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 […]
Category: Homepage News
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Join Us at Virtual Event Celebrating 30 Years of the Americans with Disabilities Act
This year marks the 30th anniversary of President George H.W. Bush signing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. Join us later this week for a panel Q&A exploring the past, present and future of the ADA, and how and the extent to which it has increased access to services for an entire generation. […]
Wilson Center Signs Letter Calling for Federal Rule Amendment to Stop Use of Unreliable Science in Court
The Wilson Center for Science and Justice has signed on to a letter to the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure at the Administrative Office of the United States Courts calling for the use of only sound scientific evidence in the criminal legal system. “Our respective experiences underscore the importance of amending Federal Rule of Evidence […]
Friday: Expert Panelists to Discuss COVID-19 Spread in Jails, Prisons
Join Duke Science & Society and our panel of experts in a discussion of how COVID-19 has spread through jails and prisons, how that is affecting not only inmates but also surrounding communities, what corrections officials are – and are not – doing to address COVID-19, and what should be done to improve health outcomes […]
NEW: Duke Scientific Integrity Associate Interviews Brandon Garrett About Criminal Legal System
Emilia Chiscop-Head, Ph.D. and Scientific Integrity Associate at Advancing Scientific Integrity, Services and Training (ASIST) recently caught up with Wilson Center Director Brandon Garrett about the criminal legal system, structural racism and policing reforms. Brandon L. Garrett, JD is the inaugural L. Neil Williams, Jr. Professor of Law and came to Duke in 2017 from […]