by Jo Ellen Not
A University of Oregon study, “Decreased accuracy of forensic DNA mixture analysis for groups with lower genetic diversity” published in Volume 27, Issue 11, 111067 of iScience in November 2024 by researchers at the University of Oregon, discusses the significant limitations in forensic DNA analysis when ...
by Jo Ellen Nott
A research team at Sweden’s Lund University unveiled an AI-driven system in a paper first released on October 7, 2024, titled “Microbiome Geographic Population Structure (mGPS) Detects Fine-Scale Geography.” mGPS uses microorganisms to trace the geographical origins of people or objects.
Acting as a global positioning ...
by Jo Ellen Nott
The First Step Act (“FSA”), enacted in 2018, aimed to reduce recidivism and reform federal sentencing practices.
A recent report by the Council on Criminal Justice (“CCJ”) showed modest reductions in time served by individuals released under the FSA compared to those released before its implementation. ...
by Jo Ellen Nott
The Chicago Police Department (“CPD”) has sidestepped both legal and constitutional mandates of the last 10 years by shifting its focus from pedestrian to traffic stops, a practice which allows the agency to continue racial profiling and commit civil rights violations. This maneuvering came on the ...
by Jo Ellen Nott
To no one’s surprise, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) documents about use of force incidents over the six years from 2015 to 2021 were not readily available to the public. ICE leans heavily on the nine exemptions provided by the Freedom of Information Act to keep ...
by Jo Ellen Knott
Forensic laboratories screen for drugs using a combination of presumptive and confirmatory tests. The presumptive test indicates the presence or absence of a drug and is usually done in the field by law enforcement using colorimetric tests. The confirmatory testing is usually done in a lab ...
by Jo Ellen Nott
A new study, “On the Robustness of Black Americans’ Support for the Police: Evidence from a National Experiment” published in the May-June 2024 issue of the Journal of Criminal Justice, challenges the dominant narrative that Black Americans want less policing.
The research done by criminal justice ...
by Jo Ellen Nott
In a controversial move among its “get tough on crime” measures advanced in the February special legislative session, Louisiana became the first state to permit surgical castration as a punishment for sex crimes under a new law signed by Republican Governor Jeff Landry on June 11, ...
by Jo Ellen Nott
Axon announced the launch of Draft One, a technology that the company calls its newest public safety product, on April 23, 2024. This AI system generates police reports from the audio of body-worn cameras and has raised concerns that the technology could worsen existing issues in ...
by Jo Ellen Nott
On June 17, 2024, Democratic Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order in Annapolis to issue more than 175,000 pardons for low-level marijuana convictions, seeking to rectify “historical wrongs” tied to marijuana enforcement. The pardons cover all simple marijuana possession charges and possession of drug paraphernalia ...
