FW: “The healing starts today”
Dianne Tramutola-Lawson
From: The Marshall Project [mailto:info=themarshall...@mail55.sea21.rsgsv.net] On Behalf Of The Marshall Project
Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2017 5:37 AM
Subject: “The healing starts today”
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Opening Statement |
Edited by Andrew Cohen |
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Opening Statement is our pick of the day’s criminal justice news. Not a subscriber? Sign up. For original reporting from The Marshall Project, visit our website. |
Michael Slager pleads guilty to federal civil rights charges in shooting death of Walter Scott. The plea deal ends two pending criminal cases against the former South Carolina police officer who shot Scott in the back two years ago. The Washington Post Slager admitted to unreasonably using deadly force and now faces anything from a life sentence to time served in federal custody. After his plea he was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs by federal marshals. The Post and Courier Scott’s family calls the deal a victory for civil rights, saying “the healing starts today.” The New York Times Related: Read the plea agreement. U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina “Why don’t we know more about it, and why isn’t it being stopped?” Roughly 17,000 school sex assaults were reported during a four-year period from 2011 to 2015 but the real toll is likely far larger, an extensive investigation reveals. Many young victims are afraid to come forward and even when they do too few adults come to help. There is no federal requirement for elementary and secondary schools to report such attacks and many school officials fail or refuse to do so for fear of liability. That’s true even in those states that do require such reporting. Associated Press At the intersection of capitalism and undocumented immigration. Case Farms, a giant chicken processing company, hosts one of the nation’s most dangerous workplaces. It’s even more so for the undocumented immigrants who work at the plant. The company takes advantage of their illegal status twice. First, it underpays them for their work, threatening to report them to federal officials if they fight for better conditions or more pay. Then it washes its hands of those employees if they get injured on the job. ProPublica Related: A fine line between protection and prejudice for migrant workers in Washington. High Country News Are body cameras a step toward predictive policing? Taser International, now known as Axon, made news a few months ago with its broad marketing plan to give police department free cameras and a year’s worth of free data storage. But the company also is investing in artificial intelligence with an apparent view toward leveraging its cloud data to “anticipate criminal activity.” And with that could come explicit and implicit biases. The Intercept “The world of science is saying this is not valid, and we actually use this pseudo science against citizens of this nation.” The FBI’s hair-evidence scandal is still around, years after the initial revelations of the use of flawed science, but prosecutors around the country are slow in telling defendants news that could result in new trials or vacated convictions. Last year, FBI Director James Comey implored governors to prod local prosecutors to move more quickly to solve the problem. Here’s what it looks like in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Watch
The feds reportedly will not charge the police officers who shot and killed Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, last summer. The Washington Post More: Local officials there say they are more prepared than they were before to handle protests. The Advocate Related: The Texas cop who shot Jordan Edwards was fired Tuesday. The New York Times The victim’s family says it’s just a start. Dallas Morning News Where in the world are 100 Colorado prisoners state officials have transferred out of state without telling anyone (like the families of victims) where they were headed. 9News Homicide detectives in Baltimore, Maryland, have begun investigating drug overdose deaths and a thousand patrol officers are being trained by the feds to respond to overdose scenes. The Baltimore Sun The former Texas prosecutor who used discredited arson forensics to send Cameron Todd Willingham to his death stands trial for failing to disclose a deal with a dubious snitch who cinched the conviction. The Intercept TMP Context: Our 2014 story on the case The Marshall Project and our 2015 report on new details of the prosecutor’s conduct The Marshall Project, both investigated and reported by Maurice Possley. What it’s like being a game warden battling illegal marijuana grows in the woods and wilds of California. The Crime Report
There are criminal justice actors more powerful than prosecutors. Legislators. Judges. Governors. They can impose sweeping reforms that district attorneys simply can’t. Here is original TMP commentary from Jeffrey Bellin, a professor and former prosecutor. The Marshall Project Garbage in, garbage out. It’s ridiculously easy for the FBI to open an investigation. Which means data on opened investigations has become largely meaningless. Just Security Why the NRA has been a disaster for black Americans. The association’s push to get more guns into the hands of more people conveniently ignores the biases that lead to more black men being shot as “threats.” Mother Jones Breaking the dependency on plea bargaining. Prosecutors have way too much power in negotiating plea deals. But there are problems with the alternatives, too. The Atlantic The sins of the children visited on the parents. On the harmful practice of charging “juvenile administrative fees” in California. University of California, Berkeley School of Law More: Sacramento County will stop charging parents for their kids’ detention. Sacramento Bee TMP Context: Pay-To-Stay. The Marshall Project
Alternative Fact of the Day: Attorney General Jeff Sessions says 42 percent of all federal criminal cases involve non-Americans. What he doesn’t say is that in half of those cases the only crimes are immigration crimes. The Washington Post Related: The feds want more data on undocumented immigrants in state prisons. Department of Justice Interview of the Day: In which Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (and member of the Marshall Project’s advisory board), discusses the death penalty in light of last month’s executions in Arkansas. NPR Related: Here’s more about Kent Scheidegger, a leading voice for more executions. Pacific Standard Restorative Justice of the Day: Can it work in Chicago to reduce the number of juveniles caught in cycles of incarceration? The Atlantic Book Excerpt of the Day: Nick Bilton’s new book chronicles the rise and fall of Silk Road’s Ross Ulbricht. Vanity Fair History of the Day: Here’s the story of Anna Sheerin Lowe, Minnesota’s first female sheriff, known 100 years later for trying to enforce Prohibition. MinnPost |
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