Sentencing
An Illinois Lawmaker Wants to Reinstate the Death Penalty to Deter Shootings
Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011.
21-Year-Old Oversleeps, Misses Jury Duty, and Goes to Jail for 10 Days
The case is yet another example of our excessively penal criminal justice system.
Brandt Jean Has Every Right To Forgive Amber Guyger, the Ex-Cop Who Killed His Brother
America's justice system should leave more room for mercy.
Trump Might Not Support Criminal Justice Reforms Anymore. That Doesn't Erase His Past Success.
We probably won’t see a follow up to the FIRST STEP Act. But it’s still been a boon to federal prisoners.
Alabama's 'Three Strikes' Law Sent Alvin Kennard to Prison for 36 Years. He Stole $50.
The man will finally be released from prison.
Rapper Meek Mill's 12-Year Probation Nightmare Finally Comes to an End
Mill's legal problems are now over, but he remains involved in efforts to push for important probation reforms.
After Spending 23 Years in Prison for a Murder He Didn't Commit, Ricky Kidd Is Going Home
Reason previously shared the story of Ricky Kidd's wrongful conviction in April.
Attorney General Barr Does Not Approve of Your Kinder, Gentler Elected District Attorneys
In a speech to police, Barr called for citizens to shut up and do what officers tell them to.
Aaron Sandusky Has Spent 7 Years in Prison for Selling Medical Marijuana
Obama denied him clemency. Will Trump set him free?
Trump Mulls Commutation for Disgraced Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
While the president's mercy might be self-serving, it's not necessarily wrong.
No Jail Time for 79-Year-Old Woman Who Fed Stray Cats
But Nancy Segula will still need to rein in her "compassion for cats."
Police Shot Her Boyfriend During a Robbery. She Was Charged With His Murder.
The felony murder rule allows police to charge someone with a killing if they were an accomplice in a related crime.
A 79-Year-Old Woman Receives a Jail Sentence for Feeding Stray Cats
"I'm an animal lover, and I feel guilty that they're wandering around out there and they have nothing to eat."
Cory Booker's Slam Against Joe Biden's Criminal Justice Record Shoveled Some More Dirt on the Old Lock 'Em Up Consensus
The climate of opinion has changed so dramatically that Democrats are politically obliged to support reform.
If Bill Barr Brings Back Federal Executions, Innocent People Will Die
We need to leave ourselves room for making good when we inevitably convict the wrong people.
Attorney General Barr Orders the Federal Government To Start Executing Prisoners Again
After two decades of mercy, the Justice Department announces five men on federal death row will face lethal injections this winter.
Cory Booker's 'Second Look' Reforms Would Create More Chances To Reduce Federal Prison Sentences
Judges would be permitted to rethink sentences after 10 years have been served, particularly for inmates over the age of 50.
Thousands Freed from Federal Prison by FIRST STEP Act Reforms
Many benefit from an increase in "good time" credits and from retroactive reductions in crack cocaine mandatory minimum sentences.
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.
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.
