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2013
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The State of Sentencing 2012: Developments in Policy and Practice
By Porter, Nicole D..
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
“State lawmakers in at least 24 states adopted 41 criminal justice policies that in 2012 may contribute to downscaling prison populations and eliminating barriers to reentry while promoting effective approaches to public safety. This report provides an overview of recent policy reforms in the areas of sentencing, probation and parole, collateral consequences, and juvenile justice” (p. 1). Some of the sentencing changes involve relaxed mandatory minimums, the death penalty, sentence modification... Read More
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26 pages
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2013
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Children in Harm’s Way: Criminal Justice, Immigration Enforcement, and Child Welfare
By Phillips, Susan D., editor; Cervantes, Wendy, editor; Lincroft, Yali, editor; Dettlaff, Alan J., editor; Bruce, Lara, editor.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC); First Focus (Washington, DC).
“The articles in this collection provide a multifaceted look at some of the problems that potentially arise for children when the criminal justice, immigration enforcement, and child welfare systems converge in their parents’ life. They provide information and offer insights reflecting diverse perspectives and experiences and lay out a range of policy and practice reform recommendations” (p. 2). The seven chapters contained in this publication are: “Introduction: Children in Harm’s Way” by Susan... Read More
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73 pages
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2012
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Video Visits for Children Whose Parents Are Incarcerated: In Whose Best Interest?
By Phillips, Susan D..
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
'Even as advocacy groups and community organizations are pushing to remove barriers to children visiting their incarcerated parents, changes are occurring in correctional visitation practices: jails and prisons are shifting to video visitation 'visitation using real-time video conferencing technology similar to Skype (p. 3). Topics discussed in this report include: barriers to children visiting their parents; the advent of video visitation; potential benefits and limiting factors of video visita... Read More
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14 pages
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2012
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State Reforms Reducing Collateral Consequences for People with Criminal Records: 2011-2012 Legislative Round-Up
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (New York, NY); Crossroad Bible Instate (Grandville, MI); National Employment Law Project (NELP) (New York, NY); National H.I.R.E. Network (New York, NY); The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
'Collateral consequences are the additional penalties tied to a conviction that greatly impact an individual's capacity to engage politically, economically and socially upon their reentry to society. These consequences include barriers to housing, education, and employment, felony disenfranchisement, and ineligibility for public benefits. Collateral consequences are distinct from direct consequences of convictions in that they are not factored into the calculation of punishment or sentencing, an... Read More
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20 pages
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2012
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Parents in Prison: Revised [edition]
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
This report is a great place to look for information regarding the incarcerated parents of children. Sections of this publication are: overview; statistics regarding children who have parents in prison; contact with children; children’s living situations; missed opportunity for intervention; and the collateral consequences of incarceration and why they impede parenting. In 2007, 1.7 million children had a parent in prison--most of the parents being fathers.... Read More
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4 pages
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2012
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Too Good to be True: Private Prisons in America
By Mason, Cody.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
The claims that private prisons are more cost-efficient than similar publically-operated facilities are examined. Anyone thinking about contracting with a private correctional organization needs to read this report. This document discusses: the origins of private prisons; reemergence of private prison companies; developments in privatization; growth of privatization, 1999-2010; and the issues of private privatization—very little to no fiscal savings through cost containment, private prisons are ... Read More
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25 pages
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2012
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The State of Sentencing 2011: Developments in Policy and Practice
By Porter, Nicole D..
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
Individuals at the state legislative level should look at this report for ideas on how to reduce corrections costs while maintaining public safety. Topics discussed include: key criminal justice policy reforms and legislation passed in 2011; sentencing; probation and parole; collateral consequences; juvenile justice; and policy recommendations.... Read More
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26 p.
