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RIKERS, Face to Face

A vivid arc of life on Rikers as told by the people who experienced it — from the trauma of entry, the conflicts with other inmates and corrections officers, the stabbings and beatings, and the torture of solitary confinement to the psychological challenges of returning to the outside world

Mamie Till and Tarsha Jackson: ‘Mothers at the Gate’

Ebony Slaughter-Johnson Equal Voice
Decades later, the extreme, extrajudicial brutality Emmett Till encountered is almost inconceivable. Nevertheless, violence against African-American bodies still takes place today, sustained by a criminal justice system that provides everything but justice. And mothers like Mamie Till are still at the forefront of the fight for justice for their children and all children.

Feeling Sleepy? You Might Be at Risk of Falsely Confessing

S. Berkowitz, E. Loftus, K., S. Frenda The Conversation
Researchers have been hard at work studying how it is that innocent people sometimes go to prison for crimes they did not commit. A recent report documented that in 2015 there were a record number of exonerations in the United States, as many as one in four involving false confessions. Here are three pathways to a false confession.

Owning Up to Failed 'War on Drugs,' DOJ To Release Wave of Nonviolent Offenders

Lauren McCauley Common Dreams
The decision to release 6,000 federal prisoners before the end of their sentence is a sign of the failure of the "war on drugs." But it’s no substitute for systemic reforms that cut off the cycle of mass incarceration. Congress still needs to pass comprehensive criminal justice reform," said Michael Collins, policy manager with the Drug Policy Alliance.

Friday Nite Videos -- September 25, 2015

Portside
Donald Trump Has Nothing To Apologize For. John Oliver: Public Defenders. Brutally Honest NFL Theme Song with Bonnie McKee. Interview: From Freedom Fighter to President. 2-Million-Year-Old Fossils Reveal Hearing Abilities of Early Humans.

John Oliver: Public Defenders

The Miranda warning includes the right to a public defender. It doesn’t include the fact that public defenders are highly overworked and grossly underpaid.

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