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Article • May 15, 2025 • from CLN June, 2025
Illinois ‘Murderer’ Registry Punishes More Than It Protects by Jo Ellen Nott Illinois maintains a digital public shaming website called the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database, which is mandated under the provisions of Illinois Compiled Statutes 730 ILCS 154/85 (a) and (b). Supporters of the registry often claim …
Article • December 15, 2024 • from CLN January, 2025
Why Aren’t Eligible Individuals Taking Advantage of Expungement Laws? by Michael Thompson by Michael Dean Thompson The majority of states across the U.S. now allow people who have been convicted of some felonies to have the record of their conviction removed. The complete expungement of felony records allows the convicted …
Federal Court Rules Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Laws Violate Constitution by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell For nearly a decade, the ACLU has fought Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Act (“SORA”), challenging provisions it claims violate constitutional rights. Despite repeated rulings declaring earlier versions unconstitutional, Michigan enacted a revised SORA in …
Article • June 15, 2022 • from CLN July, 2022
Council of State Governments Initiates Efforts to Reduce Barriers to Employment for the Formerly Incarcerated by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Council of State Governments Justice Center (“CSGJC”) initiated efforts to reduce employment barriers for people with criminal histories. Recognizing that nearly 25% of all jobs in the U.S. …
New Michigan Law Expands Criminal Records Expungement by Casey Bastian 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 …
Article • August 28, 2020
LeBron James Scores With “Full-Court Press” To Win Felon Voting Rights by Derek Gilna by Derek Gilna LeBron James, known for his skillful brand of basketball and leadership on the hard court, has been using his platform as one of the best known American athletes to advocate for voting rights …
Article • August 15, 2020 • from CLN September, 2020
Ban the Box not Applicable to COVID-19 Stimulus Aid by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon It is no secret that the inability to gain employment by prisoners who have either finished their sentences or been released from prison to parole is a major factor in recidivism. Returning to crime in …
Article • October 16, 2019 • from CLN November, 2019
Ex-Felons’ Rights Expanding to Include Jury Duty by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon At present, it is believed that close to 20 million U.S. citizens are convicted felons. One of the many rights these citizens lost at conviction was jury service in federal courts. Twenty-seven states prohibit exes from jury …
Article • June 17, 2019 • from CLN July, 2019
Getting Rid of the ‘X’ by Jayson Hawkins by Jayson Hawkins Doing time has never been easy, yet the greatest challenges many prisoners face often come after their release. Basic concerns like securing a job, housing, and credit can be recurring nightmares for ex-convicts.  The recent push to “Ban the …
Eighth Circuit Vacates Supervised Release Conditions Prohibiting Alcohol Consumption and Setting Curfew Not Contained in Plea Agreement by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed and vacated a federal prisoner’s special conditions of supervised release prohibiting the consumption of alcohol and setting …
Taylor v. County of Pima, AZ, Amicus Brief, Post-Incarceration Rights, 2019 No. 17-16980 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT ___________________________ LOUIS TAYLOR, A SINGLE MAN, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. COUNTY OF PIMA, A BODY POLITIC, AND THE CITY OF TUCSON, A BODY POLITIC, Defendants-Appellants. ___________________________ Appeal from …
Article • February 15, 2019 • from CLN March, 2019
‘Ban the Box’ Movement Expands in New Direction by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon  For many people, the negative effects of being in jail or prison follow them throughout their lives after they re-enter society. Probably one of the most pervasive of these effects is obtaining employment they are qualified …
Article • December 28, 2018 • from CLN January, 2019
Seventh Circuit Vacates Conditions of Supervised Release Following Child Pornography Conviction by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit vacated three of the four conditions of supervised release (“CSR”) challenged by a man who had been convicted of possessing child pornography. Joseph Canfield …
Article • June 18, 2018 • from CLN July, 2018
Third Circuit Reverses Occupational Restriction in Excess of Statutory Maximum for Supervised Release by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On September 14, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed the portion of the sentence that restricted a former Realtor who had pleaded guilty to one count …
The Osborne Association Report, May, 2018, The High Costs of Low Risk - The Crisis of America’s Aging Prison Population The High Costs of Low Risk: The Crisis of America’s Aging Prison Population The Osborne Association May 2018 Executive Summary Executive Summary During the past four decades, we have experienced …
Article • March 16, 2018 • from CLN April, 2018
Washington Supremes: Former Prisoner Can Take Bar by Derek Gilna by Derek Gilna Tara Simmons overcame the burden of two previous jail sentences, 20 months in prison, a bankruptcy, and a drug addiction to graduate from law school, magna cum laude. She has clearly turned her life around. However, earning …
Council for Court Excellence - Second Chances: Returning Citizens' Re-Entry Struggles and Successes in the District of Columbia, 2016 DECEMBER 2016 BEYOND SECOND CHANCES RETURNING CITIZENS’ RE-ENTRY STRUGGLES AND SUCCESSES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Council for Court Excellence Improving Justice for the Community w w w. c o u …