Vanguard social justice articles involving criminal justice reform
The Trump administration is using administrative subpoenas to intimidate landlords into handing over sensitive tenant records, effectively creating an extrajudicial surveillance system that preys on confusion and fear, and undermining the rights of undocumented immigrants.
Incarceration is a public health crisis that affects the health and well-being of incarcerated people, corrections staff, their families, and entire communities, resulting in increased rates of chronic medical conditions, mental health issues, and poor health outcomes.
Civil rights advocates have condemned the DOJ’s recommendation for a one-day prison sentence for Brett Hankison, arguing that it diminishes the gravity of his actions and the life lost, and sends a minimizing message about justice.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined a coalition of 13 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to uphold a New York school district’s policy that protects the rights and privacy of transgender and gender-nonconforming students.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is seeking a first-degree murder charge against Richard Glossip despite previously agreeing to release him from prison after two decades on death row.
A coalition of Head Start providers and parent advocacy groups have filed a motion to amend their lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict access to the Head Start Program, which would exclude immigrant families from early childhood education.
Hundreds of Black-led and immigrant-led groups held a rally at Oakland City Hall to demand an end to deadly police chases, ICE raids, and the criminalization of Black immigrants, and to signal a long-term strategy to resist white supremacy in law enforcement, policy, surveillance, deportation systems, and public narrative.
A national report from the Fines and Fees Justice Center has exposed a “shadow debt system” that destabilizes state and local budgets while punishing low-income individuals with court-imposed fines and fees, and recommends the elimination of justice system fees, discharging old uncollectable court debt, and improving transparency and data collection.
Ralph Menzies, who is scheduled to be executed by firing squad in September 2025, has submitted a clemency petition to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, citing his irreversible vascular dementia and a crumbling foundation of flawed trial proceedings, false testimony, prosecutorial misconduct, and ineffective legal representation.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price discusses the politics of prosecution, public safety, and the double standards of the justice system with former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, and discusses the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Casa.
The U.S. Department of Justice has requested data from California sheriffs on non-citizen jail incarcerated people to help federal immigration authorities prioritize the removal of individuals who committed crimes after entering the U.S. without authorization.
Parent Voices Oakland and the ACLU are challenging the Trump administration’s reclassification of Head Start as a “federal public benefit” in court, arguing that it would deny immigrant families access to early education services and undermine the program’s mission.
Immigrants and legal advocacy organizations have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that they are orchestrating unlawful arrests and deportations of noncitizens who appear in immigration court as required.
Robert Roberson, a Texas man convicted of his daughter’s 2002 death based on the discredited “Shaken Baby Syndrome” theory, has his execution date set for October 16, 2025, despite evidence of innocence and widespread support for his clemency petition.
California has passed two bills, the No Secret Police Act and the No Vigilantes Act, aimed at ending the use of face coverings by law enforcement and requiring clearer identification, in response to concerns over secretive and aggressive federal immigration enforcement operations in the state.
Detroit teenagers are living with daily fears of crime and violence, which can lead to stress, anxiety, and reduced confidence, while some are finding healing through community service and building relationships with youth.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s Communications Director, Hon. Ryan LaLonde, reveals the chaos and disarray of her first 90 days in office, including a lack of digital tools, rogue prosecutors leaking internal matters, and a hostile media ecosystem.
Twenty-six people have died in LA County jails this year, with over half yet to be sentenced, and the county’s failure to address the issues driving incarceration may lead to more deaths.
Senator Jerry McNerney’s SB 846 has been signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, aiming to protect California farmworkers from wage theft and ensuring that agricultural employers are held accountable for any mistreatment.
Brittany Martin, a South Carolina woman who participated in a non-violent Black Lives Matter protest, was sentenced to four years in prison for a Breach of Peace of a High and Aggressive Nature conviction, which the ACLU argues is a clear violation of her constitutional rights.