Category Archives: Prisons and Justice and Police

Must-Read Jamelle Bouie Article On The Decades-Old Context For Ferguson

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Ampersand

Ferguson protests over Michael Brown won’t end soon: The black community’s anger is rooted in a history of racism. This longish (well, longer than a blog post) article by Jamelle Bouie, about the long history of official racism in Ferguson, … Continue reading →

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A quick note on Michael Brown’s death and “plausibility”

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Ampersand

Dorian Johnson was walking with Michael Brown when they were stopped by Officer Darren Wilson. According to Johnson’s eyewitness account: …a police car pulled up alongside Brown and him, and the officer—who has been identified as Darren Wilson—allegedly told Johnson … Continue reading →

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Rob Hayes Is In Jail, And Would Like To Hear From People

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Ampersand

(Honestly, I would rather have illustrated this post with this cartoon. But it looks like that cartoonist hates having his cartoons reproduced, so…) Several “Alas” folks have asked me if my old college friend and frequent “Alas” comment-writer Rob Hayes … Continue reading →

Posted in Bob Behind Bars, Prisons and Justice and Police | Comments Off  

Study Shows Enormous Sentencing Discrepancy Against Men

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Ampersand

A study1 by Sonja Starr, a University of Michigan law professor, shows that men receive average sentences 63% longer than women who commit similar crimes. (Notably, Starr’s sample was of the federal justice system. 59% of the crimes in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Prisons and Justice and Police, Race, racism and related issues, Sexism hurts men | Comments Off  

Want Fewer Heroin Deaths And Users? Give Addicts Heroin For Free

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Ampersand

Well, for free under very controlled circumstances. From a blog post by “M.S.” on The Economist: But we do have a good idea of how to stop more people from destroying themselves specifically with heroin injection, which has a higher … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care and Related Issues, Prisons and Justice and Police | Comments Off  

“Obama often speaks as if he is an outside observer of his own administration” (UPDATED) (UPDATED AGAIN)

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Ampersand

*SEE UPDATE AT BOTTOM* Jacob Sullum at the libertarian site Reason nails it (UPDATE: No, he didn’t nail it. See the update at the bottom of this post): Obama at first denied that the executive branch has the power to … Continue reading →

Posted in Libertarianism, Prisons and Justice and Police | Comments Off  

More on Felony Disenfranchisement, America’s Most Racist Policy

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Ampersand

Columbia Law Professor Vivian Berger, quoted at TalkLeft, writes: These laws have a disproportionate impact on minorities — 1.4 million black men cannot vote. That is a rate of 13 percent — seven times the national average. A majority of … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections and politics, Prisons and Justice and Police, Race, racism and related issues | Comments Off  

Legalizing Pot Supported By 59% Of Americans

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Ampersand

This chart (hat tip to Kevin Drum) says it all: Mark Kleiman has some caveats, but still, this is a milestone. It won’t be long before supporting legal pot will seem so safe and mainstream that politicians will be sprinting … Continue reading →

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Police Officer Gets Four Years In Prison For Shooting Unarmed Black Man. But The Main Culprits Go Unpunished.

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Ampersand

This tragic story from New Orleans is unusual not because a cop shot a young Black man to death – that happens with depressing regularity – but because the cop is in prison for the shooting. On March 7 of … Continue reading →

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Florida Cops Arrest Man For Having Stroke While Driving; Man Dies After Lying Untreated On Jail Floor For 36 Hours

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Ampersand

Allen Daniel Hicks Sr., 51, was found stopped in his car on the side of Interstate 275 by a sheriff’s deputy and a Florida Highway Patrol trooper the morning of May 11, 2012. Passers-by had called 911 after they saw … Continue reading →

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