Vanguard social justice articles involving criminal justice reform
A documentary, The Syndrome, examines the medical and legal consequences of shaken baby syndrome, questioning the scientific basis of the diagnosis and highlighting the lack of substantial scientific evidence.
The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office is facing an increased caseload of 55% in felony cases and 78% in misdemeanors, resulting in a staffing shortage and forcing attorneys to work overtime without pay, while the judge’s order to accept all arraignments in felony cases exacerbates the situation.
The Supreme Court ruled that restitution under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act is criminal punishment, and that the government can no longer retroactively hike interest or extend payment deadlines on old cases, effectively moving the goalposts on people who have already served their time.
Officer Samantha Fiedler and five other LAPD officers have filed a lawsuit alleging that the department enforced an unofficial quota system prioritizing gang contacts and gun-related arrests, and punished officers who failed to meet those expectations.
Tommy Lee Walker was wrongfully executed for a crime he did not commit due to racial hysteria and Jim Crow-era injustice, and the Innocence Project is working to formally recognize this miscarriage of justice and exonerate other wrongfully convicted individuals.
Civil rights advocates are urging California to make Clarence Ray Allen’s execution the last by permanently ending the state’s death penalty, citing its high cost and ineffectiveness as a deterrent.
Termaine Hicks, who was exonerated after spending 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, will share his experiences with the justice system at the U.S. Marshals Museum’s “True Crime Tonight” event.
The Supreme Court ruled in Barrett v. United States that a defendant may not receive two firearm convictions for a single criminal act when the offenses are closely related, upholding the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
A comprehensive 2025 evidence review by Fair and Just Prosecution has found that pervasive misinformation has led to harmful policies, public panic, and preventable deaths in the fentanyl crisis, and that public health strategies are working to reduce fentanyl-linked deaths.
Andre Brown, who was convicted of a 1999 double attempted murder, had his 40-year sentence converted to two 20-year concurrent terms, meaning he will not have to return to prison, after a resentencing motion was granted due to ineffective assistance of counsel at sentencing.
The DHS Use of Force Oversight Act would require the Department of Homeland Security to adopt and abide by formal, enforceable standards governing the use of force and de-escalation by its agents, creating new mechanisms for reporting and congressional oversight.
The California Department of Justice has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prove that the officer involved in the shooting of Victor Nava acted without the intent to defend herself and others, and has made two policy recommendations to the South Gate Police Department.
The Trump administration abruptly ended hundreds of federal grants supporting behavioral and mental health services, causing concern for addiction treatment, homelessness services and care for people with serious mental illness, but the decision was later reversed.
Judges with law enforcement backgrounds are more likely to order pretrial detention and set higher cash bail amounts, resulting in harsher outcomes for defendants at their first court appearance, according to a new study analyzing nearly 70,000 New York City criminal court arraignments.
California has not executed anyone since 2006 and advocates are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to grant clemency to all those sentenced to death, citing racial bias, innocence claims, and the high costs of capital punishment.
The Bail Project released a report showing that states are quietly changing their constitutions to make it easier to keep people in jail before trial, even though they have not been convicted of a crime, and that this trend is happening with little public awareness.
San Francisco has seen a measurable reduction in racially biased traffic stops since the implementation of a policy restricting “pretext stops” in July 2024, according to data released by the San Francisco Police Department.
Alabama death penalty advocates are urging Governor Kay Ivey to halt the execution of 75-year-old Charles “Sonny” Burton, a wheelchair-bound non-shooter, arguing that his case presents even more compelling circumstances than Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s recent clemency decision for Tremane Wood.
Despite widespread calls for mercy and evidence suggesting mental health diversion, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 to deny clemency for death row prisoner Kendrick man , who is scheduled to be executed in 2026.
The Supreme Court’s decision in Bowe v. United States opens a path for federal prisoners to challenge unlawful convictions and sentences, as lower courts had previously closed, by allowing them to seek Supreme Court review when permission to file post-conviction motions is denied.