Criminal Justice

Earlier this year, New Mexico enacted a bill largely abolishing the practice of civil asset forfeiture, requiring that a person be convicted of a criminal offense before having his or her property seized. The reform may come as a surprise, given the state’s record: Since 2008, New Mexico law enforcement agencies have spent $24.5 million […]

In contrast to more common “tough-on-crime” rhetoric, Indiana’s constitution calls for incarceration to “attempt to reform persons and not punish them vindictively.” Recent criminal justice reforms have shown progress toward this goal—recidivism in Indiana is below the national average—but the state also estimates that over the next two years, its prison population will reach more […]

Last week, Vikrant Reddy, senior research fellow at Stand Together Trust, sat down with WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show in Virginia to discuss the necessity of criminal justice reform and why the issue is garnering national support. With the United States housing 25 percent of the world’s prison population, Reddy talked with guest host Jonathan Capeheart […]

Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia and William Ruger, vice president for research at Stand Together Trust,  recently co-wrote an op-ed for The Virginian-Pilot outlining how the state could embrace criminal justice and policing reforms that addressed concerns for public safety. As they write: Dollars and cents are only a part of […]

A criminal justice system should exist to bolster public safety in a cost-effective fashion, while according the highest respect to individual rights and human dignity. While Indiana’s criminal justice system lives up to that purpose more successfully than many other states, more reforms to the system would be a welcome improvement for its prisoners, their […]

Earlier this month Stand Together Trust senior fellow Vikrant Reddy participated in a panel hosted by the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC). In the panel, Reddy addressed the integral part the business community can play in easing the re-entry of ex-offenders into productive jobs in society. When ex-offenders find employment, they are less likely […]

In today’s New York Times, Doug Deason recounts a youthful mistake that could have ruined his life – affecting his ability to go to college and even to get a job – by sending him to prison. Thankfully, Deason had the resources to fight the charge. But, too many Americans who make similar mistakes are […]

“To bring about such a transformation, we must all set aside partisan politics and collaborate on solutions.”—Charles G. Koch, Politico, 1/7/15 Last week, President Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 46 prison inmates serving time for nonviolent drug crimes and became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison. These actions coincided with President Obama’s call for […]

Last week, Stand Together Trust traveled to the Land of Lincoln and partnered with the Illinois Policy Institute to host a discussion about the state’s criminal justice system. The panel event in Springfield, Illinois, included experts from Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Justice Fellowship, and the Shriver Center. Samantha Gaddy, policy adviser for public safety with […]

Looking to tackle its overpopulated criminal justice system, the Buckeye State went on the offense on May 12, hosting a panel of local experts to discuss this problem alongside Stand Together Trust. Ohio State Senator Bill Seitz began the evening by delivering opening remarks, starting with a startling statistic: There are more than 11 million Ohioans […]