publications
March 30, 2022
California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans - Criminal Justice Panel
Nicole D. Porter, Senior Director of Advocacy, testified before the California's Reparations Task Force on the Criminal Justice Panel.
news
March 16, 2022
Opinion: Nearly 60 years after Voting Rights Act, some voter protections still undermined
Thousands of people in federal custody or who have been released still face roadblocks that prevent them from gaining full access to the ballot box. The Sentencing Project's Keeda Haynes penned an op-ed in USA Today that highlights the importance of universal suffrage.
Theresa McIntyre Smith
In 1999, Theresa Smith was arrested at an airport after she met a drug courier in Roy Mercer’s network and according to the government, identified a suitcase containing eleven kilograms of cocaine for the courier. Smith said she had been told by Mercer that the suitcase contained his nieces’ clothes. For this first-time non-violent offense, Smith was sentenced to a ten-year mandatory prison term.
publications
March 15, 2022
Too Many Locked Doors
The scope of youth confinement is vastly understated. A one-day count cannot accurately reflect the wide and deep footprint of youth incarceration.
publications
March 07, 2022
Sign-on Letter: Ensure Fair Process for "Old Law" People in Federal Process
Justice organizations urge Attorney General Merrick Garland to exercise oversight of the U.S. Parole Commission and ensure that the Commission provides a fair process for the several hundred "old law" people within its jurisdiction.
Willie Mays Aikens
In 2008, Willie Mays Aikens made headlines when a federal judge reduced his lengthy prison term to 14 years as a result of the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s adjustment to the crack cocaine sentencing guidelines. Aikens was released in June 2008.
publications
February 28, 2022
Vermont Must End Life Without Parole
Vermont must pursue new reforms to undo the harmful and ineffective warehousing of people that life sentences result in and to offer opportunities for rehabilitation and redemption.
news
February 25, 2022
Race & Justice News: Biased Criminalization of Gun Possession
Momentum is building for racial impact statement analysis of legislation in more states, public defenders oppose biased criminalization of gun possession, and more in the latest Race & Justice News.
July 26, 2017
Dr. Stanley Andrisse
From prison cells to PhD, Dr. Stanley Andrisse shares his transformation to inspire those impacted by the criminal justice system.
news
February 22, 2022
Can COVID-19 Teach Us How to End Mass Incarceration?
In the University of Miami Law Review, Amy Fettig penned an essay that examines the federal, state and local government response to the COVID-19 pandemic in prisons and what lessons can be learned in our ongoing need to decarcerate and end the era of mass incarceration.
publications
February 14, 2022
Letter to Justice Department on Appointment of Bureau of Prisons Director
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, The Sentencing Project urges the Department of Justice to hire a new Bureau of Prisons Director who is capable of and committed to leading the Bureau through systemic reform.
Andres Idarraga
After his release in June of 2004, Andres Idarraga became a full-time student at Brown University studying comparative literature and economics while maintaining full-time employment. Idarraga saw his right to vote as a significant and crucial aspect to rebuilding his life and to contributing to his community.
publications
February 09, 2022
State Action to Narrow the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Thanks to a $122 billion infusion of federal funds for public education included in the March 2021 American Rescue Plan, schools and communities have the opportunity to invest vast resources in effective new approaches to close the school-to-prison pipeline. The Sentencing Project has examined the plans submitted by every state for use of these federal funds.
publications
January 26, 2022
Testimony in Support of Maryland Bill to End Automatic Transfer of Youth to Adult Court
The Sentencing Project offered expert testimony in support of Maryland's SB165, a bill to end the automatic charging of Maryland’s youth as if they were adults.
Marlo Hargrove and David Waller
Marlo Hargrove and David Waller both successfully regained their voting rights after receiving felony convictions and serving their sentences.
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