criminal justice

A recent report on national policing data has shown what many people already suspected: across the country, black and Latino people are stopped much more often by police than white people are.

Americans have the right to a legal defense when they are charged with a crime. The defendant may engage a lawyer of his choice, or accept a lawyer provided by the jurisdiction if the accused is unable to afford one. This right is so fundamental, it is shocking that Harvard University would question Professor Ronald Sullivan’s willingness to represent Harvey Weinstein in a rape case brought against him.

City Councilor Josh Zakim has called for a hearing on the Boston Police Department’s involvement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the 2017 arrest by ICE of an immigrant worker in Boston.

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins has appointed an independent panel to oversee her office’s investigation into the Feb. 22 Boston police shooting of Kasim Kahrim. Rollins’ appointment of the four-person panel marks the first time a Boston police shooting will be investigated by a panel independent of the police or district attorney’s office. Rollins pledged to conduct independent investigations of police-involved shootings while campaigning for office last year.

A 2017 arrest has prompted the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts to look into the Boston Police Department to determine the extent to which officers are working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

CourtWatch MA volunteers have recorded data on arraignments in Boston Municipal Court and Roxbury and Dorchester district courts detailing the disparate outcomes of defendants of different racial and economic backgrounds.

In 43 states and the District of Columbia, driver’s licenses can be suspended because of unpaid court debt.

Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell has called for a series of measures to increase diversity among the city’s public safety departments, including an overhaul of the Civil Service system, which gives hiring priority to veterans.

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins, who has caused controversy with her campaign promise not to prosecute 15 minor crimes, was sworn in last week in a ceremony at Roxbury Community College.

This is the Trump era. That means that there are legions of managers and employees of big and little firms who see absolutely nothing wrong in eyeing black patrons in businesses as interlopers and even potential criminals.

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins was sworn in last Wednesday afternoon in a ceremony at Roxbury Community College, becoming the first woman of color in the state’s history to hold the position.

For decades the U.S. has imprisoned a higher percentage of its residents than any other country. It has always seemed inconsistent for the nation of “liberty and justice for all” to have so many people in jail.