Judge Finally Agrees to Release First Woman Exonerated by Philly Conviction Integrity Unit
By Elina Sadeghian PHILADELPHIA, PA – India Spellman—after 12 years in prison but now found not guilty—last…
Vanguard social justice articles involving criminal justice reform
Tainted Trials, Part Two: 49er Gold-Digging Attorneys and Cops
As she sat on the curb watching the police search her former San Jose home, her five-month…
Criminalizing the Fentanyl Health Crisis in Yolo County
By Robert J Hansen Woodland, CA – A federal grand jury indicted Gilbert Ramirez, 25, and Michael…
Commentary: You Are Not Alone
by Aaron Zendejas We are told that “the biggest obstacle in life is discovering who you are”?…
State Senator Nancy Skinner Looks to Fill in Loopholes Concerning Illegal Cop Firearm Purchases
By Ramneet Singh SACRAMENTO, CA – California State Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) has cited California’s strict but…
Vera Institute of Justice Praises Biden’s State of the Union Address, Wants More Attention on Immigration Reform
By Maria Pia Matos WASHINGTON, DC – The Director of the Vera Institute of Justice, Nicholas Turner,…
Ending 50 Years of Mass Incarceration: The Sentencing Project Claims Urgent Reform Needed to Protect Future Generations
By Paloma Sifuentes, Michael McCutcheon and Emily Saroyan WASHINGTON, DC – A half century ago, in 1973,…
Guest Commentary: Simple Math
By Lyle C. May In 2015, 40 people died in North Carolina’s county jails. In 2018, the…
ABA Approves Resolution Banning Confederate Memorabilia and Iconography from Courthouses
By Michael Apfel, Belen Avelar and Ruby Mota NEW ORLEANS, LA – The ABA House of Delegates…
ACLU Challenges Kansas Death Penalty in Kyle Young Case
By Kevin Barragan WICHITA, KS – The Kansas death penalty statutes are being challenged this week by…
Former New Jersey Attorney General Opinion Writes Ignore New York; New Jersey Bail Reform Works
By Leslie Acevedo and Jariah Moore TRENTON, NJ – Former New Jersey Attorney General Chris Porrino issued…
CA State Assemblymember Announces Measure to Demand Release of Wrongfully Detained American Lawyer in Venezuela
By Cynthia Hoang-Duong LOS ANGELES, CA – In a call-to-action statement, California State Assemblymember Issac G. Bryan…
Progressive San Francisco Public Defender Sworn In to Begin New Term
By The Vanguard Staff SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Charging he was not “content” with the highly-regarded work…
Commentary: The Glaring Contradiction of the ‘R’ in the California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation
By Norman Williams Life without the possibility of parole laws should be repealed, due to the fact…
Father of Michael Brown, Whose Death at Hands of Police Sparked Protests, Guest of Rep. Cori Bush at Biden’s SOTU Address
By Daphne Ho and Caleigh Carlisle WASHINGTON, DC – Michael Brown, Sr., father of Michael Brown—killed by…
California Legislation Would Protect Inmate Religious Practices
By Belen Avelar SACRAMENTO, CA – Incarcerated individuals in California would receive new religious protections under a…
Midwest Innocence Project Deplores Lack of Justice within Criminal Legal System after Execution of Leonard Raheem Taylor
By Paloma Sifuentes and Roni Ayalon KANSAS CITY, MO – Leonard Raheem Taylor was executed in Missouri…
Innocence Project Decries Execution of Taylor in Missouri
Special to the Vanguard Statement from the Innocence Project… Today, the state of Missouri executed Leonard “Raheem”…
Guest Commentary: Living in the Bubble
By Elizabeth Hawes When you first arrive in county jail, you are segregated from others in the…
TEEN VOGUE Comment: Racism of Police Transcends Race of Individual Officers
By Jariah Moore MEMPHIS, TN – The fundamental racism and violence of the police as an institution…
