In football, when a flag is thrown only on the player who retaliates against an initial violation that was missed, the penalty is still enforced. If we say two wrongs don’t make a right for athletes or our children, the same should apply in our criminal justice system. Unfortunately, we are presented with a false...
Medical professionals know all about triage. When there’s a high demand for medical services — such as in a natural disaster or an outbreak of disease as we are unfortunately now facing — they must perform this risk assessment to determine who needs the most urgent and intensive care. Bail should be the same way....
As Americans engage in social distancing, we must adhere more closely than ever to our core principles of protecting individual liberty and recognizing the dignity of every person. These tenets also apply to those behind bars. With more than half of the top 50 locations with the most COVID-19 infections being jails and prisons, many...
With government asking citizens to show remarkable restraint by preventing them from earning a living and supporting their families, it is not too much to ask for the same restraint in our legal system. However, a Dallas judge took the extreme step of jailing Shelley Luther, who refused to close her hair salon, thereby exposing...
The Tyler Paper’s exceptional and thorough series, “Plaguing Prisons,” is helping to shine the spotlight on how the coronavirus pandemic affects those in jails and prisons. Reporter Cory McCoy reminds us that the measures we’re taking to protect ourselves, from social distancing to frequent hand-washing and the use of hand sanitizers, are all but impossible...
Prison bars do a good job of keeping those incarcerated from getting out, but sadly they don’t keep viruses from coming in. Indeed, as of April 22, two of the top five locations in the United States for coronavirus infections were prisons in Ohio. Even if a prison never admitted or released anyone, staff and contractors come...
Danger is lurking inside our state prisons, and we can’t afford to delay action on safe and reasonable measures to mitigate it. Already, more than 1,300 incarcerated individuals and 400 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 in Texas. More cases are imminent, and coronavirus could spread rapidly, overwhelming staff, incarcerated individuals, and the prison...
In recent years, Texas has emerged as a national leader in cutting crime and closing prisons. Now, as we confront COVID-19, state and local leaders must recognize the health of our fellow Texans behind bars, both those incarcerated and staff, is intertwined with the health of our communities. Coronavirus cases have mushroomed in the state...
As America prepares to get back to work, will some people be left behind? The Small Business Administration (SBA) has adopted rules for emergency COVID-19 loans that exclude otherwise eligible existing small businesses from relief solely because they are owned in part by individuals who have a criminal record. Given that at least 19 million Americans have a felony...
The American economy was booming prior to the lockdowns stemming from the current pandemic. Similarly, many of our nation’s prisons and jails were beginning to improve conditions of confinement, in ways ranging from ending the shackling of pregnant women to reining in the use of solitary confinement. However, the trend away from prolonged solitary confinement...
While Alcatraz is now a tourist attraction, the nearby San Quentin prison remains the nation’s oldest prison, having been built in 1854. Of course, prisons can be renovated, but the criminal justice system is too often stuck in the past — including when it comes to technology. Now, the current coronavirus epidemic has placed a...
In today’s age, reliable transportation is everything. And in Utah, not only does a car or truck provide convenience and comfort, it’s often a necessity in rural areas and for commuters. Now imagine that a person’s driver’s license is suddenly suspended for no good reason. This would be an incredible inconvenience — and even worse,...