Justice Newzzz
Capitol police and the Coup; CO AG opens grand jury investigation into Elijah McClain’s death; COVID-19 delays trials leaving people languishing in jail — your weekly justice news
News
put the cuffs away: An expert on how law enforcement’s response to Wednesday doesn’t tell us we need more police, and how putting a political problem onto police will only cause more destruction. Code Switch (Jan. 7, 2021)
One of the major bulwarks of policing is not right wing extremists, it's centrist liberalism. It's the belief that what's most important is the production of order. And the willingness to turn that problem over to police and the criminal legal system. And the kind of willful ignorance about what the consequences of that turning over are for the people who are subjected to it. So part of what's happening is a racial reckoning. That the folks who've been subjected to that system of order are unwilling to put up with it anymore. Read fully here.
double standard: A stark difference in race is apparent in the response to the Capitol insurrection and last year’s Black Lives Matter protests. AP (Jan. 7, 2021)
after them: D.C.’s acting attorney calls the scope of the investigation into Wednesday’s violence, unprecedented, but added that the lack of arrests on the scene are forcing investigators to use social media. Online civilians are sleuthing out members of the mob on Twitter. NPR (Jan. 10, 2021)
ICYMI: Biden’s administration plans to refocus on policing the police after the Trump administration weakened the DOJ’s ability to enforce reform for civil rights violations. The Washington Post (Dec. 29, 2021)
excused: The police officer who shot Jacob Blake seven times in front of his children will not be criminally charged. Last month, the Department of Justice refused to charge officers in the killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Jan. 5, 2021)
3 set for execution this week: A deep dive into the extensive trauma Lisa Montgomery experienced before killing a pregnant women. She is set to be killed on Jan. 12. Cory Johnson and Dustin John Higgs will be executed this week as well. The Marshall Project (Jan. 8, 2020) Read last week’s Des on the Trump administration’s unprecedented efforts to push through these executions.
united front: Montana saw a new and growing unified front for criminal justice reform in 2020, but the democratic governor still refused to allow large releases in the face of COVID-19. He will be replaced by a Republican best know for punching a reporter. Missoulian (Jan. 4, 2020)
Indefinite: Charged with a crime, at least 139 defendants await trial dates in D.C. jail due to COVID-19 delaying their cases. Experts say due to the back log, people could wait locked up for years to finish their trials. DCist (Jan 8, 2021)
grand jury: The Colorado attorney general announced a grand jury investigation into Elijah McClain’s death after police arrested him while he walked home from a convenience store. Colorado Newsline (Jan. 8, 2021)
COVID-19 resources: State policy changes. News. Bureau of Prisons updates. State court changes. Prison holistic self care and protection.
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