Migration-Crime Narrative, State Prison Populations & More

"My question is where are we going to find the money to pay for this?"
 
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s package of tough-on-crime legislation made its final moves through the state’s special legislative session on crime this week, and as the Louisiana Illuminator astutely points out, they did so without the full understanding of how much the measures will cost taxpayers. The proposed bills, including measures to lengthen prison sentences, restrict parole, require 17-year-olds be tried as adults, and more had analyses that cited the cost as “indeterminable,” while some measures were being passed before fiscal analyses could be completed. Some worry that these measures will ultimately come with a hefty price tag and little to show for it in terms of increased public safety. 
 
"Our investigation uncovered chronic, systemic deficiencies that create and perpetuate violent and unsafe environments for people incarcerated at these three Mississippi facilities."
 
A report released this week by the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division found unconstitutional conditions in three Mississippi prisons. The report details alarming findings of inhumane treatment, inadequate medical care, and violence against inmates, adding to the mounting evidence of systemic failures in Mississippi's prisons that have become a persistent crisis.
 
"Any New Yorker that looks at those who are trying to fulfill their next step on the American dream as being criminals, that is wrong."
 
A new piece in the New York Times finds that contrary to the predominant narrative in the news at the moment, data shows that migrants are significantly less likely to engage in criminal activities and cannot be blamed for “crime wave” cities. The data highlights a notable disconnect between public perception and the empirical reality. As the southern border continues to occupy a larger and larger share of the national attention, this report and others help examine an increasingly unavoidable connection between immigration and criminal justice policy.
 
"It is disappointing that we're seeing this increase in populations around the country because we have proven that we can have reductions and be safe."
 
Local Axios publications have taken an interesting deep dive on state-level incarceration rates in several JAN priority states around the nation this week. Among them, Washington State stands out with a consistently maintained decline in prison and jail populations. On the other hand, states like Utah and Arizona have seen a significant increase in the number of people in custody since the pandemic.
 
"I do believe that every community, every police department should be required to collect the same information across the board so it can be analyzed and compared effectively."
 
A Marshall Project report this week is highlighting troubling racial disparities in the rates of traffic stops and ticketing in Bratenahl, Ohio, a wealthy suburb of Cleveland. The investigation details a pattern of disproportionately targeting black drivers, who represented 69% of all citations in 2023. Village leaders said they are concerned by the new findings, and hope mandating additional training on bias-free policing and requiring officers to log more data during traffic stops will reduce the ticketing trends and identify its root causes.