Illinois governor clears thousands of marijuana convictions
Illinois’ governor granted more than 11,000 pardons for low-level marijuana convictions, describing the step as a first wave of thousands of such expungements.
Prison justice
Prison justice covers reforms, legal victories, and policy shifts that make incarceration more humane and equitable. Stories here examine alternatives to imprisonment, reentry programs, and efforts to address racial and economic disparities in criminal legal systems worldwide.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy restores voting rights for 80,000 on probation or parole
“I am proud to sign one of the most progressive expungement laws in the nation, which will allow more New Jerseyans the opportunity to fully engage in our society,” Murphy said.
All banking partners to GEO Group to stop funding private prisons
Eight major banks have announced their commitment to ending their support of the immigration detention center and private prison industry.
California bans private prisons
The legislation is being hailed as a major victory for criminal justice reform because it removes the profit motive from incarceration.
Mexican judge approves recreational cocaine use in historic step to ending country’s “War on Drugs”
Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has argued the country should decriminalize all drugs in order to take power away from the cartels and criminal gangs.
PNC Bank will no longer finance private prisons that profit from mass incarceration and immigrant detention
This decision was announced in the wake of a petition directed at PNC circulating from the Families Belong Together coalition of over 250 activist groups, representing over 11 million people.
Denver City Council kills contracts with private prison giants
Taking an extraordinary stand against the nation’s two largest private prison companies, GEO Group and CoreCivic, Denver City Council voted not to renew contracts with them worth a cumulative $10.6 million.
Barclays cuts finance ties with private prisons
Barclays Plc will stop providing future financing to companies that manage private prisons and immigration holding facilities, joining other major lenders in shunning the industry.
Canadians can now apply for free, no-wait pardons for cannabis possession charges
The new law allows people who were only convicted of a crime of simple possession, which is possession of under 30 grams, to have their record suspended, free of charge (the normal fee is $631).
First Step Act frees many formerly incarcerated individuals in the U.S. from Bureau of Prisons custody
The First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform law passed in Congress last year, was the catalyst for the release of more than 3,100 formerly incarcerated individuals from federal custody on July 19.