John Legend and Carimah Townes have this extended review of notable 2017 criminal justice developments at The Root under the headline "The Top Criminal-Justice Wins of 2017." Here is part of the lead into the listing of 11 "victories," which I have then reprinted without the accompanying explanation:
The criminal-justice system took a hard beating this year — especially at the federal level. The Department of Justice’s head honcho, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, directed all federal prosecutors to seek the harshest charges possible in every criminal case, scaled back police department investigations, bolstered civil asset forfeiture, put military-grade weapons back in the hands of local police and expanded the federal government’s role in immigration enforcement. Important crime statistics — including arrest data — were stripped from the FBI’s annual crime report, which is typically used to assess national trends and develop potential solutions. Police officers are still getting away with killing unarmed civilians.
Yes, this year was one of the worst in recent memory. But what if I told you that there’s reason to hope — that there is still some good to latch on to? Well, there is. Here are 11 criminal-justice victories to prove it.
1. New York and North Carolina “raised the age.”...
2. The Senate passed critical juvenile-justice legislation....
3. Some juvenile lifers were released from prisons....
4. Thousands of convictions were dropped because of lab scandals in Massachusetts....
5. Louisiana passed a comprehensive reform package....
6. A progressive district attorney candidate in Philadelphia won the election by a landslide....
7. New York City announced a plan to close Rikers Island....
8. There are more eyes on prosecutors....
9. Use of the death penalty is still on the decline....
10. Poor drivers in California got some relief....
11. Multiple programs are helping formerly incarcerated people rebuild....
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