criminal injustice

Methadone Is Helpfully Understood as a Refuge From Criminalization

When I got on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) about 16 years ago, my decision had nothing to do with wanting…

May 20, 2020

Even Jails Are Decarcerating More Than State Prisons

State prisons' efforts to decarcerate during the COVID-19 crisis seem to have been eclipsed by those of county jails—despite more…

May 13, 2020

Boston DA Spat Puts Hard Questions to the “Progressive Prosecutor” Movement

Rachael Rollins is undoubtedly an exciting prosecutor. When she announced during her 2018 campaign to become Boston’s next district attorney…

May 13, 2020

Ahmaud Arbery Case: Deep Investigation Must Take On Structural Racism

The brutal killing of Ahmaud Arbery, by a retired member of law enforcement and his son in Brunswick, Georgia on…

May 12, 2020

Locked in a Crowded TV Room: Pandemic Revelations From a Federal Prison

Like many others affected by the coronavirus crisis, Simon,* a 43-year-old Black man, was confined to a room with a…

May 11, 2020

Joe Biden’s Unwelcome Plan to Expand Coerced Treatment and Drug Courts

Presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden released his “Plan for Black America” on May 4, which discussed some of the…

May 7, 2020

Alabama’s Prosecutors Want a COVID Bailout. They Shouldn’t Get It.

Court fines and fees unfairly perpetuate cycles of poverty for disadvantaged Americans, but that has not stopped many hundreds of…

May 7, 2020

Racial Disparities Widen Despite Historic-Low NYC Drug Arrests in Lockdown

New York City drug arrests hit historic lows in the weeks after Governor Andrew Cuomo initiated the state's "shelter-in-place" policy…

May 6, 2020

SSDP Conference: Ending Mass Incarceration Takes More Than Drug Policy Reform

What are the drivers of mass incarceration? It’s a complicated question, with racism and classism central to the answers. The…

May 6, 2020

Running for Office as a Prison Abolitionist in Deep-Red Indiana

Fort Wayne, a gateway to the American West that started out as a significant trade port along the Erie Canal,…

May 5, 2020