Bipartisan Reform Momentum, Oklahoma Resentencing & More
"The reform movement has entered a new era of quiet pragmatism, which focuses on practical solutions and consensus-building..."
This week in The Atlantic, Udi Ofer argues that bipartisan criminal justice reform is still very much alive. While the pace of criminal justice reform progress has slowed, he argues, progress certainly continues, and over 60 new policies that have been enacted across the U.S. in just two years. While challenges in criminal justice reform persist, such as the recent setbacks in Louisiana, policies that have advanced, combined with public opinion that has shifted toward favoring less punitive solutions, shows that momentum for change remains strong.
"The goal of this project is to provide this information so that anyone — regardless of their location, expertise in crime data, political persuasion, or policy preferences — can use it to understand crime locally or nationally."
The Real-Time Crime Index (RTCI) launched this week with data from over 350 law enforcement agencies, covering more than 80 million people. Key statistics show that, as of June 2024, violent crime and motor vehicle theft are both down. The RTCI offers a 12-month rolling view of crime trends, which helps smooth seasonal variations and offer a clearer picture of crime developments at a faster rate than federal crime databases. The database promises to serve as a complimentary resource to other crime data sets and paint a fuller picture of crime.
"We've got to make sure that those victims of domestic violence are taken seriously, that their stories are heard, and that we take it into account."
The Oklahoma Survivors’ Act went into effect this week, and now those who were sentenced to prison for crimes they committed while suffering from domestic abuse can petition a court for a reduction in their sentences. The new law also requires a court to consider if the defendant suffered from abuse during the sentencing process, and comes as domestic violence rates and the rate of men murdering women in Oklahoma are some of the highest in the country.
"If we can just have that breath of: ‘Okay, what would I want to have happen if my kid did something wrong or was accused of doing something wrong?’."
Children under the age of 18 often waive their Miranda rights when they are arrested, with studies showing as many as 90% of children do so, despite not fully understanding the consequences. In response, states like California, Washington, Maryland, and New Jersey have recently enacted laws preventing law enforcement from questioning juveniles before they've consulted with a lawyer. Other states like Illinois, Minnesota, and New York are attempting to follow suit and have introduced bills that would help protect due process for young people. Experts argue that the laws are crucial because decision-making skills do not fully develop until the mid-twenties, leaving children, teens, and even young adults more susceptible to false confessions and harsher punishments.
"It’s going to be this very complicated system, where essentially people who use drugs won’t know their rights and what to expect because it’s different in every single county."
This week, a law that re-criminalizes drug possession in Oregon went into effect, and the crime now carries punishments of up to six months in jail or treatment. This change replaces the state’s prior approach, approved by voters in 2020, that punished possession with a ticket and minor fine. While the new law gives counties the option to create deflection programs instead of jail, it does not require that they do so. The state is investing more money for drug treatment in counties that setup deflection programs, but Oregon still faces a critical shortage of 3,700 beds, leaving the system under strain.