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2012
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The Lives of Juvenile Lifers: Findings from a National Survey
By Nellis, Ashley.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
This report presents data from the first survey about juvenile lifers. This is especially important since the United States is the only country in the world that incarcerates a juvenile (for) life without parole (JLWOP)—meaning this child will die in the prison. Anyone working with incarcerated children especially those for life without parole need to read this publication. Key findings are given for: socioeconomic disadvantages, education failure, and abuse; extreme racial disparities in JLWOP ... Read More
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47 pages
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2012
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Trends in U.S. Corrections
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
This is a nice set of charts showing various correctional trends. Charts show: state and federal prions population, 1925-2010; federal and state prison population, by offense, 2010; number of people in federal prisons for drug offenses, 1980.2010; number of people in prisons and jails for drug offenses, 1980 and 2010; population under control of the U.S. corrections system by facility type, 1980 and 2010; international rates of incarceration, 2011; lifetime likelihood of imprisonment; number of ... Read More
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7 pages
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2012
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To Build a Better Criminal Justice System: 25 Experts Envision the Next 25 Years of Reform
By Mauer, Marc, editor; Epstein, Kate, editor.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
It is hoped that this volume sparks a conversation regarding the adoption of a “strategy that emphasizes opportunity rather than punishment as the guiding theme of our vision for public safety … [these essays] are broad-ranging both in vision and strategy. They contain the perspectives of leading thinkers in the field … [who] look to a day where public safety is not premised in maintaining a world-record level of incarceration. But there is a diversity of views on how we might get to that point”... Read More
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68 pages
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2012
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Felony Disenfranchisement: An Annotated Bibliography
By Bronstein, Benjamin; Pierce, Jerome; Sangster, Achilles, II; Mauer, Marc, editor.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
“This bibliography provides an overview of the scholarship on felony disenfranchisement over the past two decades … it will prove useful to policymakers, scholars, journalists, and others engaged in examining this fundamental issue of democratic participation” (p. 1). Annotations are provided for 71 journal articles and five books.... Read More
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37 pages
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2012
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State-Level Estimates of Felon Disenfranchisement in the United States, 2010
By Uggen, Christopher; Shannon, Sarah; Manza, Jeff.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
“The United States is one of the world’s strictest nations when it comes to denying the right to vote to citizens convicted of crimes. A remarkable 5.85 million Americans are forbidden to vote because of “felon disenfranchisement,” or laws restricting voting rights for those convicted of felony-level crimes … [The authors’] goal is to provide statistics that will help contextualize and anticipate the potential effects of felon disenfranchisement on elections in November 2012” (p. 1). Sections of... Read More
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19 pages
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2012
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Dollars and Detainees: The Growth of For-Profit Detention
By Mason, Cody.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
Concerns regarding the expansion of federal detention supplied by private corporations are explained. Sections of this report include: federal detainees—Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS);USMS and immigrant detention; ICE, USMS, and the private prison industry; growth of privately-held detainees; a tangled web of facilities; the failings of private prison companies—substandard quality of service, political lobbying, and insignificant cost savings; and ... Read More
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24 pages
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2012
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The Affordable Care Act: Implications for Public Safety and Corrections Populations
By Phillips, Susan D..
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
“The Affordable Care Act (ACA) signed into law by the President in 2011 potentially can aid individuals who are at risk for incarceration and those who have been incarcerated through provisions that allow states to expand eligibility for Medicaid. The ACA creates new mechanisms for uninsured people to obtain coverage for physical and behavioral health care” (p. 1). This report discusses: what the ACA entails; health issues and correctional populations—cycling in and out of correctional facilitie... Read More
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14 pages
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2012
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On the Chopping Block 2012: State Prison Closings
By Porter, Nicole D..
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
The closing of state prisons is examined. “In 2012, at least six states have closed 20 prison institutions or are contemplating doing so, potentially reducing prison capacity by over 14,100 beds and resulting in an estimated $337 million in savings. During 2012, Florida led the nation in prison closings with its closure of 10 correctional facilities; the state’s estimated cost savings for prison closings total over $65 million” (p. 1). Sections of this report address: basis for closures—reductio... Read More
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12 pages
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2011
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The State of Sentencing 2010: Developments in Policy and Practice
By Porter, Nicole D..
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
Individuals at the state legislative level should look at this report for ideas on how to reduce corrections costs while maintaining public safety. Topics discussed include: key criminal justice policy reforms and legislation passed in 2010; sentencing; probation and parole; drug policy; prison census count; collateral consequences; juvenile justice; and policy recommendations.... Read More
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22 p.
