By an executive order signed March 16, Virginia governor Ralph Northam restored voting rights to more than 69,000 felons released from state prisons and jails. The “Reforms Restoration of Rights Process” order immediately restores voting and other civil rights to any Virginian upon release from incarceration, even if they remain on community supervision, such as […]
Category: New Legislation
Article: Biden Orders DOJ to Stop Using Private Prisons
Phasing Out Private Prisons During his first week in office, President Joe Biden on January 26 issued an executive order directing the Department of Justice (DoJ) not to renew any leases the agency has with privately-owned prisons, as part of what he termed the new administration’s campaign to change “its whole approach” towards racial equity. […]
Article: New York State Bans Sex-Based “Panic Defenses” to Murder
New York has by legislation disallowed the so-called gay or trans “panic defenses” to murder charges, in which defendants argue their legal responsibility should be lessened due to the killer’s revulsion at the victim’s sexual or gender identity. The legislature easily passed, and on June 30, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law S. 6573, which […]
Article: Upstate County Criminalizes Behavior to “Annoy” the Police
Being annoying won’t do much to advance your popularity or social life, but in one upstate county, New Yorkers might go to jail for being annoying — if a person they’re annoying is working for the police force or other public safety organization. Jailtime for Individuals Who Annoy Police Officers? In Monroe County, which includes […]
Article: NY Court Officers: State Can’t Handle “Raise the Age” Law
When Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed the “Raise the Age” law in April last year, it drew major praise for ending New York’s long tradition of prosecuting defendants younger than 18 in adult criminal courts. Less noticed at the time was that taking 16- and 17-year-old juveniles out of the regular criminal courts would not […]