Time for Another Criminal Justice Week

Getting this in before we get too far into March Madness

There have been a host of stories in recent days about criminal justice issues, way more than could fit into one newsletter. So I’m planning on three (at least).

On Monday, I want to dig deeply into this chart from the Prison Policy Initiative. It shows a breakdown of all incarcerated individuals whether in local, state, or federal jurisdiction.

Breaking the issue down in this detail allows us to explore who really needs to be incarcerated. It also keeps us from assuming that everyone incarcerated is the same.

On Wednesday, I’ll dig into the Department of Justice’s report on problem behavior of the Louisville Police Department. It shouldn’t be surprising, but the kinds of egregious behaviors like the shooting of Breonna Taylor (or for that matter, Tyre Nichols) are not one-off behaviors but things that build from long-time abuses of law enforcement. Such a recognition can help us separate bad actors/systems and avoid pigeon-holing all police officers.

On Friday, I want to think about sentencing. First, there was the whole issue of the District of Columbia Council trying to revise various criminal justice statutes. This was attacked for reducing sentences for violent carjackings (among other things) and was characterized as being soft on crime. But we need to consider where those original sentencing guidelines came from. Do they have a logical basis beyond demonstrating a “tough on crime” approach? I’ll also consider the role of plea bargaining which, as George Will noted this morning, occurs in 95% of prosecutions. What do we expect sentences to achieve? Is there a reason for people to be incarcerated beyond what could be considered an “effective” sentence?

Oh, in case I haven’t said it enough Boiler Up!