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2011
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Cracked Justice
By Porter, Nicole D.; Wright, Valarie.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
Thirteen states have sentencing disparities between cocaine involved offenses, anywhere from 2- to 75-1 ratios of powder to crack. For instance, the same sentence is given in Missouri for selling 449 grams of powder cocaine as for selling two grams of crack cocaine. The critical need to address the disproportion between sentences applied to crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenses is explained. “Fiscal pressure to tighten state corrections budgets, along with mounting evidence documenting the u... Read More
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18 pages
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2011
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On the Chopping Block: State Prison Closings
By Porter, Nicole D.; Mason, Cody.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
“As a result of recent policy changes and pressures brought by the fiscal crisis, state lawmakers are closing prisons after 40 years of record prison expansion” (p. 1). Sections of this briefing paper include: introduction; state budget crisis; momentum for state sentencing reform; dilemmas of privatization; and reducing the reliance on incarceration. Also included is a chart entitled “States Closing or Considering Closing Correctional Facilities in 2011.” Closures by 13 states will result in 13... Read More
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4 pages
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2011
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State Reforms Promoting Employment of People with Criminal Records: 2010-11 Legislative Round-Up
By Rodriguez, Michelle Natividad; Farid, Elizabeth; Porter, Nicole.
National Employment Law Project (NELP) (New York, NY); The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC); National H.I.R.E. Network (New York, NY).
State reforms enacted in 2010 and 2011 “that allow qualified people with criminal records to compete more fairly for employment” are noted along with “state trends of concern that broadly restrict employment based on a criminal record” (p. 1). Policies are organized according to: inventories of collateral consequences; fair hiring and occupational licensing standards; restoration of eligibility for employment and occupational licensing; expungement and sealing of records; prohibiting discriminat... Read More
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23 pages
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2011
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Model State Legislation to Reduce Employment Barriers for People with Criminal Records
By Rodriguez, Michelle Natividad; Clark, Melanca; Porter, Nicole; Farid, Elizabeth.
National Employment Law Project (NELP) (New York, NY); The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC); National H.I.R.E. Network (New York, NY).
This resource is a set of slides from a presentation regarding the employment of ex-offenders with criminal records. Topics covered include: Federal Interagency Reentry Council activities; list of key resources; legislative roundup; raising awareness of collateral consequences through inventories; fairer hiring and occupational licensing standards; restoration of eligibility for employment and occupational licensing; expungement and sealing of criminal records; transition from incarceration to e... Read More
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39 pages
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2010
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The State of Sentencing 2009: Developments in Policy and Practice
By Porter, Nicole D..
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
Individuals at the state legislative level should look at this report for ideas on how to reduce corrections costs while maintaining public safety. Topics discussed include: key criminal justice policy reforms and legislation passed in 2009; mandatory minimum sentences; other sentencing mandates; death penalty; oversight committee; parole; juveniles; sexual offense; ease of sanctions against ex-felons; and policy recommendations.... Read More
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23 p.
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2010
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Downscaling Prisons: Lessons from Four States
By Green, Judith; Mauer, Marc.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
Policy makers in states looking to reduce the number of individuals incarcerated in their prisons should read this report. The practical ways (via policies and reforms) significant declines were achieved in the prison populations of Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York are explained. Substantial case studies are used to describe sentencing reforms, alternatives to “prison bound” people, reduction in time served in prison, parole release rates, revocation reductions, and other relevant topi... Read More
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62 p.
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2010
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Race and Justice Clearinghouse
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
“Policymakers, practitioners, and advocates” will find “information, analysis, and commentary…crucial for understand[ing] racial disparities so they can be addressed, and make the criminal justice [and juvenile justice] system[s] more fair and effective.” You can search the database by keyword (s) or by using the advanced search—text only in a particular place (i.e., title, author, abstract), publication type, publications by the Sentencing Project, stages of the criminal justice system, additio... Read More
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2 p.
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2010
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Juvenile Justice
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
Information about issues related to juvenile justice can be found at this website. Points of access include: advocacy; featured stories; publications; and news.... Read More
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2 p.
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2010
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Expanding the Vote: State Felony Disenfranchisement Reform, 1997-2010
By Porter, Nicole D..
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
An overview of felony disenfranchisement policy reform by state is provided. Since 1997 there have been 23 states that have “amended felony disenfranchisement policies in an effort to reduce their restrictiveness and expand voter eligibility” (p. 1).... Read More
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32 pages
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2010
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Deterrence in Criminal Justice: Evaluating Certainty vs. Severity of Punishment
By Wright, Valerie.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
The issue of whether more severe punishment results in increased public safety is examined. This paper covers: the conceptualization of deterrence; certainty versus severity of punishment; the failure of more severe sentences to enhance public safety; and the economic costs of more severe sentences.... Read More
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10 pages
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2009
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The State of Sentencing 2008: Developments in Policy and Practice
By King, Ryan S..
