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.
Sentencing
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.
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.
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.
Cory Booker Proposes Thousands of Drug War Commutations If Elected President
Booker would move the process away from prosecutors and into the White House.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Former Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
Cohen blames Trump for sending him down a "path of darkness"
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.
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.
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.
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.
Man Faces 30 Years in Prison on Child Porn Charges for Taking Sexy Photos of 17-Year-Old Girlfriend When He was 20
Since Ohio's age of consent is 16, it was legal for Edward Marrero to have sex but not to sext.
He Was Assaulted by Three Teens at Work, But He's Going to Prison for Defending Himself
Gaps in Connecticut's self-defense law lead to 18-month sentence.
Reality Winner Accepts Harsh 5-Year Sentence for Leaking Russian Hacking Report
Would she have gotten a better deal if she hadn't been denied bail?
Is Criminal Justice Reform Leaving Small and Rural Communities Behind?
A new report shows that the recent trend of reducing prison populations is heavily an urban phenomenon.
Trump Should Hurt Sessions by Helping Drug Offenders
Commutations for people serving absurdly long sentences would be a great new way to torture the attorney general.
Texas Woman Gets 5 Years in Prison for the Crime of Not Realizing She Couldn't Vote
An obsession with election fraud leads to cruel punishments.
Discovery of Police Corruption Freed Dozens of Imprisoned Americans in 2017
Government misconduct a big driver of exonerations last year.
Report: Imprisoning Drug Users Doesn't Stop Drug Use or Prevent Overdoses
Somebody tell the president.
