everything…
Posted inSystemic Problems
Mandatory Minimum Sentencing
There are approximately 210,000 people incarcerated in federal prisons, a huge increase from 1980, when there were 24,000 people serving time. This increase is attributed to the War on Drugs…
Posted inSystemic Problems
Flashbang Policing
ProPublica shows how terrifying it is to experience the militarization of policing first hand. Without many details of crimes being committed, the police are launching grenades and storming private residences…
Posted inSystemic Problems
Political Expediency Equals Unfairness
There are many things wrong with the American legal system, but the law giving a one year statute of limitations deadline to file habeas corpus appeals in the federal courts…
Posted inSystemic Problems
Electing Judges At the State Level
Federal judges are appointed by the president and approved by congress, but states pick their judges in different ways. Some states chose their judges with partisan elections, some have nonpartisan elections,…
Posted inSystemic Problems
Bail Industry Discriminatory Against The Poor
Two-thirds of the 750,000 people in America's jails are because they are awaiting trials. Almost 90% of these accused felons are held until trial because they can't afford bail; which…
Posted inSystemic Problems
Crowdfounding For Clemency
In 1994 Jeff Mizanskey was sentenced to prison for life without the possibility of parole. His crime was for possession and intent to distribute cannabis. Now, there is a campaign…
Posted inSystemic Problems
Judge Vacancies Cause Delays In Courts
The Brennan Center for Justice released a study regarding the devastation the court system faces when politicians refuse to fill court vacancies. Interviews with more than 20 court employees, including…
Posted inSystemic Problems
Grants Incentivize Police Departments
Over the past several months, protesters alleging police misconduct have pummeled Durham, N.C. police headquarters with rocks. Lawyers at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice requested public records to try to find…