I fear I may not find time to do a full "2019 blog in review" post in the coming days, though I hope to soon do a post noting some highlights from this past year as I imagine what 2020 might bring in the sentencing universe. I certainly can find time here to spotlight some other notable "year in review" efforts. Specifically, a must-read for anyone focused on state-level reforms in this Appeal piece by Daniel Nichanian headlined "From marijuana to the Death Penalty, States Led the Way in 2019: A retrospective on the year that was on criminal justice reform. Seven maps. 16 issues. 50 states." Here is how this great lengthy piece gets started:
State legislatures this year abolished the death penalty, legalized or decriminalized pot, expanded voting rights for people with felony convictions, restricted solitary confinement, and made it harder to prosecute minors as adults, among other initiatives.
But criminal justice reform remains an uneven patchwork. States that make bold moves on one issue can be harshly punitive on others. And while some set new milestones, elsewhere debates were meager — and in a few states driven by proposals to make laws tougher.
The Political Report tracked state-level reforms throughout 2019. Today I review the year that was — by theme and with seven maps. And yes, each state shows up.
In addition, I noticed that two notable media outlets that do a lot of great original criminal justice reporting have assembled their own best-of reviews of 2019:
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From The Intercept, "The State of the Death Penalty, Bad Policing, and Backsliding on Roe: The Intercept's 2019 Justice Coverage"
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From The Marshall Project, "Some of Our Best Work of 2019"
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