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Mass Incarceration

Opinion

Opinion

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Time to make the “make-me state” do something on prisons

It is evident that Gov. Kay Ivey is determined to build three new men’s correctional facilities. Ivey’s move is not without controversy, but after decades of half-measures and inaction, her administration is facing the problem head-on. And that alone is a first for Alabama. When Alabama’s state prisons were built, they served two primary purposes; … Continued
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September 18, 2019
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Judge Marks and mass incarceration in the Middle District of Alabama

In 2016, together with former colleague Assistant Federal Public Defender Donnie W. Bethel, I wrote, “[p]eople of all persuasions, political parties, and philosophies have awakened to the terrible toll the crises of overcriminalization and mass incarceration have wrought on America.” Then, a year later, highlighting the “criminalization of addiction,” I wrote about Benny King – one of Bethel’s clients – … Continued
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September 5, 2019

Brewbaker bill will end judicial override in capital murder cases

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter In Alabama, even when a jury recommends someone only receive life in prison, a trial judge in a capital murder case can ignore that recommendation and impose the death penalty. Sen. Dick Brewbaker (R-Montgomery) wants to change this practice, known as “judicial override.” “The US Supreme Court has made … Continued
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January 9, 2017
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Overcriminalization and Mass Incarceration: SCOTUS’ Decision in Hobbs Act Will Increase Both

By Donnie W. Bethel and Stephen A. Cooper People of all persuasions, political parties, and philosophies have awakened to the terrible toll the crises of overcriminalization and mass incarceration have wrought on America. Perhaps, as reported by The New York Times, Judge Raymond J. Dearie of the Federal District Court in Brooklyn has now voiced … Continued
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June 30, 2016