Criminal Justice
Life After Release
This Local Maryland Criminal Justice Abolition Group Has Attracted National Support and Star Power
Founded by a formerly incarcerated woman, Life After Release watches the courts, helps people navigate the system, and is building a movement through intentional relationships. Read more
Mar 22, 2021
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How a Top Criminal Justice Group Backs Reform Efforts Across the U.S.
Civil Rights Corps has been moving fast and growing fast in recent years. It provides a range of supports to local groups working to reform criminal justice systems. Here's a peek inside. Read more
Mar 9, 2021
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Behind a New Campaign by Families of People Held in Solitary Confinement
It's been called psychological torture, and the relatives of prisoners have seen the devastating toll of solitary first hand. In Michigan, they're in the lead of a coalition taking action. Read more
Feb 17, 2021
Julia Galilker
Criminal-Justice-Impacted People Are Just Starting to Realize Their Power
Ad-hoc, small organizations across the country that originally came together "just to survive" having a locked-up loved one are starting to wield political power alongside incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people alike. Read more
Jan 28, 2021
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This Coalition is Seeking an End to Unaccountable Cops
A mix of progressive activists, business leaders, celebrities and libertarians have come together to call for an end to qualified immunity, a legal shield for police accountability. What's their strategy? Read more
Jan 27, 2021
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How Everytown Deployed Its Record-Setting War Chest in 2020
At the federal, state, and local level, the Michael Bloomberg-backed gun control group financed candidates who support reforms. That spending was historic. But what about the results? Read more
Jan 17, 2021
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A Small Group of Citizen Researchers Takes on One County's Criminal Justice System
With less than 20 volunteers and in less than seven months, activists in Washtenaw County, Michigan, produced a report proving systemic racism in its criminal justice system. Here's how they did it. Read more
Jan 8, 2021
Who Funded the 2020 Wave of Cannabis Ballot Measures
Backed by money from drug reform advocates and the weed industry, recreational cannabis became legal in five states. We look at key players behind the growing push for legalization. Read more
Jan 5, 2021
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Meet the Mega-donors Behind the Push for Progressive Prosecutors
Billionaires, including George Soros and a number of Silicon Valley titans, have spent the last several years infusing races for district attorneys with a lot of money. Read more
Dec 17, 2020
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A Long Time Coming: These Scholars Have Long Been Pushing for Changes in Policing
Over the past six months, the need to reform policing has become a top national issue. A handful of scholars have been working on this issue for years, even decades. Read more
Dec 17, 2020
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What We Know—and Don't Know—About "Defund the Police" and the 2020 Elections
Biden has said that the GOP used "defund the police" to "beat the living hell out of us across the country." Data and experts say the answer isn't so simple. We take a deep dive into the debate. Read more
Dec 16, 2020
How Gun Control Advocates in California Passed the Country’s Strictest Laws
The state's gun violence rate has dropped by more than 50 percent. It took years of organizing, millions in funding, and a lot of court battles. This is what success on guns looks like. Read more
Dec 15, 2020
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Why District Attorney Races Got So Expensive
Over $12 million was spent in the race for Los Angeles District Attorney, showcasing how contentious these contests have gotten and how progressives are learning to use them for their ends. Read more
Dec 14, 2020
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Eight Years After Trayvon Martin's Killing, Dream Defenders Soldiers On
The youth-led initiative aimed at reforming policing and reducing incarceration reflects on successes as it sets up for the future. Read more
Nov 12, 2020
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Five Groups to Watch in the Movement for Black Lives
The Movement for Black Lives intends to carry on with its efforts to promote Black leadership in 2021—and beyond—as the struggle continues. Here are five groups to watch. Read more
Nov 10, 2020
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The Frontline is Creating Coalitions To Make Change
A coalition led by the Movement for Black Lives and the Working Families Party aims to continue the explosion in activism from the summer's protests. Read more
Nov 6, 2020
