2018 *issue* wrap up. I broke down some criminal justice issues this year. Brought some public defender perspective on critical, local & national intervention points to end mass incarceration. Thread of threads.
1. Cash bail, Pretrial Detention.
1. Cash bail, Pretrial Detention.
2. The terror of gang databases.
3. Criminal “discovery” in NY. Or how NY’s archaic evidence laws (worst in country) allow prosecutors to withhold the most critical evidence in a case until the day of trial.
4. How even non-violent crimes, that injure no one, when no one is even in the vicinity, are still charged as “violent” crimes with sky high mandatory minimum sentences.
5. How NY Civil Rights law 50-a prevents anyone—public, journalists, defendants, defense attorneys, judges, even prosecutors—from seeing police disciplinary records. The only state other than Delaware that has such a restrictive law.
6. Why marijuana enforcement is racist. The only way to fix it is legalization. Hopefully 2019 is the year in NY.
7. Why driving on a suspended license should not be criminalized.
8. Why providing free or reduced price metro cards would make so much more sense than criminalizing the need for public transportation.
