Sydney was a sophomore at the University of San Francisco when she took magic mushrooms for the first time. Unlike most new users of the drug, however, she was not interested in “tripping”. The warping of reality, intense visual effects, and unpredictable results seemed like too much to handle for her introduction to the world […]
Tag: criminal justice reform
Rikers Island Illustrates the Issues Endemic To America’s Horrific Prison System
A dozen deaths at Rikers Island Jail this year alone. 5 suicides, some within days of one another. The debate on closing Rikers Island is quickly becoming less of a partisan issue and more of a human rights one. But this New York City jail complex is not unique in its inhumanity — rather, Rikers […]
The Real Winner of the 2020 Election: Local Criminal Justice Reform
As our nation was fixated on the results of the Nov. 2020 presidential election, many Americans may not have paid much attention to local down-ballot elections concerning criminal justice and mass incarceration. Yet, voters delivered resounding and consequential verdicts on the criminal justice system, from electing progressive prosecutors and decriminalizing drugs, to addressing felony […]
A Death Sentence for a DUI — The Devastating Impact of the Pandemic in Prison
In March of 2020, as it became increasingly clear that COVID-19 would be a catastrophic threat to the United States, numerous criminal justice experts warned that the impending pandemic would have a devastating impact on correctional facilities and their surrounding communities. These early warnings proved to be prescient, as seven months later, amidst an unprecedented […]
On California’s Law and Order Initiative: Proposition 20, Featuring Eric A. Stanley
“This bill is being pushed through at the same time that the people across the United States are demanding the abolition of the prison industrial complex. It’s indicative of a culture war, which is to say a class war, around prisons and policing.” – Eric A. Stanley Walking on the streets of California after consuming […]
On the Ballot: Prop 25
Is SB10 worth the cost? This November, California voters will have the opportunity to vote on criminal justice reform and make a serious decision: should the state end the former cash bail system for a new risk assessment system? Proposition 25 is a referendum on Senate Bill 10 (SB10), which was signed by Gov. Jerry […]
Boudin takes aim at the criminal justice system as SF’s new District Attorney
Chesa Boudin, the newly elected San Francisco District Attorney, strikes a chord among many when discussing his experiences with the criminal justice system. Growing up with two incarcerated parents and visiting them behind bars all throughout his life, Boudin was destined to become the activist and leader he is today. He knows the criminal justice […]
Bail Reform: The Antidote America Has Been Looking for, or an Instrument of Discrimination?
“Crime wave” is the phrase that surrounds the newest set of criminal justice policies passed by New York and California. If you look up “bail reform” on Google, the first page of results reveals a host of articles in which it is a keyword, authoritatively bolded. There are publicly available transcripts of police chiefs in […]
Understanding US Prisons as State-Sanctioned, Discriminatory Torture
Prisoners shiver in the dark. They are wearing short-sleeves— not enough to cover their bare skin from the bite of two-degree freezing temperatures. They have endured without water, food, heat, electricity or sanitation for over a week. In desperation, they bang on the windows of their cells, hoping someone, anyone, hears them. Finally, they are […]
A Place Run by Criminals: An Insight into The American Prison
Over the course of three years, prisoners from across the United States sent letters to Human Rights Watch detailing cases of sexual assault in prisons, most of them first-hand experiences. An inmate labeled A.H. wrote, “I have been raped by up to 5 black men and two white men at a time. I’ve had knifes […]