The state cannot leave it up to prisoners convicted of sex crimes to find suitable housing before their release or remain in custody, a New York appellate court rules. At issue are laws in states across that U.S. that leave many convicted of sex crimes locked up after their prison sentences are complete because they cannot find housing because of restrictions on where they can live upon release.
Advocates of Chicago police reform worry: Do new proposed guidelines signal reform becomes less likely because of shift in Trump administration views on police abuse?
Kenosha and Pleasant Prairie passed laws that have left sex offenders struggling to find places they can live legally. Both communities have ended up in federal court, challenged over how far they can go to restrict offenders who have been released from prison after serving their sentences.
Illinois convicted sex offenders find that when their prison sentence ends, they cannot get out of custody. Instead, they are held indefinitely unless and until they find housing that — a federal lawsuit contends — is a nearly impossible task.
Bail reform is more than just “the right thing to do,” officials and criminal justice experts argued at a public hearing Thursday—it’s also safe and affordable.
Cook County court officials already are seeking more money to provide the services needed to keep fewer people awaiting trial behind bars. But good news from other cities: It ends up costing less, not more, to release more people before trial.
Does releasing more people before trial—without requiring bail money—make sense? Here’s what the numbers show.
Experts and affected residents will meet with commissioners in November to talk about Cook County’s bail practices.
Dimitri Henley’s conviction of sexual assault is fraught with reasons to question how the system works. His last hope is with the Wisconsin governor, who seems to be slamming the door shut.
In 1998, a white freshman claimed she had been sexually assaulted by three black teenagers. Her version of events became sharply challenged. Almost 20 years later, the outcome has been very different for the three men.