Thousands of Books Banned, Sentencing Commission Changes & More

"The only difference between a nonfatal shooting and a homicide is luck. Policing shouldn’t come down to luck."
 
The Denver police have achieved remarkable success in increasing clearance rates of nonfatal shootings following the creation of a dedicated police unit to investigate such cases, known as the Firearm Assault Shoot Team (FAST). This approach has led to the clearance of a significant number of nonfatal shootings, addressing the gap between police resources dedicated to solving shootings that result in homicides versus nonfatal shootings. The program’s success has shown that when detectives have the time, resources, and commitment, they can resolve most shootings. 
 
"These reforms are long overdue and represent an important step forward in reigning in a federal prison population that is the largest in the country, despite mounting evidence that long prison terms do not reduce crime and that incarceration is the most expensive and one of the least effective methods of keeping communities safe."
 
The U.S. Sentencing Commission released its Federal Sentencing Guidelines this week, and the changes have the potential to reduce racial disparities in sentencing and safely reduce the federal prison population. These reforms include compassionate release amendments that allow judges to consider "gross disparities" in sentencing, and retroactive application of the Criminal History Amendments, which would reduce sentences for potentially thousands with little negative impact on public safety. These changes signal a significant step forward in aligning federal sentencing policy with evidence-based approaches to reduce incarceration and enhance public safety. FWD.us reports more on key pieces of the newly released guidelines. 

"A high volume of police contact fails to address the higher rates of serious violent offending and victimization among communities of color, and sometimes exacerbates these problems."

A new report released by the Sentencing Project this week delves into impact of policing on  policing as a response to racial disparities in serious crimes—particularly regarding Black Americans—as a response to racial disparities in serious crimes. Among the findings, the report notes that police disproportionately pull over Black and Latino drivers and disproportionately subject them to searches, despite searches of white drivers being more likely to turn up contraband.
 
"Lawmakers and the public need neutral and unbiased information about how tax dollars are being spent, and assurance that those removed from society for a period of time are protected from harm and treated with humanity."
 
New Jersey's prisons are plagued by widespread drug use, property losses, and rule violations, according to a recently released annual report by the state's Office of the Corrections Ombudsperson, an independent watchdog tasked with providing more transparency over the agency and recommending reforms. The report reveals that incarcerated individuals face challenges like missing belongings, inadequate healthcare, housing concerns, and difficulties in communication with the outside world. It also highlights problems with disciplinary measures, including the excessive use of solitary confinement and understaffing, urging higher pay for correctional officers, and reducing the prison population to address these issues.
 
"Prison censorship just absolutely dwarfs any other kind of censorship in our culture. It's really massive. It doesn't only target specific content or titles, it's really aimed at the medium of the written word itself."
 
Prisons in the United States have banned thousands of books—surpassing school and library book bans—according to a report from PEN America. The study, based on open records requests, interviews, and incarcerated individuals' narratives, reveals that some states have banned over 22,000 titles. The most banned category includes sexually explicit material, but the extent of carceral censorship is likely far greater than reported due to a lack of documentation at both state and federal levels, highlighting concerns about lack of access to literature for incarcerated individuals. Axios takes a closer look at the report's findings.