Criminal Justice

Reason’s Jacob Sullum reports that Oklahoma City police arrested Colin Grizzle, manager of the bar “The Pump,” for the act of mixing ingredients such as bacon and jalapeños into distilled spirits. The law Grizzle broke states that anyone with a mixed beverage license cannot refill a container that previously contained an alcoholic beverage with any […]

New Hampshire’s new civil asset forfeiture law signals gains, but law enforcement can still take your money and property. Last Friday, New Hampshire governor Maggie Hassan signed SB 522 into law, making the Granite State the eighth state this year to address civil asset forfeiture reform. The law, which requires a criminal conviction or plea […]

In the run up to the Republican and Democratic conventions this summer, several groups have signed a letter urging both parties to include criminal justice reform in their policy platforms. The letter, signed by groups like the ACLU, NAACP, and Brennan Center for Justice, calls for several reforms to the current justice system that have […]

In an article for the Los Angeles Times, Abby Sewell highlights one individual as an example of how our nation’s criminal justice system has also become our mental health system. Following a severe head injury— which in time led to depression, followed by hallucinations and paranoid delusions—Reginald Murray was arrested after attacking a motorcyclist. As […]

Yesterday, in a 5-to-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled on the case of Utah v. Strief, affirming that evidence found after illegal stops is admissible in court so long as officers first confirm that the defendants have outstanding warrants prior to conducting a search. Adam Liptak covered the decision in The New York Times. The […]

Oklahoma has long been one of the harshest states when it comes to criminal sentencing, but over the past year, the Sooner State has made criminal justice reform a top priority. The state legislature passed reforms to mandatory minimum sentencing, increased the dollar amount at which property crimes become felonies, and expanded alternatives to incarceration, […]

On June 12, 1776, the Virginia Declaration of Rights was ratified. Written primarily by George Mason, the document outlines the inalienable rights of “life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.” After its ratification, the Virginia Declaration of Rights substantially influenced similar documents developed during […]

Richard E. Doran, a former Florida attorney general; Michael A. Adkinson Jr., sheriff of Walton County; and Vikrant P. Reddy, senior research fellow at Stand Together Trust, recently authored an op-ed together in the  Orlando Sentinel to discuss the criminal justice reforms that Florida could adopt to help improve public safety and lower the state […]

In a new op-ed for National Review Vikrant P. Reddy, senior research fellow at Stand Together Trust, discusses how policy considerations can often be derailed by exaggerations and misconstrued arguments. However, as Reddy continues, advocates for criminal justice reform do not need to exaggerate because the case for improving public safety, increasing human dignity, and restoring victims is […]

While several states continue to make inroads on civil asset forfeiture reform and thus limit law enforcement’s ability to seize private property, state reforms can often be circumvented by the federal equitable sharing program. Under equitable sharing, the federal government litigates state forfeiture cases in return for 20 percent of the proceeds, with the remaining funds […]