“Formerly incarcerated activists, lawmakers, and advocates achieved important changes in criminal justice policy this year to reduce mass incarceration, expand voting rights and advance racial justice. Success in Criminal Legal Reforms, 2021, by Nicole D. Porter, describes these key changes: Sentencing: Several states addressed extreme sentencing. Two states — Colorado and Illinois — addressed felony… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Civil Liberties
These 200 global companies have top-rated climate strategies
Quartz: “…In its latest summary of company disclosures, published Dec. 7, CDP reported that in 2021, about 13,000 companies globally disclosed some form of climate data and strategy. That group represents 64% of global market capitalization, according to CDP. But just 1.5% of those—200 companies—scored an A. The list, included in full below, includes companies… Continue Reading
World Inequality Report 2022
“We live in a data-abundant world and yet we lack basic information about inequality. Economic growth numbers are published every year by governments across the globe, but they do not tell us about how growth is distributed across the population – about who gains and who loses from economic policies. Accessing such data is critical… Continue Reading
Clamor For More Open Court Records Is Augmented Via AI Beneficial Uses
Eliot, Lance, Clamor For More Open Court Records Is Augmented Via AI Beneficial Uses (November 29, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3973217 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3973217 “Court records are not quite as openly accessible as you might assume. There are often fees charged to get court records. In addition, court records are oftentimes in disparate formats and it… Continue Reading
SCOTUS Will Gaslight Us Until the End
Slate – “Oral arguments today made clear that this court will overturn Roe—and that they’ll insist on their own reasonableness the whole time…Perhaps it would be refreshing if the conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court no longer felt the need to lie to us. The lying, after all, is becoming nearly untenable—especially for an institution… Continue Reading
Learn how to find abortion pills, how to use them safely, and help us make this information common knowledge.
Shout Your Abortion: “The Good News – Mifepristone and Misoprostol—aka abortion pills—are safe, effective, and widely available online for about $100. In fact, you can now order pills to have on hand before you’re even pregnant. Abortion-by-mail can significantly reduce the harm done by anti-choice legislation, but only if people know that this option exists. Please be… Continue Reading
Mapped: What post-Roe America could look like
Axios – “If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the average American could have to travel around 125 miles to reach the nearest abortion provider, compared to the current average of 25 miles, according to the Myers Abortion Facility database. State of play: 12 states will immediately restrict abortion if Roe disappears, and others… Continue Reading
A criminal justice expert’s guide to donating effectively
Vox: “…Chloe Cockburn has thought harder about that question than just about anyone. Until recently, Cockburn was the program officer for criminal justice reform at the Open Philanthropy Project, a foundation-like organization backed by the nearly $14 billion fortune of Cari Tuna and her husband, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz. It seeks to identify the most… Continue Reading
The Future of Digital Spaces and Their Role in Democracy
Pew Report – “Many experts say public online spaces will significantly improve by 2035 if reformers, big technology firms, governments and activists tackle the problems created by misinformation, disinformation and toxic discourse. Others expect continuing troubles as digital tools and forums are used to exploit people’s frailties, stoke their rage and drive them apart.. Those… Continue Reading
TRAC Releases New Asylum Data Tools, Adds Data on Gender, Language, and Age
“The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University released two brand new interactive asylum data tools that allow users to view detailed data on asylum applications and the asylum backlog in Immigration Court. TRAC also added detailed information on gender, language, and age—valuable information that is of considerable public interest—to its new and existing… Continue Reading
What to Know About the Challenge to Roe v. Wade
KFF: “Abortion at SCOTUS: Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health – “Abortion is among the most contentious issues in the country today. On December 1, the Supreme Court will hear the first abortion case since Justice Amy Coney Barrett was seated and cemented a solid 6-3 conservative majority on the bench. The case under consideration, Thomas E. Dobbs, State Health Officer of… Continue Reading
As Calls to Ban Books Intensify, Digital Librarians Offer Perspective
Internet Archive Blogs: “From Texas to Virginia to Pennsylvania, there is a growing movement to challenge books in schools that some suggest are inappropriate for students. Concern goes beyond explicit content; it now includes opposition to LGBTQIA material, the history of racism, and material that may cause discomfort to readers. While efforts to ban books… Continue Reading
