criminal justice

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction barring officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from civilly arresting people who are attending court in courthouses across the state, a decision which will free up access to the courts for undocumented immigrants.

The group Lawyers for Civil Rights filed a lawsuit against the Boston Police Department last week calling for the release of records on hiring, promotion, discipline and termination of applicants and employees of color in the department.

The Central Park 5 case has been a textbook case for the one thing that has consistently and horribly disfigured America’s criminal justice system.

The governor has more than enough political capital to consider an effort to set a high standard for the Massachusetts State Police as well as encourage police departments in major cities to reform practices that violate the national commitment to democracy.

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan joined a federal lawsuit Monday that would bar Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from arresting people in and around Massachusetts courthouses for civil immigration violations.

Earlier this month, the Muslim Justice League sent a letter to Boston Police Department Commissioner William Gross, requesting that he “recall its officers from participation in” the Youth and Policing Initiative Plus, a program funded by a grant from the Department of Homeland Security in 2017.

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins officially released a policy memo Monday that includes action on her campaign promise to decline to prosecute 15 minor crimes.

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.