Using Technology to Erase Old Pot Convictions is the Buzz in Los Angeles
by Douglas Ankney
Prosecutors in Los Angeles are using computer algorithms to wipe out or reduce up to 50,000 old marijuana convictions, years after the drug was legalized by voters in California. The county is teaming up with Code for America, a nonprofit tech organization that uses algorithms to find otherwise hard-to-identify cases from past decades.
“This collaboration will improve people’s lives by erasing mistakes of their past and hopefully lead them on a path to a better future,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.
California voters agreed to eliminating some pot-related crimes and to erasing past convictions or reducing felonies to misdemeanors when they legalized adult marijuana use in 2016. But it is a seemingly insurmountable task to identify the estimated 200,000 cases across the state.
Those convicted have to hire lawyers to file petitions to get their records changed. In San Francisco, the office of District Attorney George Gascon began searching through thousands of old cases after only 23 people had taken advantage of the new law.
The process was painstakingly slow until Gascon heard of Code for America and the “Clear My Record” algorithm. After partnering with the group, Gascon announced last month that 9,300 cases will be erased or reduced for free.
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Source: forensicmag.com
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Using Technology to Erase Old Pot Convictions is the Buzz in Los Angeles, by Douglas Ankney
- Criticizing Cops is a Criminal Act in Many States, by Edward Lyon
- Illinois Data Collection Law Set to Expire; Collected Data Reveal Police Target Black and Latino Drivers, by Douglas Ankney
- The Many Pitfalls Associated With Police Lineups, by Edward Lyon
- Tennessee Legislature’s Investigation Finds Inadequate Supervision of Private Probation, by Derek Gilna
- If You’re Unlucky or Black, Your Prison Sentence Could Be 63 Percent Longer, by Douglas Ankney
- Prosecutors Regret Man’s Wrongful Conviction in 1983 Florida Rape and Murder
- New York Court of Appeals: Jury Trial Right Attaches to Deportable Crimes Punishable by Less Than Six Months in Jail, by David Reutter
- Ninth Circuit: Habeas Petitioner Need Only Show That IAC Claims Are Substantial to Excuse Procedural Default Under Martinez, by Chad Marks
- Pennsylvania Governor Signs Into Law New Bills to Help Convicts, Extends Postconviction Filing Time Limits
- Don’t Shoot the Dogs: The Growing Epidemic of Cops Shooting Family Dogs, by John W. Whitehead
- Dallas County Judge’s ‘Blank Check’ Warrant Questioned; Case Dismissed, by Dale Chappell
- Ninth Circuit: Washington State Accomplice Liability Drug Offenses Not ACCA Predicates, by Mark Wilson
- McDNA: The DNA Testing Equivalent to Fast Food, by Edward Lyon
- Kansas Supreme Court Overturns Sentence for Vindictiveness, by Anthony Accurso
- Eighth Circuit: Misprision of Felony Conviction of Participant in Underlying Felony Violates Fifth Amendment, by Douglas Ankney
- DEA Used Decades of Warrantless Phone Data in Building Parallel Construction Cases, by Steve Horn
- Sixth Circuit Holds IAC When Counsel Fails to Warn of Possibility of Deportation as Result of Plea Bargain, by Dale Chappell
- Oregon Supreme Court: State Prohibited From Introducing Breath Test Refusal as Evidence of DUI, by Mark Wilson
- Intoxicated Driving Convictions for Non-Drinking Drivers, by Edward Lyon
- Appointed Defense Lawyers, Public Defenders: Overworked, Underpaid, Ineffective, by Edward Lyon
- Supreme Court of Delaware: Lawyer’s Mere Presence the Day of Trial Violates Sixth Amendment Under Cronic Standard, by Chad Marks
- Sixth Circuit Rejects Kentucky Supreme Court’s Ruling That Defendant-Lawyers Are Never Without Counsel and Not Entitled to Faretta Hearing, by Dale Chappell
- NJ Supreme Court: Failure to Advise Suspect of Pending Charges Before Waiver of Right Against Self-Incrimination Requires Suppression of Statements, by Douglas Ankney
- First Circuit Vacates Revocation Sentence for Improperly Considering Rehabilitation, by Anthony Accurso
- Eighth Circuit Vacates Supervised Release Conditions Prohibiting Alcohol Consumption and Setting Curfew Not Contained in Plea Agreement, by Matthew Clarke
- Knowing Sexual Offense Facts Important; Paying Attention to Them Critical, by Sandy Rozek
- Second Circuit Rules 68-Month Delay Violates Speedy Trial Clause, by Douglas Ankney
- Pennsylvania District Court Explores the Growing Conflict Between Federal Laws, Which Still Prohibit the Use of Any Amounts of Marijuana, and State Laws, Which Increasingly Authorize the Use of Medical Marijuana and Decriminalize the Use of Small Amounts, by Punch & Jurists
- When Prosecuting Crimes by Police, Feds Appear to Move Slowly, by Edward Lyon
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- Fourth Circuit: 9-Year Increase in Guidelines Range Due to Misclassification as Career Offender Warrants § 2241 Petition to Be Heard on Merits When § 2255 Relief Unavailable, by David Reutter
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- Portion of Illinois Sex Offender Law is Unconstitutional, by Douglas Ankney
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- First Circuit: FBI’s Ruse Claiming National Emergency to Obtain Consent to Search Held Unlawful, by Douglas Ankney
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- Habeas Hints: Discovery on Habeas Corpus, by Tara Hoveland, Kent Russell
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- Fifth Circuit: ‘Nonsubstantial Overcrowding’ of Vehicle Used in Transporting Illegal Aliens Insufficient for Imposition of Sentencing Enhancement Under Guidelines § 2L1.1(b)(6), Jan. 15, 2023
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- Ninth Circuit Suppresses Evidence as Fruit of the Poisonous Tree Where Officer Lacked Probable Cause to Arrest Man Who Displayed Handgun in Open Carry State, Jan. 15, 2023
- California Court of Appeal Announces the People Are Not Entitled to Have Privately Retained Psychological Expert Testify at Trial of SVPA Petition, Jan. 15, 2023
- Connecticut Supreme Court Announces ‘John Doe’ Warrant Based on Suspect’s General Description and Partial DNA Profiles, Which May or May Not Include Suspect’s DNA, Fails to Satisfy ‘Particularity Requirement’ of Fourth Amendment, Jan. 15, 2023
- Tenth Circuit: Prisoner Convicted of Covered Drug Offense but Sentenced to Mandatory Life Sentence Via Cross Reference for Murder Under Pre-Booker Guidelines Has Standing to Request First Step Act Sentence Reduction, Jan. 15, 2023
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- People Convicted of Sex Crimes Remain Incarcerated 25 Years After Completing Their Prison Sentences, Jan. 15, 2023
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More from these topics:
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