PM Stories
The decline and fall of the American death penalty Ian Millhiser, Vox
The Florida Supreme Court Is Radically Reshaping Death Penalty Law Jordan Smith, The Intercept
Police Defunding and Legal Shrooms? Justice Reform Faces Hard Questions in 2021 Ruairí Arrieta-Kenna, Politico
DA Gascón’s Push For Shorter Prison Terms Runs Into Resistance From Judges, Prosecutors Frank Stoltze, LAist
Prosecutors’ Association Plans to Fight DA Gascón’s New Directives City News Service
Editorial: Correct California’s irrational criminal sentencing Los Angeles Times
Hotbeds of Infection: How ICE Detention Contributed to the Spread of COVID-19 in the United States Gregory Hooks and Bob Libal, Detention Watch Network
Inspection of Otay Mesa Detention Center finds deficiencies, including medical care Kate Morrissey, Los Angeles Times
Nearly every inmate in Alaska’s largest prison has now had COVID-19, officials say Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News
Sick, elderly prisoners are at risk for COVID-19. A new DC law makes it easier for them to seek early release. Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post
How Thousands of American Laws Keep People ‘Imprisoned’ Long After They’re Released Reuben Jonathan Miller, Politico
Criminal justice reform can start with employers who give felons a second chance Jeff Korzenik, CNN Business
The Fight Over Who Gets to Sell Weed in New Jersey Aymann Ismail, Slate
Celebrities, cash and questions: A new force roils the cannabis prisoner-release movement Mona Zhang, Politico
AM Stories
Trump Is Pardoning His Friends While Ignoring Pleas From Death Row Nathalie Baptiste, Mother Jones
Outside Trump’s Inner Circle, Odds Are Long for Getting Clemency Frances Robles, New York Times
Trump’s execution spree reflects death penalty system ‘shaped by racial bias,’ critics say Kristine Phillips, USA Today
Will Biden Use His Powers to Crush the Death Penalty? Andrew Cohen, New York Magazine
Biden’s First Justice Duty: Commute All Federal Death Sentences James M. Doyle, The Crime Report
Five ways Biden can jumpstart criminal justice reform immediately Nick Turner, The Hill
2 Judges On How Better Sentencing Data Could Make Meaningful Criminal Justice Reform NPR
Ohio police officer fired in fatal shooting of Black man Farnoush Amiri, AP News
Can More Black Cops Help Reduce Crime? Stewart J. D’Alessio and Lisa Stolzenberg, The Crime Report
A pandemic sped Baltimore’s push toward fewer arrests. It didn’t quell the murders, even if crime did slow in 2020. Justin Fenton and Tim Prudente, Baltimore Sun
Cuyahoga County saw fewest criminal trials in decades due to the COVID-19 pandemic Cory Shaffer, Cleveland.com
‘Cops and Robbers’ on Netflix, a Must-See Animated Short About Racial Justice John Serba, Decider