By Joshua Kaiser Americans think we know an awful lot about our penal system. Yet policymakers, jurists, academics, offenders, and the public alike remain largely ignorant of more than 35,000 hidden sentence laws across the nation. “Hidden sentence” refers to any punishment imposed by law as a direct result of criminal status, but not as part of a formally recognized, … [Read more...] about Revealing the Hidden Sentence: How to Add Transparency, Legitimacy, and Purpose to “Collateral” Punishment Policy
criminal justice reform
Another Perspective on Community Policing
By Ronald E. Hampton* Many African-Americans today believe that law and order is not being kept in their communities. The average African-American citizen is terribly dissatisfied with the police and their services in his/her neighborhood. However, in some parts of America, there is an ongoing effort to dramatically reshape the roles of both police officers and the … [Read more...] about Another Perspective on Community Policing
That’s Him, I Think; The Role of the Police in Eyewitness Identification Reform
By Chief William G. Brooks III* In the words of U.S. Supreme Court justice William Brennan, there is "nothing more convincing than a live human being who takes the stand, points a finger at the defendant, and says 'That's the one!'" But we now know that such compelling evidence can be wrong. According to the Innocence Project, of the 336 prisoners freed after DNA proved … [Read more...] about That’s Him, I Think; The Role of the Police in Eyewitness Identification Reform