Bonus: #CRSPCast Live
Criminal (In)justice
On June 10, Dave gave an hour-long presentation on law and racial justice for the at the University of Pittsburgh. We invite you to check out the video on YouTube: Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed:
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Bonus: Defund the Police
Criminal (In)justice
Minneapolis takes a bold step, announcing it will dismantle the police department that sparked protests nationwide with the murder of George Floyd -- and just like that, "defund the police" graduates from activist rallying cry to viable policy option. For all the handwringing over what the phrase "really means," it's really not complicated: people want their city governments to take resources away from lavishly-funded and unaccountable law enforcement agencies, and devote them instead to emergency responders, social services, schools, and civil institutions that advance public safety rather...
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Bonus: Minneapolis Officers Charged
Criminal (In)justice
Derek Chauvin faces second- and third-degree murder and assault charges, and the three other Minneapolis police officers who watched him kill George Floyd are charged with aiding and abetting the crime. Why not first-degree? What do the charges mean? Dave breaks down the prosecution's reasoning. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed:
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Bonus: Dog Leash Lady Tries to Unleash Racist Violence
Criminal (In)justice
of an encounter in NYC's Central Park shows a white woman calling 911 to report another park user is threatening her life, apparently trying to provoke a violent police response against the "African American man" who had simply asked her to leash her dog. Reflexively fearing people of another race is racist -- but it's mostly a function of the garden-variety implicit bias that most of us harbor on some level, whether we're aware of it or not. Actively weaponizing that fear in others when you know it's baseless... that's taking it to another level. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month...
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Bonus: The Death of George Floyd
Criminal (In)justice
Another horrific episode of police violence, captured on video in Minneapolis, graphically recalls the 2014 killing of Eric Garner by NYPD officers who were never criminally charged in his death. This time the officers may face charges, but prosecuting police is still notoriously difficult. Is there hope for justice?
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Bonus: The Murder of Ahmaud Arbery
Criminal (In)justice
The killing of an unarmed black man, Ahmaud Arbery, by two white men in Georgia went largely unnoticed until video of the February shooting went viral earlier this month. Now the father and son face murder charges -- but will Georgia's "Stand Your Ground" law block their conviction? Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed:
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Read This: Let the People Go
Criminal (In)justice
Recommended reading on how COVID-19 is impacting incarcerated populations and what must be done to avoid catastrophe: by Joseph Margulies in the Boston Review. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed:
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Bonus: Bad to Worse
Criminal (In)justice
COVID-19 has exposed systemic injustice and institutional failures at every level of society, and nowhere more than in the criminal justice system. Incarcerated people are already being hit hard by the pandemic, but the situation is rapidly deteriorating -- and the effects will be felt beyond the walls of prisons and jails. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed:
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Bonus: COVID-19 and Funding Public Defense
Criminal (In)justice
Louisiana's public defender system is funded by fines from traffic violations. But with far fewer cars on the road due to COVID-19, an already badly underfunded system is at the breaking point. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed:
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Bonus: No More Non-Unanimous Verdicts
Criminal (In)justice
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that jury decisions in state criminal cases must be unanimous, overturning a precedent that goes back to Jim Crow. Support Criminal Injustice at $5/month to unlock extra bonus episodes and more on the Members feed:
info_outlineThe Supreme Court affirms the longstanding "dual sovereignty" doctrine, which skirts the Fifth Amendment's Double Jeopardy Clause by distinguishing between state and federal cases.