7th Circuit won’t overrule precedent barring female inmate’s challenge of strip searches as training exercise

Female prisoners in Illinois can't sue under the Fourth Amendment for being forced to show their genitals in a training exercise, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Jul 19, 2019 1:15 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Unlicensed PD’s clients stick with plea deals; lawyer a no-show at sentencing

• Defendants whose plea bargains were handled by an unlicensed public defender in Madison County, Illinois, apparently aren’t interested in a do-over. All but one of the defendants whose cases involved jail time stuck with the same deal they received when the cases were handled by unlicensed law grad Kelcie…

Jul 15, 2019 4:45 PM CDT

Court overturns jail sentence by judge who said he wanted to protect fetus from defendant’s drug use

A Michigan appeals court has ordered a new sentence and a new judge for a pregnant woman whose sentencing judge said he wanted to keep her in jail until she gave birth to make sure her drug use didn’t harm the fetus. The Michigan Court of Appeals ordered a new…

Jul 11, 2019 10:17 AM CDT

Death sentences show slight uptick in 2018 after big decline, new report says

Death sentences imposed in the United States dropped to 31 in 2016, before rising slightly to 39 in 2017 and 42 in 2018, according to a new report citing estimates by the Death Penalty Information Center.

Jul 10, 2019 3:42 PM CDT

Diversion sentencing may offer an alternative path to justice—but how fair is it?

Reform-minded prosecutors throughout the country, particularly ones who promised to reduce imprisonment rates, are turning to diversion to resolve criminal charges.

Jul 2, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

This state is set to expunge nearly 800,000 marijuana convictions in 2020

Illinois residents will automatically receive clemency for convictions of up to 30 grams of cannabis after a new state law goes into effect in 2020. The Cannabis Regulation & Tax Act, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week, makes cannabis legal for people age 21 and older and offers relief…

Jul 1, 2019 3:54 PM CDT

Sowing seeds: Artika Tyner uses education to nurture social change

A trio of early influences led Artika Tyner to what she calls her life mission—promoting literacy, training the next generation of leaders and advancing diversity and inclusion as the founder of the Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute.

Jul 1, 2019 1:20 AM CDT

Aug. 6, 1890: First execution by electric chair

As an opponent of capital punishment, Thomas Edison had no interest in pursuing capital electrocution. Still, Edison found a way to benefit.

Jul 1, 2019 1:00 AM CDT

Formerly incarcerated people are building their own businesses and giving others second chances

Formerly incarcerated people have a difficult time separating themselves from their criminal histories, which makes getting jobs a struggle. Even when they’re eligible to get their records sealed or expunged, most don’t go through the process because they are either unaware of how to do it or lack the legal help they need to get it done.

Jul 1, 2019 12:30 AM CDT

Millions of minor criminal cases in this state will be automatically wiped from public databases

An automated computer process will begin sealing millions of criminal records from public databases Friday as a result of Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate law. The law is the first in the nation to automatically seal some criminal records using technology, report the Morning Call, the CLS Blog and a joint story…

Jun 28, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

How to help people with criminal records break barriers to employment

Jun 26, 2019 11:55 AM CDT

First Step offers prison release, then possible deportation, for noncitizens

President Donald Trump convened a news conference last week to celebrate the release of 3,000 federal prisoners on July 19 as part of the First Step Act. But not all of those inmates will actually walk free: 750 noncitizens could well face deportation.

Jun 19, 2019 11:30 AM CDT

Famous criminologist’s incorrect testimony about bloody towel leads to overturned convictions

The Connecticut Supreme Court overturned 30-year-old murder convictions of two men Friday because the state failed to correct a well-known criminologist’s testimony that a red substance on a towel in the victim’s home had tested positive for blood. The court unanimously overturned the convictions of Shawn Henning and Ralph Birch,…

Jun 18, 2019 11:32 AM CDT

Lawyer who pleaded guilty in ‘wrecking ball’ scheme to sue porn downloaders gets prison sentence

A federal judge in Minneapolis scolded a suspended lawyer for his abuse of trust as she sentenced him Friday to 14 years in prison for a scheme to sue porn downloaders. U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen said the former Prenda Law lawyer Paul Hansmeier had taken advantage of the courts,…

Jun 17, 2019 9:11 AM CDT

This state is expected to become the first to collect prosecutor data, with breakdowns by race

Connecticut is expected to become the first state to collect statewide criminal case data from prosecutors broken down by the defendants’ race, sex, ethnicity, age and ZIP code. In votes in late May and early June, Connecticut legislators unanimously approved the transparency bill known as SB 880, report the Associated…

Jun 14, 2019 7:00 AM CDT