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Recap: Experts Discuss Mental Illness and Competency Restoration

July 29, 2021

By Sean Bennett

To try a defendant who is not mentally competent to take part in their defense is a denial of legal due process. While the state is not constitutionally compelled to prove a defendant is competent, they must … Continue Reading →

Medicaid Should be Used for Behavioral Health-Focused Services for Incarcerated People

July 22, 2021

By Jenna Prochnau

A recent paper in Psychiatric Services co-authored by the Wilson Center’s Dr. Marvin S. Swartz explores the potential for Medicaid coverage to be used to develop and sustain peer support services for incarcerated people with mental illnesses, … Continue Reading →

Wilson Center Project Takes Unprecedented Look Into Plea Negotiations

July 15, 2021

DURHAM, NC – In a unique partnership with the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law, two district attorney’s offices are providing unprecedented access and information about the little-understood world of plea agreements in criminal cases.

Durham County … Continue Reading →

Illinois Passes Legislation Banning Police from Lying to Youth

July 8, 2021

By Annie Han

Thirteen-year-old Art Tobias was convicted of murder in 2013. Witnesses said the gunman was about 20 to 30 years old, and around 200 pounds. The surveillance cameras at the scene showed a large man wearing a white … Continue Reading →

Student Post: Ketamine Use By Police Should Stop

June 9, 2021

By Annie Han

Ketamine is used as an anesthetic in hospitals, as a treatment for depression, and — most dangerously — a forced sedative by the police. Star Tribune journalist Andy Mannix reported that police officers in Minneapolis direct paramedics … Continue Reading →

Reflecting on George Floyd’s Murder: Police Use of Force Policies Necessary

June 8, 2021

By Ruthie Kesri

The death of George Floyd in police custody last summer drew widespread outrage after a bystander’s viral video showed then-Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, a white 19-year veteran of the department, pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck … Continue Reading →

Feature: Local DEAR Program Helping Residents Restore Licenses

May 21, 2021

By Ruthie Kesri

The Durham Expunction And Restoration (DEAR) program provides free legal services to in-need Durham residents to file expunction petitions and restore suspended or revoked drivers’ licenses.

DEAR’s mission centers on ensuring all people have equal access to … Continue Reading →

Leading Legal, Public Health Advocate Joins Wilson Center as Executive Director

May 14, 2021

Yvette Garcia Missri, a leading legal and public health advocate for racial and social justice for over 20 years, joined the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law this week as the Executive Director.

Garcia Missri most recently … Continue Reading →

Op-ed: NC is Failing the Wrongfully Convicted; HB 877 Could Help

May 11, 2021

Duke Law Professors James E. Coleman Jr. and Jamie T. Lau brought much-needed attention in an op-ed published Monday to the fact that even after serving 25 years in prison, North Carolina can get away with compensating the wrongfully convicted … Continue Reading →

NC Supreme Court to Take on 3 Juvenile Life with Parole Cases in Coming Months

May 6, 2021

By Ben Finholt

Last year, Brandon Garrett, Karima Modjadidi, Kristen Renberg, and I published a paper on juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) in North Carolina in The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology at Northwestern Law. We examined the cases … Continue Reading →

New Article Explores Police Officer Barriers to Mental Health

May 4, 2021

Wilson Center Postdoc Dr. Meret Hofer co-wrote an article identifying police officers’ treatment seeking barriers in order to outline a multi-pronged strategy for improving the accessibility of mental health services for police.

The paper, “There Was No Plan in Place … Continue Reading →

Aya Gruber Talks Feminist War on Crime at Novel Justice Event

April 21, 2021

By Annie Han

On April 6th, Aya Gruber, professor at the University of Colorado Law School, joined the Wilson Center for the last Novel Justice event of the spring. She delved into her book The Feminist War on Crime: The … Continue Reading →