Bill Clinton's Shameful Crime Politics: Watch Matt Welch Talk to Al Sharpton Sunday at 8 a.m. ET
MSNBC's PoliticsNation will feature some blunt talk about New York politics
Sentencing
Sanders Misleadingly Connects 'Mass Incarceration' to Pot Busts
Clinton minimizes her role in advocating longer sentences and exaggerates her role in trying to shorten them.
Hillary Clinton's Overdue Shift on Crime
She acknowledges harsher penalties implemented in the '90s were a mistake.
Bill Clinton Claims His Wife 'Was the First Candidate' to Talk About Sentencing Reform
It's true, if you don't count Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Rick Perry, or Jim Webb
Bill Clinton's Crime Bill Ambivalence
The former president can't decide whether he should brag about the 1994 law or apologize for it.
Bill Clinton's Mendacious Defense of the 1994 Crime Bill
The former president says Republicans made him support longer sentences, which were a necessary response to 13-year-old murderers "hopped up on crack."
Almost Everybody Wants Federal Sentencing Reform, So Why Hasn't It Happened?
Election year posturing and new Supreme Court nominee fight push it down the agenda.
Obama's Mercy Still Pales Next to Richard Nixon's
Obama has granted about 1 percent of commutation petitions, compared to Nixon's 7 percent.
The Felony-Murder Rule Sends Non-Killers to Prison and Doesn't Even Reduce Crime
These flawed laws need to be reformed.
On Commutations, DOJ Blames Volunteer Lawyers for Failing to Do Its Job
A big backlog of prisoners seeking shorter sentences has gotten a lot bigger.
A 10-Year Mandatory Minimum Hinges on the Inartful Placement of Five Words
The law of the last antecedent beats the law of lenity.
Eric Holder's Views on Sentencing Evolved More Slowly Than He Remembers
The former attorney general supported mandatory minimums for drug offenses as a federal prosecutor in the 1990s.
The Media Narrative Around Drug Use Is Shifting, But the Harsh Policies for Drug Crimes Are Not
A "new face of heroin" is changing the discourse on drug addicts in the media. But has it translated into more humane public policy? Not quite.
On Criminal Justice Reform, Clinton Is Sanders Lite
Clinton, who was for mass incarceration before she was against it, fills in some blanks in her agenda.
Don't Punish All Drug Offenders for the Crimes of One
Opponents of sentencing reform say a triple murder in Columbus means drug war prisoners must remain behind bars.
Judge Who Sentenced Small-Time Pot Dealer to 55 Years Again Urges Clemency
If Obama means what he says about unjust punishment, he will free Weldon Angelos.
Opponents of Sentencing Reform Recklessly Conflate Drug Offenders With Murderers
Because some drug offenders are violent, four senators argue, all of them should stay behind bars.
What Rand Paul Brought to the Presidential Race
The Kentucky senator encouraged his fellow Republicans to be more consistently skeptical of big government.
The Fiction That Drug Trafficking Is 'Inherently Violent' Could Harm Sentencing Reform
Watered down improvements to federal mandatory minimums may get watered down further.
For Looking at Child Porn, a Judge Imposes a Sentence of Days Rather Than Years
Jack Weinstein concludes that the penalty recommended by federal sentencing guidelines is far too severe.
How Ted Cruz Turned His Back on Drug War Prisoners
The Texas senator, once a leading Republican advocate of sentencing reform, seems to have abandoned the cause.
Ted Cruz Abandons Criminal Justice Reform on His Way to the White House
The Texas senator, once a leading Republican critic of disproportionate punishment, seems to have switched sides.
Ted Cruz and Chuck Grassley Switch Places on Sentencing Reform
Why is Cruz, a critic of disproportionate penalties, trying to sink the bill with the best chance of passing?
Republicans Try to Torpedo Sentencing Reform
Need another reason to resent the GOP-run Congress? Try Tom Cotton (and Ted Cruz).
Is the Kochs' Support for Criminal Justice Reform a P.R. Move?
Jane Mayer implies their interest in the issue is new while conceding it is not.
Two Ranchers, Two Fires, Too Long Behind Bars
The resentencing of Dwight and Steven Hammond illustrates the injustices wrought by mandatory minimums.
Oregon Rancher Protest Highlights the Injustice of Mandatory Minimums
The Hammond case illustrates how federal law forces judges to impose sentences they consider grossly disproportionate.
The Absurdly Harsh Penalties That Sparked the Oregon Rancher Protest
A federal judge rejected mandatory minimums for Dwight and Steven Hammond as unconstitutional; an appeals court disagreed.
Obama Frees Sharanda Jones and 94 Other Prisoners Serving Draconian Sentences
Obama's commutation record looks good in absolute numbers but paltry as a percentage of petitions.
Don't Be Afraid of Those 6,000 Felons Just Released From Prison
Families Against Mandatory Minimum's Kevin Ring makes the case for even more wide-ranging and far-reaching sentencing reform.
Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Sentencing Reform in 3-to-1 Vote
A bipartisan consensus produces a bill that's better than reformers feared but worse than they hoped.
Cops and Prosecutors Want Fewer People in Prison
A new law enforcement group favors abolishing mandatory minimums, changing felonies to misdemeanors, and winnowing down petty offenses.
Poll Finds Strong Public Support for Federal Sentencing Reform
Large majorities of Democrats and Republicans would abolish mandatory minimums for nonviolent offenses.
6 Misconceptions Underlying Opposition to Sentencing Reform
Is reducing prison terms reckless in light of drug and crime trends?
A Major Step Toward Less Unjust Sentences
Bipartisan bills could help free Weldon Angelos and thousands of other drug offenders.
House Sentencing Reform Bill, Like the Senate Version, Makes Some Penalties Harsher
The sentence reductions in both bills are nevertheless a major improvement.
New Bipartisan Legislation Would Make Federal Sentences Less Mindlessly Punitive
Bills backed by the chairmen of the House and Senate judiciary committees could help free thousands of drug offenders.
Feds Announce Their Biggest Prisoner Release Ever
Beginning at the end of the month, some 6,000 drug offenders will get out earlier than originally expected.
FAMM Calls Grassley-Backed Bill the 'Most Significant Sentencing Reform Legislation in a Generation'
The bill could let thousands of current prisoners get out sooner than expected and reduce future injustices.
Chuck Grassley's Demands Make Sentencing Reform Weaker
At the insistence of the powerful senator, a new bill shortens fewer sentences and lengthens others.
Trumpmania Indicates Possible Rough Waters for Conservative Criminal Justice Reform
Will fearmongering force back the opportunity to scale back laws?
Sex Trafficking Not Always a 'Crime of Violence' Says Federal Court
At stake: Possessing a firearm during a "crime of violence" adds five extra years to a felony sentence.
The Former Prosecutor Who Consistently Gets Criminal Justice Reform Wrong
Former prosecutor Bill Otis has been mistaken over and over again when advising legislators against reducing drug sentences.
Jared Fogle's Arbitrary Punishment
Looking at pictures should not be treated like a violent crime.
