The White Nationalist Who Drove His Car Through Charlottesville Protesters Gets Another Life Sentence
James Alex Fields Jr., who killed Heather Heyer in the fatal Charlottesville car attack, is sentenced to life plus 419 years.
Sentencing
Gorsuch and Alito Fight Over Criminal Sentencing and the Right to Trial by Jury
Another day, another conflict between the Supreme Court’s Republican appointees in a criminal justice case.
Cory Booker Proposes Thousands of Drug War Commutations If Elected President
Booker would move the process away from prosecutors and into the White House.
A Judge Called His Mandatory Sentence 'Excessive' and 'Wrong.' Less Than a Year Later He Died In Federal Prison
Frederick Turner was sentenced to a mandatory 40 years on nonviolent drug and firearm charges. He ended up in a high-security federal prison, and now he's dead.
To Hold but Not to Have: California's Marijuana Laws Get Weird When You're in Jail
It's not illegal for inmates to have marijuana, but it's still a felony if they try to smoke it.
1,051 Crack Sentence Reductions Illustrate Painful Progress Toward a Less Mindlessly Punitive Justice System
On average, crack offenders who have benefited from the FIRST STEP Act will serve 14 years instead of 20.
The Clean Slate Act's Record-Sealing Provisions Go Further Than Cory Booker's Marijuana Justice Act
The bill applies to all federal marijuana offenders, and it creates a process for sealing records of other nonviolent offenses.
Clean Slate Act Would Seal Marijuana Possession Convictions
Plus: marijuana in the 2020 election, Harris follows up on voting behind bars, another Palm Beach massage arrest, and more...
How Trump Went from Appointing Jeff Sessions to Signing the FIRST STEP Act
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin gives advice for changing hearts on criminal justice reform.
U.S. Prisoners Have Lost a Combined 20,000 Years of Life to False Convictions
Annual exoneration report shows growth in amount of time served and increasing levels of official misconduct.
Paul Manafort Sentenced to Nearly Four Additional Years in Federal Prison Just as New York Files New Charges
Double jeopardy or a way of circumventing a potential Trump pardon? Or both?
Here Is What Paul Manafort Was Convicted of Doing
The former Trump campaign chairman faces four years in prison, and possibly 10 more, for lying to lenders and the U.S. government.
Please Don't Help the Alabama Authorities Catch This Escaped Drug Dealer
Dyron Rashad Primus is serving 15 years for synthetic marijuana charges. That's absurd.
HBO's "The O.G. Experience" Turns Prison Art into a Political Statement
Pop-up art exhibition in New York focuses attention on the need for criminal justice reform.
Trump Decries Unjust Crack Sentences but Wants to Repeat the Mistake With Fentanyl
Reducing the thresholds for mandatory minimums in fentanyl cases will produce more injustices like the ones the president highlighted last night.
Kamala Harris Hopes You'll Forget Her Record as a Drug Warrior and Draconian Prosecutor
The senator and presidential hopeful went to bat for dirty prosecutors, opposed marijuana legalization, and championed policies that endanger sex workers.
Rather Than Running for President, Maybe Joe Biden Should Just Launch an Apology Tour
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the former vice president acknowledges regrets about his role in the drug war and mass incarcerations.
After Being Sent Back to Federal Prison Because of an 'Error,' Matthew Charles Will Be Freed Again
Charles may be the first person to benefit from the sentencing reductions in the FIRST STEP Act.
The Number of Men in Federal Prison for Viewing or Sharing Child Pornography Has Nearly Septupled Since 2004
Most are serving mandatory minimums, usually for crimes that did not involve assault or sexual abuse.
Hello, FIRST STEP Act! Goodbye, Jeff Sessions! The Year in Criminal Justice Reform
2018 was a mixed bag, but that means there was still a lot of good news.
Senate Passes White House-Backed Criminal Justice Bill by Wide Margin
After weeks of work from advocates and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, the Senate voted to pass the FIRST STEP Act.
Here Are the 'Improvements' That Won a Senate Vote on Sentencing Reform
The last-minute changes show how hard it is to make the criminal justice system more proportionate and discriminating.
Former Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
Cohen blames Trump for sending him down a "path of darkness"
William Barr's Never-Ending War
Trump's nominee for attorney general is apt to encourage his worst instincts on drug policy.
Texas is Trying to Execute a Man for a Murder He Didn't Commit
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied a recommendation to relieve him of execution.
Rapper Meek Mill Is Attempting a 1-Million-Person Jail Break
Some people don't belong behind bars. This celebrity-launched criminal justice reform group wants to free them.
This 'Three Strikes' Law Sends People to Die in Federal Prison For Drug Crimes
Roughly 800 federal inmates are sentenced to life under an obscure sentencing enhancement that lawmakers in Congress might soon vote to reduce.
Ted Cruz, Who Bragged About Backing Smarter Sentencing in 2015, Turns Against His Own Cause
The Texas senator is now allied with longtime opponents of reform in resisting the FIRST STEP Act.
Alarmist Nonsense Should Not Stop Sentencing Reform
The modest changes in the FIRST STEP Act are no threat to public safety.
Is Trump vs. Acosta the Iran-Iraq War of 2018?: Podcast
Assessing the import of presidential tantrums, media hyperbole, military complaints, and the near-arrival of federal sentencing reform
How Mandatory Minimum Reform Will Work with "Stacked" Charges
My case involving Weldon Angelos illustrates the problem with "stacking" federal mandatory minimum gun charges from a single episode. The statute will apparently soon be amended to become a true recidivism statute.
A Mom Gets in Trouble for Being a Sex Offender Even Though She Wasn't Convicted of a Sex Crime
When Tessah Mitchell attempted to register her children for day care, a crime from 18 years ago caught up with her.
Poll Shows Wide Support For Criminal Justice Reform Bill In Congress
Prosecutor groups and criminal justice reform advocates are putting out dueling polls on a major bill in Congress.
Florida Judge Sentences Corrupt Cops to Prison, Slams Prosecution for "Slap on the Wrist"
Former Biscayne Park Officers Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez are going to prison after pinning burglaries on innocent black men.
Trump Slams 'Very Unfair' Drug Sentences
The president's comments could improve the prospects for federal penal reform.
Desperate to Keep His Seat, Ted Cruz Gets Dumber and Dumber on Criminal Justice
The Texas senator's authoritarian attacks on Beto O'Rourke short-circuit rational discussion of police shootings, drug policy, and sentencing reform.
California Reforms Murder Laws to Require Defendants to Actually Play a Role in the Killing
Hundreds may see their sentences overturned or shortened.
20 Years in Prison for Florida Man Who Swiped $600 Worth of Cigarettes
He has prior felony convictions, but 20 years still seems harsh.
Donald Trump Should Stick it to Jeff Sessions and the 'Deep State' by Pardoning Reality Winner
The woman who leaked a report showing Russian attempts to infiltrate voting systems gets the longest sentence ever imposed for her offense.
The White House Is Moving Forward on Prison Reform Despite Justice Department Resistance
The president and Senate Republicans might be coming to an agreement that includes some sentencing reforms, too.
