News

By Chinmay Amin In Harris County, Texas, hearing officers and judges in low-level misdemeanor cases had relied on a cash-bail system prior to 2019. In setting misdemeanor bail, the hearing officers and judges did not routinely inquire into public safety, flight risk, or whether a defendant was homeless, indigent, or unable to pay. In most […]

By Belle Allmendinger A trial court in North Carolina should not have admitted as an expert a dentist who testified about bite mark evidence in State v. Jonathan Richardson, given the “unanimous scientific consensus that this type of evidence is inherently unreliable.” An amicus brief setting out the reliability concerns inherent in bite mark analysis, […]

By Ruthie Kesri North Carolina will release 3,500 prisoners in state custody early over the next six-months after N.C. civil rights groups struck an agreement with Governor Cooper’s administration. Under the terms of the agreement, the lawsuit, which alleges that prison conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic have violated incarcerated persons’ constitutionally-guaranteed rights, will halt for […]

By De’Ja Wood Dr. Fabiana Alceste is a Latina professor of psychology at Butler University who was born in Caracas, Venezuela and raised Miami, Florida. Dr. Alceste earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Bachelor of Science in Criminology from the University of Florida and earned her Ph.D. from John Jay College of […]

By Annie Han Prisoners with mental health issues are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, with over 37% in state or federal prisons diagnosed with mental illness. Their health and behavioral needs are often untreated, or they do not receive proper care. They also face significant challenges upon release when transitioning back into the […]

By Belle Allmendinger The Durham District Attorney’s office released its 2020 Annual Report on February 18th, demonstrating the incredible work being done on several fronts. From advancing racial equity in the criminal legal system to adapting to socially distant courtrooms, this report highlights internal and external partnerships, including with the Wilson Center for Science and […]

The Wilson Center for Science and Justice is one of several organizations that signed on to a letter last week urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to augment efforts to transfer federal incarcerated persons to home confinement and pursuant to compassionate release, and to not pursue re-incarceration of released persons. The single most effective strategy […]

By De’Ja Wood On Tuesday, March 9, Alice Marie Johnson and Dontae Sharpe joined the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law to discuss community re-entry challenges for those people who have been incarcerated. Johnson is a criminal justice reform advocate and former federal prison who served almost 22 years in prison. It […]