The following book review of Lethal State: A History of the Death Penalty in North Carolina by author Seth Kotch was written by Duke Center for Science and Justice Director Brandon Garrett and posted on the Rutgers Newark site. Today, age – and now COVID – and not the execution chamber, are the lethal agents […]
Category: Blog
Reading List: Black Economists on Criminal Justice
Megan Stevenson, an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law, and Margaret Shin, a J.D. Candidate at the same school, recently put together a new reading list of Black economists writing about crime and criminal justice. “In a field where minority voices are often underrepresented, this project seeks to highlight the contributions of Black […]
Researcher Makes Case for Police to Reconsider Employment Age Qualifications
This week’s Crim Works in Progress presenter was Madalyn K. Wasilczuk, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at the Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Wasilczuk’s paper, “How Police Hiring Policies Fail to Account for Emerging Adulthood,” makes a case for the policing profession to reconsider age qualifications for employment in light of the growing body […]
NC Lawmakers to Gov. Cooper: It’s Time to Release Ronnie Long
Fourteen North Carolina lawmakers from across the state are urging Gov. Roy Cooper to commute Ronnie Long’s sentence – he is represented by Jamie Lau at Duke Law School’s Wrongful Convictions Clinic. Long, a Black man who is now 64, was convicted in 1976 by an all white jury for the rape of a wealthy […]
Maher Underscores Importance of Public Defense in Task Force’s Racial Equity Work
Duke Center for Science and Justice Executive Director Tom Maher spoke Tuesday to the Governor’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice. The group, which has been working for at least a month, made its first recommendations last week to improve bias within the criminal justice system, and they held a public hearing for […]
Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice Makes Recommendations; Will Hear Public Comment
The North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice adopted three new recommendations Friday, including a duty to intervene and report for law enforcement officers, a prohibition of neck holds for law enforcement officers, and a North Carolina Supreme Court requirement of an assessment of ability to pay before levying fines and fees. […]
Upcoming Duke Event: Defund the Police – A Discussion and Q&A
Duke Center for Science and Justice Director Brandon Garrett will moderate an event Saturday exploring the merits, issues, and trade-offs of defunding-to-reallocate budget initiatives. Defund the Police movements have been around a long time, but have emerged again more prominently and recently in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd. Panelists will discuss the […]
Report: Justice System Must Improve Quality of Forensic Science for Courtroom Presentation
Is forensic science in the courtroom as trustworthy as it seems? Not always, according to a new report co-authored by Duke Center for Science and Justice Research Director William Crozier. “Faulty forensic science sometimes makes its way into the courtroom where jurors must evaluate its credibility,” the report abstract states. “But at least two factors […]
Indy Week Publishes Powerful Letter to Cooper About COVID-19 in Prisons After Faye Brown’s Death
Ninety-eight people who are incarcerated in a federal prison in this country have died from COVID-19 in the past four months, and North Carolina is bearing the brunt of those losses with 25 deaths out of the Butner Federal Correctional Complex. There have also been six deaths in state-run prisons in North Carolina. Save for […]
U Penn Law Faculty Discusses Pretrial Improvements at CSJ Crim Works in Progress
This week’s Duke Center for Science and Justice Crim Works in Progress webinar featured a presentation by Paul Heaton on his work about how enhanced public defense can improve pretrial outcomes and reduce racial disparities. Heaton, Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and a Senior Fellow and Academic Director of the Quattrone Center, […]