Crime Story Daily

This is a curated selection of highlights from Crime Story Daily this week. On the criminal justice policy front: Rolling Stone reports that this week marked the 50-year anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s declaration, on June 17, 1971, of the so-called “war on drugs.” In a special address to Congress, Nixon promised a coordinated federal response to drug addiction, which he described as a “national emergency” that “destroys lives, destroys families, and destroys communities.” But five decades and hundreds of billions of dollars later, the war on drugs has done nothing to curb addiction in the US. Instead, it has...

PM Stories Absent Biden Policy, Justice Department Pursues Death Penalty in Boston Bombing Case Akela Lacy, The Intercept Biden’s silence on executions adds to death penalty disarray Michael Tarm, Washington Post Ayanna Pressley Calls Out Biden’s DOJ for Moving to Reinstate the Death Penalty Sharon Zhang, Truthout Jewish groups condemn Arizona’s potential use of gas executions Erik Ortiz, NBC News ‘They let people die’: US prisons bureau denied tens of thousands compassionate release during COVID Keri Blakinger and Joseph Neff, The Guardian Dozens who died in Texas prisons during the pandemic had been granted parole, new report shows Jolie McCullough, Texas Tribune ‘More harm than good’:...

PM Stories To celebrate Juneteenth, elect officials focused on ending mass incarceration Kristen Broady and Anthony Barr, Brookings Institution The Chains of Slavery Still Exist in Mass Incarceration Kica Matos and Jamila Hodge, Vera Institute of Justice Where mental illness and criminal justice meet Editorial Board, Boston Globe Mentally Ill and Sentenced to Death Tovah Strong, Texas Observer Out Of Sight Shannon Heffernan, WBEZ Bureau of Prisons Rejected Thousands of Requests for Compassionate Release During the Pandemic WNYC Racial Disparities Persist in Youth Justice System: Panel Gabriela Felitto, The Crime Report ‘Life Without Parole Isn’t Making Us Any Safer’ Mark Boyer, Asaf Kastner, and Brian Dawson, New...

PM Stories COVID-19 and the Struggle for Health Behind Bars Homer Venters, Brennan Center for Justice Why Lockdowns Can’t Protect People in Prison From Deadly Viruses Annalena Wolcke, The Crime Report SCOTUS deals a gutting blow to federal criminal justice reform Bonnie Kristian, The Week US urges court to reimpose Boston bomber’s death sentence Alanna Durkin Richer, AP News Joe Biden’s Craven Death Penalty Reversal in the Boston Bomber Case Austin Sarat, Slate Biden Could Have Taken the War on Drugs Down a Notch. He Didn’t. Beth Schwartzapfel, The Marshall Project The $2 Drug Test Keeping Inmates in Solitary CJ Ciaramella, Reason Democrats Introduce Bill to End...

PM Stories Incarcerated People Faced Huge Disparities Trying to Flee COVID-19 In Prisons Zoe Tillman, BuzzFeed News ‘Impact of this trauma will stay with us forever’ – San Quentin Resident Reflects on COVID-19 Aparna Komarla, Davis Vanguard ‘That ain’t justice’: Case backlog, jail conditions frustrate people in Philly’s criminal justice system Aaron Moselle, WHYY As Philly tops two dozen exonerations, city may face tens of millions in civil liability Samantha Melamed, Philadelphia Inquirer The False Hope of the Progressive-Prosecutor Movement Darcy Covert, The Atlantic Supreme Court: First Step Act snubs some drug offenders Josh Gerstein, Politico Supreme Court rejects retroactive sentence reductions for small amounts of...

PM Stories Trump Went on an Execution Spree. Biden Can Make Sure That Doesn’t Happen Again. Nathalie Baptiste, Mother Jones President Biden Must End the Federal Death Penalty Kevin Sabet, Newsweek Nevada plans to use 3 or 4 drugs for late-July execution Ken Ritter, AP News How young is too young for a death sentence? Christa Pike fights move to set execution date Travis Dorman, Knoxville News Sentinel After Grace’s Story, Michigan Will Study Its Juvenile Justice System Jodi S. Cohen and Dave Boucher, ProPublica I wrote about kids sentenced to life without parole, then the letters from prison started Austin Sarat, USA Today Prosecutors need...