Current Events Archive

  • In the wake…

    After last night’s grand jury announcement of no indictment, and after last week’s police-shooting of Akai Gurley in East New York, we wanted to re-share a bunch of resources that were compiled and circulated in August, after the police-shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. “Documents Released […]

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  • In the News: Solitary Confinement

    Prompted by recent federal lawsuits, New York State has recently agreed to significant changes in its use of solitary confinement in state prisons, including guidelines for the maximum length an inmate may be placed in solitary confinement, and ending or limiting the use of solitary confinement […]

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  • New York State to support college education in Prison

    Check out the announcement from Governor Andrew Cuomo, made February 16, 2014, to provide college programs (associates and bachelors) in ten New York State facilities. Here is coverage of the announcement from Inside Higher Ed. Federal legislation in 1994 eliminated Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated […]

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  • De Blasio to Name Bratton as NYPD Commissioner

    According to The New York Times, NYC Mayor-elect Bill De Blasio is set to  announce that William J. Bratton will serve as the next Commissioner of the New York City Police Department. Bratton previously served as Commissioner of the NYPD under Mayor Giuliani from 1994-1996, […]

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  • Herman Wallace (1941-2013)

    In Memoriam. Herman Wallace passed away early this morning, October 4, 2013, just three days after being released from Angola Prison, where he spent more than four decades in solitary confinement. Almost immediately upon his incarcerated for armed robbery  in  1971, Along with  Albert Woodfox […]

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  • The Costs of Incarceration

    Incarceration is a costly business. Recent studies have revealed just how expensive it is for states and localities to incarcerate men and women (and children) in prisons and jails. Here is the recent article in The New York Times: Marc Santora, “City’s Annual Cost Per […]

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  • “Dealing with Crime in New York”

    As New Yorkers head to the polls this fall to elect a new Mayor, the issue of criminal justice is front and center. In the Opinion Section’s “Room for Debate,” The New York Times has published the suggestions of  six experts (including several CUNY faculty – Maria […]

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  • Featured Analysis — The Problem with a Good Thing: Dangers of Demanding Justice, by Rachel Wahl

    Police officers locking the gate of a police station, during a protest condemning the rape of a 23-year-old woman. Photo cropped. (Tsering Topgyal / AP) The Problem with a Good Thing: Dangers of Demanding Justice Rachel Wahl   “Hold police accountable for rapes” cries out […]

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  • Racial Gap in Men’s Sentencing

    “Prison sentences of black men were nearly 20% longer than those of white men for similar crimes in recent years, an analysis by the U.S. Sentencing Commission found.” Joe Palazzolo, “Racial Gap in Men’s Sentencing,” The Wall Street Journal. February 14, 2013. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324432004578304463789858002.html For the […]

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  • “Prison and the Poverty Trap”

    Check out the latest article in The New York Times’ “Time and Punishment” series. According to recent studies, “while crime may initially decline in places that lock up more people, within a few years the rate rebounds and is even higher than before.” “The shift […]

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