Gun violence reaches new highs in recent memory Philadelphia and Baltimore are some of the most troubling cities. Some residents say they want to be able to carry guns because it would make them feel safer but doing so could result in young people getting ahold of those weapons and arming themselves. NPR (Aug. 29, 2022)
President Joe Biden traveled to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Tuesday to discuss funding police and crime prevention efforts across the country. He laid out a $37 billion budget proposal for Congress that plans to focus on hiring and retaining officers, intervention strategies and improving the criminal justice system. Biden also spoke on enforcing gun laws through Biden’s Safer American plan. Spectrum News 1 (Aug. 29, 2022)
Sandra Quinone, a pregnant inmate in California, lost her baby after jail employees stopped at Starbucks for a coffee run in March of 2016. Last week, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to pay $480,000 to settle the civil lawsuit over the delayed care. Washington Post (Aug. 29, 2022)
Some of the largest wireless carriers like AT&T and Verizon not only know where you are when you make a phone call or use a data connection but they keep your location for years and provide it to law enforcement. CNN (Aug. 29, 2022)
A mass school shooting in Kentucky in 1997 left three students dead and another five others wounded. The teen shooter, now an adult, is up for parole forcing the victims and families to confront the tough question of forgiveness of a teen shooter who claimed bullying. Washington Post (Aug. 28, 2022)
DC-area sniper Lee Boyd Malvo must be resentenced. Maryland Court of Appeals based the ruling on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions relating to constitutional protections for juveniles. Malvo was sentenced to six life sentences, but it is unlikely he’ll be released from custody due to serving separate life sentences. DCist (Aug.29, 2022)
Florida Judge received national attention for denying a 17-year-old an abortion due to her grades. As a result of that, Judge Jared Smith lost his re-election bid on Tuesday against attorney Nancy Jacobs. Bolts (Aug. 25, 2022)
San Francisco, DA, Brooke Jenkins backs out of the release of a man many believe to be wrongly convicted. Jenkins sought to postpone the resentencing hearing for Ronnie Louvier, who is serving a life sentence for a shooting of 17-year-old Marquise Washington. Davis Vanguard (Aug. 31, 2022)
An anti-death penalty group alleges that Alabama corrections officials botched an inmate’s execution last month. The group said that his arm may have been cut to find a vein for the lethal injection. AP (Aug. 31, 2022)
Mothers who lose their babies and test positive for drugs can end up in jail. Over 50 women have been prosecuted in the United States since 1999 for testing positive for drugs after a miscarriage or stillbirth. Since Roe fell, the number could increase. Washington Post (Sep. 1, 2022)
Prison chaplain who sexually abused inmates was sentenced Wednesday to seven years. James Theodore Highhouse forced inmates seeking spiritual guidance to have sex with him. AP (Sep. 1, 2022)
NEW: I chatted with rapper Mac Phipps about spending 21 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit, after prosecutors used his lyrics as evidence.
— Sam Levin (@SamTLevin) September 4, 2022
"Art allows us to escape from reality. When that escape mechanism is criminalized, it’s an atrocity."https://t.co/xOZzR3ls2q
justice from the frontlines: June 4, 2023 officer impersonation Maryland State Police issued a warning, alerting the public that impersonators are making phone calls acting
justice from the frontlines: May 22, 2023 Tougher Sentences and Limited Early Release Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed new legislation that includes measures to streamline
MD has one of the highest rates of prisoners sentenced as kids; D.C. murder rates top decade high; Detective who shot 17-year-old in Baltimore identified
Lonyae started working as a Research and Reporting Intern for The Des in August 2022. She is a senior at Texas Christian University, pursuing a degree in Journalism with a minor in Writing. At The Des she is most excited for working with new staff, expanding her storytelling skills in her writing as well as expanding her knowledge in the criminal justice system.