To Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Abolish the Death Penalty
This Monday, Americans will celebrate the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through acts of service. To truly honor him, we should call for an end to capital punishment. The Death Penalty is Racist In 1958, Dr. King led a protest in Alabama over the execution of a black 16-year-old child convicted […]
2023 Wishlist: Criminal Justice with Dignity
My wishlist this year highlights my belief that people are far more than the worst thing they’ve ever done. I truly believe that people can do great harm and, also, that people can be transformed. I believe that our criminal legal system can hold people accountable and still recognize their humanity. Everything on this list […]
Criminal Justice Reform in 2022
It’s time for my annual end-of-the-year criminal justice reform wish list. This year I’m including specific action steps you can take, and I’m highlighting organizations that you might be interested in supporting. Together, we can promote a better vision of what justice could be in 2022. Nearly half a million people are held in jail […]
A One-Two Punch for Juveniles
April brought a one-two punch for juveniles. Punch One: Jones v. Mississippi (April 2021) For the last 20 years, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a string of decisions limiting the most severe sentences for children. The Court abolished capital punishment for juvenile offenders. It prohibited life without parole (LWOP) in cases that did not involve […]
Twenty Books About Wrongful Convictions that Will Change Your World.
Twenty Books About Wrongful Convictions that Will Change Your Life. BOOKS ABOUT HOW WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS HAPPEN ACTUAL INNOCENCE: FIVE DAYS TO EXECUTION AND OTHER DISPATCHES FROM THE WRONGLY CONVICTED (2000) by Barry Scheck, Peter Neufeld, and Jim Dwyer “At the Innocence Project, Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld have helped to free thirty-seven wrongly convicted people, […]
Even the Sentencing Judge Now Agrees that Bobby Bostic Should Not Die in Prison.
Bobby Bostic was only sixteen-years-old when he was sentenced to 241 years in prison after trial for two armed robberies in which no one was killed or even seriously injured. His adult accomplice, who plead guilty, died while serving a 30-year-prison term. Unless the Missouri Governor or the Missouri state legislature intervenes, Bostic will die […]
Top Ten Criminal Justice Reform Wishlist for 2021
For the past seven years, I have written a year-end “wish list” of criminal justice reforms I’d like to see happen in the coming year. Here’s mine for 2021, with ways you can get involved below. What’s on your wish list? Immediately stop federal executions – and end the death penalty everywhere. Since July 2020, […]
Lisa Montgomery is Set to Die, While Her Lawyers Battle the Coronavirus They Caught While Visiting Her
EDITED (11/20/20): A federal judge temporarily delayed the December 8th execution of Lisa Montgomery, so that her lawyers can recover and prepare a clemency petition. Read on, as the fight for her life continues. *** Lisa Montgomery is scheduled to die by lethal injection on December 8th. Montgomery would be the first woman executed by […]
Criminal Justice Reform Is a Winner
While we wait for final confirmation that Joe Biden won the presidency, one thing is clear: this election was a win for criminal justice reform. State and Local Criminal Justice Wins Around the country, drug reform initiatives passed. New Jersey, Arizona, Montana, and South Dakota now count themselves among the 15 states, plus Washington DC, that have legalized marijuana. […]
5 Steps You Can Take Before the Election to Promote Criminal Justice Reform
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THESE 5 STEPS The criminal justice system is overdue for a major overhaul. In the long-term, we need to address systemic issues of racism and classism, and tackle issues relating to police violence, cash bail, mass incarceration, crisis intervention, funding for the addicted and mentally ill, police and […]