2/ My own work consists in just a slice of the above: the local politics of criminal justice are often overlooked, & hard to decipher given a reluctance to address policy.
Hence months of preparation to draw out what's happening, laid out in this thread:
3/ To have a 'big picture' view of the importance of state & local elections for mass incarceration, immigration enforcement, & criminal justice today, explore this national interactive tool about the main local hotspots.
4/ This was the most fun: My mega-thread laying out the stakes in each state in maximum 280 characters (almost no cheating). Find your state & know what to 👀 !
In my assessment, FIVE counties are *doubly* high-stakes criminal justice hotspots next week: they have both a DA race *and* a sheriff race that features real stakes for mass incarceration & criminal justice reform.
These counties are in: GA, OH, AZ, SC, and MI.
Brief thread.
1/ Maricopa County, AZ, undoubtedly tops the list here. Because it's huge. & because it matters.
seriously! the Onion's joke here is about a man caring about an Illinois Supreme Court election... & one of my favorite pieces to work on this year was this essential @KyleCBarry agenda-setter on... the Illinois Supreme Court!
the Onion also names check @injusticewatch's amazing guide to Cook County judicial elections, which yes if you live in the county you should actually be aware of & share!