The connection between education and the likelihood of prisoners returning to prison upon release is clear. According to various studies, prisoners who become educated stay crime-free in the community longer than those who don’t, and the higher the education received, the less the chance of recidivism. However, there is one major issue that prevents prisoners
You may know Anna Deavere Smith from her television roles on The West Wing and Nurse Jackie, but for more than two decades, the actress, playwright and performer has been writing and performing plays that explore race, justice, and class inequality in America. Now her work, Notes from the Field, takes on America’s school-to-prison pipeline
President Trump has sent several recent signals supporting making drug dealing punishable by death. The Washington Post reported on March 9 that both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Domestic Policy Council are looking at legislative proposals to let prosecutors seek the death penalty in federal drug-dealing cases. According to the Post article, the
Truck driver Frank McClellan, 36, was awarded $150,000 in compensatory damages and another $20,000 in punitive exemplary damages against a Rensselaer, New York police detective for numerous Fourth Amendment violations. The detective plans to appeal the verdict. On November 16, 2000, McClellan was unloading his vehicle when he claimed, Detective Steve Smith, who was in
Cook County, Illinois Chief Criminal Judge LeRoy K. Martin tossed the convictions of 15 criminal defendants on November 16, 2017, because the cases were linked to disgraced former Chicago Police Sergeant Ronald Watts. All of the men whose cases were overturned claimed that they had been framed by Watts, who went to federal prison in
Marco Proano, 42, a former Chicago police officer, was sentenced to five years in federal prison on December 4, 2017, for unloading his weapon on a car full of teenagers in 2015. Proano, an 11-year veteran of the force, was indicted in September 2016 for using unreasonable force on the teens. The Chicago Reporter obtained
Everybody stop dancing now. On September 27, 2017, Taoufik Moalla was driving to the store when the 1990 C&C Music Factory hit “Everybody Dance Now” came on the radio. Inspired, Moalla began loudly singing along with the catchy tune. Fortunately for the citizens of St. Laurent, Canada, local police were on patrol and were able
In a recent 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court resolved a dispute among lower federal courts about how large a share of damage awards inmates win in civil rights cases must be paid towards their lawyers’ fees. In Murphy v. Smith, decided February 21, turned on how to interpret §42 USC 1977(e)(d), a provision in
Historically, careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math have been overwhelmingly held by men, but in recent years there has been a continued push to have women take notice of these careers as well. Known as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), these positions require higher education and advanced training, and these
A jury awarded a California woman $21,060 in compensation for medical costs and pain and suffering related to injuries that occurred while she was in police custody. On February 5, 2004, JulieAnne Shull drove to Sacramento, California with a companion to lobby legislators to pass a bill preserving old-growth forests. After meeting with lawmakers, Shull