The ties that bind. Eric Borsuk went to federal prison in Kentucky with his two best friends, after they were convicted for an infamous art heist. Behind bars, their bond continued, even evolved, as they did their “bids,” or found some sort of purpose as they settled into prison life. Suddenly, officials separated the friends, fearing they would commit new crimes together once released. Borsuk was sent into solitary confinement, as a punishment, until suddenly he wasn’t. How he rebuilt his prison life, after his friends were shipped away, forms the latest in our “Life Inside” series, this one in collaboration with VQR. The Marshall Project
Trouble, still, with Cleveland police. The federal monitor overseeing the city's police department says officials are still hiring officers who couldn't pass background checks with other law enforcement agencies. “Most confounding in the reviews was the decision to extend an offer of employment to an individual when 12 of 13 members of the committee voted no upon considering that candidate,” wrote lead monitor Hassan Aden in a 75-page report that also notes a continuing failure to hold cops accountable for their misconduct. In collaboration with Cleveland Scene, The Cleveland Observer and The Land, TMP'S Mark Puente has our story. The Marshall Project
Four years in prison for a neo-Nazi who stormed the Capitol, then claimed he didn’t know it’s where Congress met. Federal prosecutors had asked for a six-year term for Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, a New Jersey man whose racist views were largely shielded from jurors at trial earlier this year. NBC News A federal appeals court panel, led by two Trump-nominated judges, sided with the Justice Department in its fight with the former president over the classified documents the FBI took from his Florida residence. The Washington Post More: The national campaign to put election-deniers in charge of state elections. The New Yorker
Remembering Isabella Thallas. The 21-year-old woman with a promising future was fatally shot by a man with an AK-47 in Denver in 2020 while walking her dog with her boyfriend, who was seriously wounded. It was yet another random act of gun violence. Michael Close, a young man with no criminal record, has been charged with Thallas’ murder. He had reportedly stolen the AK-47 from a friend who was a Denver police officer. “We can’t bear to confront how suicidal it is to privilege over all else the rights of those damaged young men to use killing machines,” writes Peter Sagal. The Atlantic
“No one knows a damn thing.” It’s been five years since Stephan Paddock opened fire from his Las Vegas hotel room into the crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest country music festival. Paddock killed 58 people and wounded hundreds more. Many of the survivors and victims have banded together, often meeting on or around the anniversary of the tragedy to mourn the dead and commemorate their ordeal. Many say they’re disappointed in the way the FBI and local law enforcement agencies have investigated the attack. Some haven’t been contacted by the police at all. Rolling Stone
Alabama executioners halted their efforts to kill condemned prisoner Alan Miller by lethal injection late Thursday night when they discovered that they could not find a vein to use for the injection before Miller’s death warrant expired. Just hours earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, had overturned lower court rulings blocking the execution. AL.com
Three years after Shelley Joseph, a judge in Newton, Massachusetts, was indicted for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant evade capture by federal agents, the Justice Department said it would drop charges against her. The New York Times More: Her supporters, and her critics, never wavered. Boston Globe
The Justice Department is investigating the police department in Kansas City, Missouri, for racial discrimination in the hiring and promotion of Black police officers on the force. The investigation was prompted by an investigation by The Kansas City Star. The New York Times
Summer Stephan, the district attorney in San Diego County, California, who has brought a conspiracy case against anti-fascist protesters, had a campaign site linking billionaire George Soros to the antifa movement. The Daily Beast
The curious case of David Lee Swims in Mississippi. He’s admitted to killing his wife. He’s charged with murder. He’s out on bail. The victim’s family doesn’t understand why. Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting
Don’t say you didn’t see it coming. “A coordinated campaign with bureaucratic, electoral, and violent components is attempting to replace competent, long-standing election officials of both parties with partisan activists.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Don’t blame asylum seekers or other migrants for our broken immigration laws. We need more immigrants. We cannot find a political solution to the problem. The Bulwark
Donald Trump has embraced QAnon because he has to. As they swing from one baseless claim to another, the conspiracy theorists will prove to be an unreliable political partner for the former president. The Atlantic
President Biden should act like FDR and end marijuana prohibition. “There’s a growing — and experience-derived? — understanding among policymakers that popping a gummy on Friday night doesn’t make anyone unfit for work on Monday morning.” New York Magazine
It shouldn’t take a miracle for prisoners to get the help they need. “Everyone who needs mental health services deserves access to quality, humane treatment, especially those who are incarcerated or who are returning home. It saved my life, and I know it can save many more, when actually available.” Los Angeles Times
The House of Representatives passes police and public safety reform measures. The four Democratic bills would increase funding for police but also provide grants for mental health care workers responding to 911 calls. It is unlikely any of the legislation will get a vote in the U.S. Senate before the midterm election. NBC News More: There was movement this week, too, on marijuana reform, with bills targeting expungement. Marijuana Moment TMP Context: How to clear a pot conviction from your record. The Marshall Project
Progress on racial disparities in justice reform. “Although significant gaps remain, disparities between Black and White people continued to narrow at nearly every stage of the criminal justice process between 2016 and 2020. In some cases, the pace of the decline slowed; in others, the disparity gap closed entirely.” Council on Criminal Justice
An “ongoing and unconscionable” crisis. Congress wants the Justice Department to do more to get deaths-in-custody data. The DOJ says it needs more authority from Congress to do so. Meanwhile, prisoners and their families suffer. The Washington Post
“Fat Leonard” is found and captured in Venezuela. Leonard Francis, the military contractor at the center of an epic Navy scandal, was under house arrest in San Diego before cutting off his ankle bracelet earlier this month. CBS News
Picking on the formerly incarcerated to score political points. Val Demings, the Democrat challenging Republican Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida, attacked one of his campaign ads over the decades-old criminal record of one of his supporters. Mediate
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