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
Legislation at the state level impacting criminal justice policies and procedures is described. Laws are organized into the following areas: probation and parole policy; drug policy; racial disparity; sentencing; felony disenfranchisement; juvenile justice; higher education in prison; and policy recommendations.... Read More
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14 p.
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2009
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Incarcerated Parents and Their Children: Trends 1991-2007
By Schirmer, Sarah; Nellis, Ashley; Mauer, Marc.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
Issues surrounding the impact of incarceration on parents and their children are discussed. Sections contained in this report include: introduction with key points; incarcerated parents -- population, marital status, and gender; minor children of incarcerated parents -- number, racial and ethnic population, and contact with parents; public policy impact; recommendations for public policy; and conclusion.... Read More
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11 p.
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2009
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Drug Courts: A Review of the Evidence
By King, Ryan S.; Pasquarella, Jill.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
The use of drug courts is assessed. Sections contained in this report are: introduction; how drug courts work -- legal framework, eligibility criteria, programming and sanctions, recidivism, cost savings, the effect of sanctions, the role of the judge, treatment, and impact on prison population; and conclusion and recommendations. While the use of drug courts results in significant benefits, "[s]till largely unknown, however, are the practices which lead to success or failure of a drug court" (... Read More
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19 p.
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2009
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The Changing Racial Dynamics of the War on Drugs
By Mauer, Marc.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
Factors behind the changes in drug offense convictions from 1999 to 2005, a 21.6% decrease for African-Americans and a 42.6% increase for whites, are investigated. Sections of this report are: overview; changing racial dynamics of incarceration for drug offenses; assessing the declining black population of drug offenses; factors contributing to the decline in African-American drug offense incarceration; the rising white proportion of drug offense prison terms; and conclusion.... Read More
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20 p.
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2009
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No Exit: The Expanding Use of Life Sentences in America
By Nellis, Ashley; King, Ryan S..
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
"This report challenges the supposition that all life sentences are necessary to keep the public safe, compared to a term of fewer years" (p. 3). Sections contained in this report are: introduction; growth in life sentences; individuals serving life sentences for crimes committed as juveniles; policies and practices that drive life sentences; the consequences of life sentences on society; and recommendations for reform.... Read More
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45 p.
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2009
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The Impact of Mandatory Sentencing Policies in the United States: Prepared for the Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Canada
By Mauer, Marc.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
This testimony addresses the experience of the U.S. in utilizing mandatory sentencing in the hope that it “will be useful in [the Committee’s] consideration of proposed changes in Canadian law” (p. 1). Points explained in Mauer’s analysis include: mandatory sentencing has failed to enhance public safety; mandatory sentencing results in excessive punishment; and mandatory sentences transfer discretion from judges to prosecutors.... Read More
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5 p.
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2009
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Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System: Prepared for the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
By Mauer, Marc.
The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
This testimony addresses the “profound impact of disproportionate rates of incarceration in communities of color” (p. 1). Topics covered include: causes of racial disparity—disproportionate crime rates, disparities in criminal justice processing, overlap of race and class effects, and impact of “race neutral” policies; and policies and practices to reduce racial and ethnic disparities—adopt racial impact statements to project unanticipated consequences of criminal justice policies, assess the ra... Read More
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8 p.
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2009
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Back on Track: Supporting Youth Reentry from Out-of-Home Placement to the Community
By Nellis, Ashley; Wayman, Richard Hooks; Schirmer, Sarah.
U.S. Dept. of Justice. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Youth Reentry Task Force (Washington, DC); National Alliance to End Homelessness (Washington, DC); The Sentencing Project (Washington, DC).
“Public safety is compromised when youth leaving out-of-home placements are not afforded necessary supportive services upon reentering their communities and are therefore at great risk to recidivate into criminal behavior” (p. 5). This report provides guidance and recommendations for achieving successful reentry services and programs. Sections following an executive summary are: introduction; characteristics of reentry youth; collateral consequences associated with out-of-home placement; essenti... Read More
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48 p.
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