“I feel like I have a second chance with my sons.” When Chanell Burnette went to prison nearly two decades ago, she did her best to raise her two young sons from behind bars through daily calls, weekly letters and visits every other month. Still, parenting felt incomplete without her physical presence. Soon, Burnette will return home to a new grandson, giving her hope for a second chance at being present for “two generations of me,” she writes in TMP’s newest Life Inside. The Marshall Project
New York plays hardball. Lawyers for New York City have worked aggressively to avoid paying settlements to people whose rights the police have violated, “even in the face of compelling evidence that officers crossed the line.” In one recent case, a jury found detectives fabricated evidence and that the city itself failed in training the NYPD on basic legal obligations. The jury awarded the man in that case, Jawaun Fraser, $2 million after city lawyers spent the previous three years fighting him in court. The strategy may now cost taxpayers more than double what it would have cost if the city had settled in 2021. ProPublica
The right to a speedy trial. It’s been a decade since Maurice Jimmerson was arrested for murder, along with four others. He’s still in jail today, presumed innocent under the law and awaiting his day in court. Officials blame a number of factors, “including the pandemic and a 2021 flood at the courthouse that temporarily paused trials,” as well as the fact that Jimmerson went months without access to legal representation. A lawyer with the Southern Center for Human Rights called Jimmerson’s case one example of a statewide crisis of lack of representation. Atlanta News First
Third time is unlikely to be the charm. Last week, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley reintroduced the “Ending Qualified Immunity Act.” The bill would end the half-century-old Supreme Court doctrine that protects government officials—especially police—from civil lawsuits. “[Qualified immunity] gives police officers permission to commit violent acts with impunity, especially in the Black community,” said the mother of a 17-year-old who was killed by police. Capital B More: It’s the third time the bill has been introduced, and it faces steep odds in the Republican-controlled House, but some GOP lawmakers have expressed openness to compromise. The Hill
Dozens of public defenders in New York City are asking state legislators to reject proposed changes to New York’s recently passed pretrial discovery reforms. City and State More: The city council’s progressive caucus is already on board. Brooklyn Eagle
A bill that would treat 17-year-olds as adults in the Louisiana legal system advanced out of committee this week, as did changes that would stiffen some criminal penalties for youth. Louisiana Illuminator
Seven New Jersey law enforcement officers have been charged with crimes following the death of Mario Terruso Jr., who died in custody after allegedly being denied medical care and then beaten. USA Today
In California, nearly a quarter of car chases initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department end in injuries, and those numbers have been rising. Los Angeles Daily News
A winning path. Brandon Johnson’s victory in the Chicago mayor’s race offers evidence that even (and perhaps especially) in elections defined by concern about crime, Democrats can win by embracing progressive approaches to safety and justice. In These Times
Murders they did not commit. Any attempt at reckoning with mass incarceration in Illinois will require the state to revisit “felony murder” convictions that imprison people for killings they didn’t “cause or condone.” The Appeal TMP Context: The legal concept has been abandoned or vastly pared back throughout the rest of the world but remains common in the U.S. The Marshall Project
Absolute immunity. “The U.S. legal system includes few meaningful checks on prosecutors fulfilling their most important duty: deciding whom to charge, and with what.” The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear argument in a prosecutorial misconduct case is another missed opportunity to check that power. Balls and Strikes
“The best option.” Amid a “discernible deterioration” in the quality of internal investigations and a track record of being unable to implement reforms, it’s time for a federal takeover of Rikers Island. New York Daily News TMP Context: A new state of emergency and the notoriously cruel jail. The Marshall Project
“Let her speak.” A Democratic transgender Montana lawmaker has been barred from the statehouse floor by colleagues for allegedly violating decorum rules. The move is reminiscent of the two Black Tennessee lawmakers recently expelled (and later reappointed) from the state legislature on similar grounds. The Associated Press
Testilying. An Oakland police detective is accused of lying, bribery and witness tampering in connection with a 2016 murder conviction. San Francisco Chronicle
Some of those that work forces. A new documentary series examines the infiltration of Florida law enforcement agencies by white supremacist groups. Produced by ABC News and the Associated Press, it’s now streaming on Hulu. The Associated Press
What’s good for the goose. A Brooklyn, New York, councilman is proposing a bill that would allow New Yorkers to report NYPD police vehicles for parking illegally. PIX 11
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