News

Federal Compassionate Release Opinion Cites Wilson Center Research on Risk Assessment

A U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan cited research from the Wilson Center for Science and Justice in an order this week granting an incarcerated man compassionate release. Desmond Reginal Rodgers was serving 200 months in prison after pleading guilty to bank robbery, pharmacy robbery and a firearms charge in 2012. The […]

Tags: , , , , , ,

November 6, 2020

Forward Justice’s Atkinson Estimates 5,000 Could Vote This Election Thanks to Lawsuit over Felony Disenfranchisement

By De’Ja Wood and Sydney Gaviser  Felony disenfranchisement rates are highest in Southern states, including in North Carolina, where voting restrictions passed during the Jim Crow era aimed to limit the political power of Black men.   The Sentencing Project estimates that more than 5 million people across the nation will not be able to vote […]

Tags: , , , , ,

November 2, 2020

DEAR Program Extends Court Debt Relief to 11,000 Residents with Suspended Licenses

Big news this week from the city of Durham: The Durham Expunction and Restoration (DEAR) Program has extended relief from court debt to more than 11,000 people whose drivers’ licenses were suspended because of inability to pay traffic fines and fees. During 33 court sessions over the past two years, the Durham County District Attorney’s […]

Tags: , , , ,

October 29, 2020

Groundbreaking Research Reveals Increase in Life-Without-Parole Sentences Amid Decline in Serious Crime

During a time in which homicide rates continue to fall, and death sentences plummet, life-without-parole (LWOP) sentencing persists at record levels. Although research has examined drivers of incarceration generally, and death sentencing specifically, there has been little research on LWOP sentences, despite their growing prominence. In a new, groundbreaking study, a team of researchers from […]

Tags: , , , ,

October 27, 2020

ADA Event Panelists Discuss Vital Protections for Disabled People, Concerning Future for Law

By: Jeremy Yu When George H.W. Bush signed the Americans With Disabilities Act into law in 1990, he famously said “Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.” In celebration this year of the 30th anniversary of this landmark piece of civil rights legislation, the Wilson Center’s Dr. Marvin Swartz, Professor in Psychiatry […]

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

October 26, 2020

Student Post: Winston-Salem Police Should Adopt Reform to Exhaust All Alternatives Before Shooting

Editor’s note: There are several Duke University and Duke Law students working with the Wilson Center for Science and Justice this semester, including some who are working on a “blog team.” Those students are learning about the intersection of the criminal system with communications. As part of a recent assignment, four students wrote op-ed-style articles […]

Tags: , , , ,

October 23, 2020

Student Post: Wilmington Police Policies Should Reflect Mental Health Best Practices

Editor’s note: There are several Duke University and Duke Law students working with the Wilson Center for Science and Justice this semester, including some who are working on a “blog team.” Those students are learning about the intersection of the criminal system with communications. As part of a recent assignment, four students wrote op-ed-style articles […]

Tags: , , , , ,

October 21, 2020

Student Post: Updated Greensboro Police Department Policies a Good Start with Room to Grow

Editor’s note: There are several Duke University and Duke Law students working with the Wilson Center for Science and Justice this semester, including some who are working on a “blog team.” Those students are learning about the intersection of the criminal system with communications. As part of a recent assignment, four students wrote op-ed-style articles […]

Tags: , , , , , ,

October 20, 2020