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One Way To Deal With Cops Who Lie? Blacklist Them, Some DAs Say

Eli Hager Justin George

January 17, 2019 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

Across the United States, district attorney’s are creating blacklists, or “do not call” lists, of police officers that have allegedly lied, abused their power, or have been corrupted. The purpose is to prevent untrustworthy sources from testifying in court, allowing city prosecutors to build stronger cases. While many police departments and unions have opposed such lists, calling them unfair and subjective, prosecutors and communities have supported their use as a response to police misconduct.

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Durham County Dismisses Hundreds of Traffic Fines as Part of a License Restoration Effort

Sarah Willets

January 15, 2019 |

INDY Week |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Durham, North Carolina

Durham County relieved hundreds of outstanding traffic fines in an effort to restore suspended driver's licenses. The program, called Durham Expungement and Restoration (DEAR), "identified more than 11,000 people eligible to have outstanding fines dropped" from charges resulting from court absence or inability to pay a traffic ticket.

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KC court cuts down on repeat domestic violence offenders

Kevin Holmes

December 27, 2018 |

KSHB-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Municipal Court deals with over 40,000 cases of domestic violence per year, but the implementation of a compliance docket aims to reduce how many of those offenders come back to court. By forming a relationship with the people on the docket and leveraging accountability as well as requiring a series of classes, the court has been able to successfully decrease the number of reoffenders.

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Why more states are giving juvenile offenders a second chance

John Colin Marston

December 10, 2018 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

Many states are rolling back the punitive measures against youth who committed crimes that began in the 1980s and 1990s. After the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional, states are shifting their attention from incarceration to community based care and prison alternatives. Missouri, which has led the country in “community based alternatives” for youth, has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the country.

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Heroin addicts get clean through drug court intervention

Georgea Kovanis

December 07, 2018 |

Detroit Free Press |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Macomb, Michigan

At a Michigan county drug court, intense scrutiny and personalized attention for people in recovery - instead of jail time - is an approach with great promise. This in-depth look at the journey of people in the program shows its possibilities and its limitations.

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Detroit homeless court changes lives for its defendants

Aaron Mondry

November 20, 2018 |

Model D |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

Street Outreach Court Detroit is a collaboration between the courts and service providers to waive legal and financial obligations post-conviction if a person makes a commitment to an individualized action plan. These plans can include steps such as substance misuse treatment, enrolling in a workforce readiness program, and accessing housing subsidies.

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How Madeline Snyder, a trans woman in Tyler, got her driver's license fixed

Tasneem Raja

November 19, 2018 |

The Tyler Loop |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tyler, Texas

The legal process for changing your name and gender on drivers' licenses or birth certificates was—and, to a degree, still is—convoluted, expensive, and time-consuming. A grassroots movement started after the 2016 Presidential Election that used GoFundMe, Facebook, and public support to help Madeline Snyder and other trans people from Tyler, Texas change their legal documents all at once. The process wasn't always straightforward, but it had about a 75% success rate and brought with it a groundswell of support from the trans and ally communities.

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The Jim Crow Jury System Falls in New Orleans

Brentin Mock

November 08, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

An amendment passed in Louisiana does away with non-unanimous jury verdicts that have helped solidify racial discrimination in the criminal justice system since they were implemented in response to Reconstruction. Data shows black defendants were more likely to be convicted in the non-unanimous system and the votes of black jurors more likely to be silenced. Advocates said the amendment is a huge game changer against mass incarceration in Louisiana and racial discrimination.

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America's Other Family-Separation Crisis

Sarah Stillman

November 05, 2018 |

The New Yorker |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tulsa, Oklahoma

As incarceration rates of women in America continue to rise, Still She Rises, a project of the Bronx Defenders, uses a holistic approach to legal defense for incarcerated mothers in Tulsa, OK. Attorneys for the organization investigate injustices in cases and represent local, often impoverished, mothers, who face losing custody of their children in the face of the law.

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Emergency Preparedness for Prisons Isn't Just Sandbags and Non-perishables

Emma Coleman

November 02, 2018 |

New America Weekly |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005 stranded people incarcerated in the New Orleans jail without food or water, the city used the experience not to question its disaster preparedness but instead to rethink who needs to be incarcerated in the first place. By easing policies in cash bail and arrests for petty offenses, the city cut its jail population by two-thirds and replaced its flooded jail with one less than one-quarter the original size. The new policies helped inspire Louisiana to revise its sentencing standards in an effort to end its distinction for having the world's highest incarceration rate.

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