America's Prison Food Is Still Criminally Awful
And COVID-19 has made it worse
Criminal Justice
Justice Department Sues Alabama Over Its Violent Prison System
The suit follows a scathing 2019 report detailing unchecked violence and sexual assault against incarcerated people.
No Mercy Came for Brandon Bernard and None Will Come Today for Alfred Bourgeois
Bill Barr and Donald Trump spend the end of their terms executing prisoners.
Pandemic Lockdown Battles Offer Glimpses of Political Conflicts to Come
Under punitive federalism, localities refuse dictates from above while state and federal officials retaliate.
Time
This documentary reminds us that the time people lose while "doing time" can never be replaced or relived.
What's Worse Than Pumpkin Spice? Cops Pulling People Over To Give Them Gift Cards
This holiday season, police should give citizens the gift of just leaving them in peace.
The Ultimate 2020 Libertarian Gift Guide
Reason's writers and editors share their suggestions for what you should be buying your friends and family this year.
The Inmates Are Running Venezuela's Prisons. They've Created Autonomous Micro-Dictatorships.
The documentary La Causa is a raw look into these self-organized societies, complete with taxes, courts, and a strict "thug code.”
Damon Root: Why Frederick Douglass Loved the Constitution (and You Should Too)
The escaped slave called the Constitution "a glorious liberty document" that justified extending equality to blacks and women.
Not Even COVID-19 Infections Among Prison Staff Can Convince the Feds To Halt Executions
Five who tested positive recently will participate in this week’s planned executions of Brandon Bernard and Alfred Bourgeois.
A Right to a Speedy Jury Trial? Don't Count On It During the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Courts ignore constitutional guarantees while defendants awaiting trial languish in jail.
California Voters Declined To End Cash Bail. L.A.'s New District Attorney Says He'll Do It Anyway.
Cash bail is as unjust as it is arbitrary.
Southern California Sheriffs Rebel Over Gavin Newsom's New Stay-at-Home Order
Policymakers "must not penalize residents for earning a livelihood, safeguarding their mental health, or enjoying our most cherished freedoms," said Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes.
Inside the NYPD's Biased Prostitution Policing
Plus: White women and Trump votes, Biden taps California AG as HHS Secretary, and more...
Phoenix Will Pay $3 Million Settlement After Police Shot a Man During a Noise Complaint. The Officers Are Still Employed.
And taxpayers will foot the bill.
These Mississippi Cops Want a Camera on Your Door
Real-time police spying through smart security cams is already here.
Florida Masseuse Ordered to Pay $31,573 After 'Soliciting' Robert Kraft To 'Commit Prostitution'
Charges against Kraft were (rightfully) dismissed. The women he patronized now have criminal records.
Cops Raid New York Bar and Arrest Owner for Defying COVID-19 Restrictions
Using police to forcefully shut down Mac's Public House is a violation of liberty and a waste of resources.
Obama Knocks 'Defund the Police' Activists for Valuing 'Feel Good' Sloganeering Over Practical Reforms
Efforts to push for substantial police reforms many people would support instead became a political battlefield.
This Forfeiture Victim Waited 2 Years Without a Hearing. Is That Due Process?
The Institute for Justice wants the Supreme Court to rule that the Fifth Amendment requires a prompt post-seizure hearing.
Disarmed but Not Dangerous
A challenge to the federal ban on gun possession by people convicted of felonies gives SCOTUS a chance to rectify its neglect of the Second Amendment.
Following Protests, France Retreats on Plan to Censor Filming of Police
Earlier in November, surveillance footage captured officers beating a man for not wearing a mask.
Will Anybody Besides Michael Flynn Get Mercy from Lame Duck Trump?
The president has the worst record for clemency in modern history.
The "I'm for Legal Immigration" Dodge
My response to a common, but vacuous trope often brought up in debates about immigration policy.
An Inmate Firefighter Might Be Deported After California Handed Him Over to ICE
Bounchan Keola was injured while fighting the deadly Zogg Fire. California rewarded him with a possible deportation.
Cops Who Beat and Killed an Innocent Man Are Not Entitled to Qualified Immunity, Appeals Court Rules. But the Cops Who Watched Are.
The legal doctrine provides rogue government agents cushy protections not available to the little guy.
How to Beat Legalized Larceny
Government bullies empowered by civil forfeiture laws often back down, but only when their victims can afford a fight.
Instead of Policing Thanksgiving, Governments Should Get Their Own Act Together
Plus: Trump adviser says TikTok ban will happen, Texas to teach birth control in middle school sex ed, and more...
Predictive Policing or Targeted Harassment?
Audits and research into the effectiveness of predictive policing have yielded mixed to negative assessments.
California Cops Arrested Teens Who Recorded Use of Force—Now They're Getting Paid
The department will update its training to remind officers that citizens should not be arrested for exercising their First Amendment rights.
Barr's Justice Department Prepares To End Trump's Term With an Execution Spree
Three more death row inmates have been scheduled to die.
If Joe Biden Is Serious About Criminal Justice Reform, He Won't Pick Merrick Garland for Attorney General
Garland’s judicial record is replete with deferential votes for police and prosecutors.
The Feds Are Spreading Fake Facts About Fentanyl
While fentanyl is a dangerous drug, it is very difficult to overdose on it through accidental exposure.
D.C. Circuit Panel Splits on Lawfulness of Federal Execution Protocol (and Whether to Enjoin It).
The court improbably concludes that the execution protocol is illegal, but does not enjoin its use
Prison Guards Who Forced Naked Inmate To Sleep in Sewage and Urine Were Given Qualified Immunity. SCOTUS Disagreed.
The legal doctrine is a free pass for rampant government abuse.
More Cops Say They Won't Enforce Coronavirus Curfews
Plus: Biden definitely wins Georgia, Alaskans approve ranked-choice voting, Facebook faces next antitrust lawsuit, and more...
Coronavirus Curfews Are Trending Again, Despite Total Lack of Evidence They Help
Plus: Against the conservative case for antitrust action, New York City shuts down schools again, and more...
DEA to Return $43,000 It Seized From Tampa Woman at Airport
The DEA dropped its attempt to keep the money roughly two months after the woman joined a class-action lawsuit challenging cash seizures at airports.
Dems Ask Trump Administration to Stop Executing Inmates Ahead of Biden Transition
The incoming administration opposes the death penalty, but the Justice Department has three more executions planned this year.
