Sentencing/Post Conviction

ABA-supported criminal justice efforts considered by Congress

Since the Second Chance Act was signed into law in 2008, more than 700 grants have provided employment training, education, housing and other support for over 137,000 former inmates transitioning back to community life after completing their sentences.

Feb 1, 2018 1:05 AM CST

Supreme Court stays execution of Alabama man in judicial override case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday granted a stay of execution to an Alabama inmate who contended a judge’s override of jurors’ life-in-prison recommendation is unconstitutional. The stay of execution for 67-year-old Vernon Madison remains in place at least until the Supreme Court decides whether to hear his case. Three…

Jan 26, 2018 10:55 AM CST

Maryland man convicted in fatal crash must carry victim’s photo for 6 years

A Baltimore man convicted of negligent manslaughter in a car crash will have to serve 18 months in jail and carry his victim’s photo for six years. Judge Ronald Silkworth said Johnathan Derek Simms, 33, will have to carry a wallet-sized photo of his victim throughout his sentence, the Capital…

Jan 26, 2018 8:00 AM CST

Judge targeted for Brock Turner’s light sentence in sex assault case faces recall vote

Voters will decide whether to recall a California judge after critics of his sentence in a highly publicized sexual assault case gathered nearly 95,000 petition signatures.

Jan 24, 2018 12:14 PM CST

Former Dentons associate is sentenced to prison after misdemeanor plea in alleged extortion plot

A former Dentons associate has been sentenced to five months in prison after pleading guilty to a lesser charge in an alleged extortion plot against his law firm.

Jan 23, 2018 8:00 AM CST

Gorsuch questions whether lawyer who conceded client’s guilt provided assistance of counsel

Justice Neil Gorsuch was among the justices on Wednesday who appeared to see merit in the case of a death-row defendant whose lawyer conceded guilt in a triple murder, despite the defendant’s express objection.

Jan 17, 2018 4:43 PM CST

Sessions authorizes federal prosecutors to seek death sentences in two murder cases

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has authorized federal prosecutors to seek a death sentence for the second time in the last month. These are the first such instances since Sessions took office last year. The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post had the story. On Jan. 8, federal prosecutors acquired…

Jan 12, 2018 4:24 PM CST

ABA urges Senate action on bipartisan sentencing reform bill

The ABA is calling for swift action by the U.S. Senate to pass a bipartisan sentencing reform bill. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2017 (S. 1917) was introduced in October after similar legislation failed to move forward during previous sessions of Congress. “Although S. 1917 does not go…

Jan 9, 2018 10:19 AM CST

A California county will issue refunds to parents wrongly billed for their kids’ incarceration

One California county is giving its citizens something that’s not typically on offer from the U.S. justice system: a refund. This week, the Contra Costa County probation department will begin notifying and mailing checks to families who, since 2010, were wrongfully billed for their children’s incarceration. The county, located to…

Jan 8, 2018 12:15 PM CST

Georgia capital defendant has right to appeal based on racist statements from juror, SCOTUS says

Keith Tharpe, a black Georgia death row inmate who was found guilty of killing his sister-in-law and kidnapping his estranged wife in 1990, may be entitled to a certificate of appealability due to racist statements made by a white juror during deliberations, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday.

Jan 8, 2018 10:49 AM CST

7th Circuit to decide on deportation of US veteran and green card holder with drug conviction

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Wednesday about whether to deport an Army veteran convicted of a drug crime, the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times reported this week. Miguel Perez Jr. left Mexico at the age of 8 and eventually became a lawful permanent resident. He’s facing…

Jan 5, 2018 3:55 PM CST

Teen charged in Slender Man case ordered to spend 25 years in mental commitment

A Wisconsin teenager who said she had participated in the stabbing of a friend to please the fictional Slender Man character has been ordered to spend 25 years in mental commitment. The commitment period is the maximum allowable, report the Associated Press, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Newsweek. The girl…

Dec 21, 2017 4:22 PM CST

Was Brendan Dassey’s confession coerced? SCOTUS review is a ‘long shot’ in ‘Making a Murderer’ case

Lawyers for Brendan Dassey say they will continue to pursue relief for their client after an en banc federal appeals court rejected their argument that his confession was unconstitutionally coerced. Lawyers for Dassey say their quest for relief includes a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Appleton…

Dec 14, 2017 10:46 AM CST

Data cited in SCOTUS decision upholding Sentencing Commission was ‘flimsy’ and ‘flat-out wrong’

Data cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1989 when it upheld the constitutionality of the U.S. Sentencing Commission was “flimsy and even flat-out wrong,” according to an investigation by ProPublica.

Dec 13, 2017 8:00 AM CST

Taser use contributed to more than 20 inmate fatalities in US jails; UN official calls for probe

Taser use contributed to or caused more than a quarter of 84 inmate deaths in U.S. jails, according to a Reuters investigation.

Dec 8, 2017 7:00 AM CST