by Betty Nelander
A look back at 2018 reveals death-penalty usage in the United States trending downward for the fourth consecutive year, according to a year-end report by the Death Penalty Information Center (“DPIC”). Executions numbered fewer than 30, and death sentences dropped below 50.
Even Texas, the “capital ...
by Betty Nelander
The tide is changing on police accountability and transparency in California with the passage and signing of the California Records Act (“SB-1421”) and Assembly Bill 748.
But SB-1421, which was scheduled to take effect January 1, 2019, has encountered pushback.
At least one community (Inglewood) has ...
by Betty Nelander
Anew Illinois law aims to bring transparency to the use of jailhouse snitches, which are the main cause of wrongful convictions nationwide and the cause of at least 17 wrongful convictions in that state alone.
Dubbed the “nation’s strongest jailhouse informant bill,” Senate Bill 1830 requires reliability ...
by Betty Nelander
Clemente Aguirre-Jarquin of Altamante Springs, Florida, was recently exonerated and freed after spending 14 years in prison, including 10 on death row, for double murder.
“An innocent man was almost executed for a crime he did not commit,” said Josh Dubin, one of the lawyers representing Aguirre-Jarquin. ...
by Betty Nelander
Washington Governor Jay Inslee aims to nip draconian marijuana incarceration in the bud — at least for those behind bars for possessing a small amount of it.
“We shouldn’t be punishing people for something that is no longer illegal in Washington state,” he tweeted. “It is time ...
by Betty Nelander
The TigerText app that permanently erases messages after a set time period has triggered controversy in Long Beach, California. There, the police department suspended use of it after its use was exposed by the media. What may have been sent using the self-erasing texting app remains unknown. ...
by Betty Nelander
Demonstrators who protested the police killings of black men in north Texas are crying blue privilege as the officers involved remained free in mid-September. In fact, nine of them who were exercising their First Amendment right to demonstrate outside AT&T Stadium were placed behind bars while officers ...
Exonerees can receive a special tax refund, thanks to a federal law that allows exonerees to recoup taxes paid on damages or restitution they received for their wrongful convictions.
However, the deadline for filing a claim — December 17, 2018 — is looming.
Among those spreading the word is Jon Eldan, who leads the ...
by Betty Nelander
Gov. Jerry Brown hailed a sweeping cash bail elimination law in California as landmark, years-in-the-making legislation to fairly treat “rich and poor alike.” Whether it will keep more people out of jail remains to be seen.
The California Money Bail Reform Act makes California the first state ...
by Betty Nelander
Louisiana’s 71 death-row prisoners are in limbo after a federal judge in that state ordered that a stay of executions be extended at least until July 18, 2019.
The order by U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick was requested by the state. To continue with litigation challenging the ...
