By Kristie Thompson When a child is removed from their home as a result of abuse or neglect allegations they are typically placed into foster care.[1] Over the past few years there has been an increase in placing children in alternative care arrangements often referred to as “hidden foster care” or “diversion.”[2] In such cases, parents are often given two alternatives as soon as … Continue reading Hidden Foster Care
By Frank Morris The theory that correcting racial and other demographic disparities in the administration of criminal justice can be achieved by electing reformist prosecutors who promise to use their broad discretionary and nolle prosequi privileges to reduce incarceration—so-called “progressive prosecution”—has gained traction in recent years.[1] The election of progressive prosecutors such as Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, Kim Ogg in Houston, and Rachel Rollins in Boston … Continue reading The Potential Pitfalls of Progressive Prosecution
By Zach Lisner The Problem When it comes to sentencing, who should have control? Currently, our nation is divided in every aspect; criminal sentencing is no exception. For most of our nation’s legal history, judges were entrusted by citizens to decide what an individual’s sentence was, based on the crime and specific circumstances. However, after the crime waves of the 1970s, Congress reacted with the … Continue reading Should Mandatory Minimum Penalties Be Mandatory?
By Claudia Leonor For violators of criminal law, the process of stigmatization begins with arrest and conviction.[1] Arrest and conviction create “a panoply of economic, social, and political post-conviction penalties . . . intended to assure that the shame of incarceration is not forgotten or avoided.”[2] A felony conviction, in particular, carries collateral civil consequences that condemn a criminal offender to a lifetime of second-class … Continue reading Felony Convictions: The Disenfranchisement and Disempowerment of Black Communities
By: Albert Gutierrez Filing for bankruptcy can be beneficial for many debtors who do not have the ability to pay off their debts and struggle to keep up with their financial obligations.[1] Some advantages of filing for bankruptcy include the automatic stoppage of debt collection activities, the cancellation of some acquired debts, the ability to exempt certain property and possessions, and a clean slate to … Continue reading Looming Risk of Healthcare Crisis Amid the Nearing End of the Pandemic Health Emergency
By: Kiana Gilcrist Research shows that black women are disproportionately impacted by domestic violence.[1] 58 percent of black females who knew their offender were killed by a current or former intimate partner.[2] Further, for women of color and their families experiencing higher rates of poverty and lower rates of financial stability, fewer options for safety exist for them when they are attempting to escape abuse.[3] … Continue reading Domestic Violence effects on African-Americans
By: Bushra Haque The pandemic is finally seeming to come to an end. The majority of the nation is vaccinated and have received their booster, and increased vaccine access will continue to keep people protected against COVID-19.[1] However, we cannot celebrate too much just yet, because there is another health crisis on the horizon— millions of people are at risk of losing healthcare coverage.[2] During … Continue reading Looming Risk of Healthcare Crisis Amid the Nearing End of the Pandemic Health Emergency
By: Katie Rose Should we, as a society, be allocating funds into safe drug use or put those funds toward rehabilitation, education, and prevention? In a sense, the logic behind providing and promoting safe drug use is to prevent harm and minimize the risk of drug related death, but the real harm is in enabling addicts and users to keep using. In the past two … Continue reading Safe Drug Use Is Not the Answer
By: Haley Edmonds Last year, President Biden debuted the “Justice40” initiative, which sets out to advance environmental justice (“EJ”) by funneling 40% of all federal environment- and climate-related funds to “disadvantaged” communities.[1] This initiative has drawn recent attention due to the contentious methodology used in the proposed EJ screening tool, which designates a given census track as “disadvantaged” if it meets a series of socioeconomic … Continue reading “Don’t say Race:” Why is Biden Taking a Colorblind Approach to Environmental Justice?
By: Callie Keen On March 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization of 2022 into law.[1] The reauthorization of this Act extends protections and resources to victims of domestic violence across the nation.[2] In particular, the Act seeks to address an issue wherein the United States justice system has consistently failed victims of domestic violence: legal recourse for American Indian and … Continue reading Domestic Violence on Tribal Land: Increasing Access to Legal Recourse for Native American and Alaska Native Women
