by Casey Bastian
A Loyola University Chicago study, which was funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, closely examined a 2017 Cook County, Illinois, bail reform initiative and its impact on public safety.
All too often, critics of bail reform assert a stale mantra that more pretrial …
by Casey Bastian
Repeated attempts by New Jersey lawmakers to rein in police union contracts have failed to eliminate costly provisions related to munificent compensations, financial incentives, and awards.
ProPublica and Asbury Park Press, an affiliate of ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network, recently completed an unprecedented analysis of thousands of …
by Casey J. Bastian
Civil asset forfeiture laws allow law enforcement agencies to seize property if that property is suspected of being related to criminal activity. These laws do not require that the owner be convicted of a crime; a person does not even need to have been charged for …
by Casey J. Bastian
Following 9/11, America’s law enforcement apparatus seems to have metastasized from a necessary component in a civilized society to a cancer-like growth on the body of personal liberty. American citizens are supposed to retain unalienable rights under the First Amendment – to peaceably assemble, speak freely …
by Casey J. Bastian
Over 250 Black police officers have sued the U.S. Capitol Police (“USCP”) since 2001 over allegations of racism and discrimination. ProPublica’s January 14, 2021, article by Joshua Kaplan and Joaquin Sapien highlights how this past history may have led to the January 6, 2021, riot at …
by Casey J. Bastian
On December 16, 2020, Termaine Hicks received what he calls “the best news I’ve heard in all my life.” Hicks learned that, after 19 years in prison for crimes he did not commit, he was finally going home.
Hicks was in South Philadelphia on the early …
by Casey Bastian
The American justice system was premised on certain legal principles. One of its most vital foundational principles was mens rea. Mens rea is Latin and literally means “guilty mind.”
The principle that, to hold someone liable for committing a criminal act, requires that the person intended …
by Casey Bastian
The District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences (“DFS”) is a $220 million facility built in 2012. Its construction was highly lauded and was expected to effectively process crime scene evidence. DFS is an independent agency analyzing forensic DNA, firearm, and fingerprint evidence for various law enforcement …
by Casey Bastian
In July 2014, college student James King was walking to a job when Grand Rapids, Michigan, Detective Todd Allen and FBI Special Agent Douglas Brownback stopped King, believing he was a fugitive in a Michigan crime. Allen and Brownback were operating as part of a multi-agency task …
by Casey Bastian
Having a criminal record, for even minor offenses, can make it very difficult to obtain housing, employment, or education and vocational training. In an effort to alleviate some of these difficulties, lawmakers in Michigan have passed bipartisan legislation titled “Clean Slate,” which expands and automates some criminal …
