On AlterNet: criminal justice system

Stories, blog posts, and videos tagged as "criminal justice system"

Bernie Madoff Feeling the Heat of Imprisonment from His Son's Suicide

Anthony Papa, AlterNet. December 14, 2010.

This is the fourth suicide linked to Bernie's actions.

14 Shocking Facts That Prove the Criminal Justice System Is Racist

Bill Quigley, AlterNet. July 26, 2010.

African-Americans are directly targeted and punished in a much more aggressive way than white people.

Torture At Home: Documentary On Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons Misses the Mark

Alexandra Smith, AlterNet. April 16, 2010.

National Geographic's well-intentioned effort to show the horrors of solitary confinement may have caused more harm than good.

GOP and Dems Agree: Crack/Powder Cocaine Disparity Unjust and Needs Reform

Bill Piper, Jasmine Tyler, AlterNet. March 18, 2010.

The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved bi-partisan legislation reforming a failed two-decade old policy.

$100,000 Per Year to Lock up a Cheese Thief? The Perverse Logic of "Three Strikes"

Sasha Abramsky, Comment Is Free. February 25, 2010.

That a man with unpaid-for cheese in his underwear could ever have faced essentially the same sentence as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is an absurdity.

We Love Seeing Bad Parents Punished, But Why Don't We Care How It Affects Their Kids, Like Me?

Cassie Frequelz, Mother Jones. January 13, 2010.

Despite our obsession with punishment as entertainment, there is nearly no news coverage of children with incarcerated parents.

Exile Nation: Drugs, Prisons, Politics & Spirituality

Charles Shaw, Reality Sandwich. January 5, 2010.

Entering the world of "Dead Time," the period a convict spends in the county jail awaiting shipment to the penitentiary system which doesn't count towards the overall sentence.

Do Pregnant Women Have Fewer Rights?

Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, Blog of Rights. October 30, 2009.

A slew of recent cases reveal a persistent paternalistic treatment of pregnant women by overzealous prosecutors and judges.

A Creative Proposal For Achieving Universal Healthcare: Make Getting Sick a Crime!

Digby, Hullabaloo. August 24, 2009.

If we criminalize illness, we can incarcerate sick people and provide them with health care that way.

Violent Prison Riots Are Only the Latest Sign of Our Dysfunctional Criminal Justice System

Isaac-Davy Aronson, The Faster Times. August 17, 2009.

A recent riot at the California Institution for Men left 175 prisoners injured and 1,600 with nowhere to go. How did it get this bad?

California Court Says Enough is Enough: Our Prison Population is Out of Control

Sasha Abramsky, Comment Is Free. August 8, 2009.

For years, California has prioritized incarceration over all other social investments. Now it's being forced to release 40,000 prisoners in two years.

Rape Survivor: Our System Failed By Convicting the Wrong Man of the Crime Against Me

Matt Kelley, The Innocence Blog. August 3, 2009.

Timothy Cole was convicted of raping a Texas student in 1985. He died in prison an innocent man. Now the victim in the case is speaking out.

Bill Maher: When Did Making a Profit Become the Only Reason to Do Anything?

Bill Maher, Huffington Post. July 27, 2009.

It used to be that there were some services and institutions so vital to our nation that they were exempt from market pressures. Not anymore.

Beyond Attica: The Untold Story of Women's Resistance Behind Bars

Hans Bennett, AlterNet. July 21, 2009.

As the incarceration rate of U.S. women skyrockets, an important book shines new light on the struggles of women prisoners.

Hey Progressives: Why Don't you Care About the "Drug War" Like You Care About Other Issues?

Ethan Nadelmann, AlterNet. June 12, 2009.

If the 500,000 nonviolent drug offenders in jail had white faces, would society allow it?

Why Are we Keeping Old Ladies Locked Up in Prison?

Viji Sundaram, New America Media. February 10, 2009.

Nonviolent and medically neglected, elderly prisoners in California routinely die horrible deaths.

U.S. Supreme Court to Decide Whether Prisoners Have a Right to Post-Conviction DNA Tests

The Innocence BlogJanuary 28, 2009.

'Our Constitution gives every citizen the right to prove that he's innocent,' says Innocence Project Co-Director Peter Neufeld.

A Silver Lining to the Economic Crisis: Less Money for Prisons

Liliana Segura, AlterNet. January 22, 2009.

As states grapple with record budget deficits, more politicians are looking toward criminal justice reform to cut costs.

Women Behind Bars Are Deprived of Their Basic Rights

Silja J.A. Talvi, Santa Fe Reporter. December 10, 2008.

For incarcerated women, there is little justice to be found.

How I Spent Election Night in a Baltimore Jail

Michael M. Hughes, Baltimore City Paper. November 14, 2008.

On a night of historic celebration, Baltimore city police arrested revelers without cause or provocation.

Waiting to Die: The Cruel Phenomenon of "Death Row Syndrome"

Michael J. Carter, IPS News. November 7, 2008.

As prisoners across the country spend decades awaiting execution, the psychological effects are devastating.

Cruel California Ballot Initiative Seeks to Keep Elderly Prisoners Locked Up Longer

Heidi Strupp, New America Media. October 29, 2008.

Prop. 9 asks taxpayers to pay to incarcerate those who cost the most to confine yet pose the least threat to public safety.

Exonerated Death Row Prisoners Call for Clemency for Troy Davis

Campaign to End the Death PenaltyOctober 24, 2008.

"Like Troy, we were denied justice. Like Troy, we spent years, locked up 23 hours a day, waiting to die."

Supreme Court Rejects Troy Davis Case, Gives Green Light for His Execution

Liliana Segura, AlterNet. October 14, 2008.

An innocent man could die in two weeks if the state of Georgia seeks a new death warrant.

Fighting for the Rights of Voters Behind Bars

Anthony Papa, Drug Policy Alliance. September 23, 2008.

Exercising the right to vote is important part of prisoner rehabilitation, but over 5 million convicted felons are barred from doing so.