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Criminal Justice Reform

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Fines and Fees Are a Barrier to Criminal Record-Clearing Article
View of a Black man in profile, wearing dark winter clothes, walking on a sidewalk holding a large blue bucket. He is scattering de-icing salt in front of a brown brick/stone building with a small grassy area between the building and the sidewalk, although it's entirely covered in a tin layer of snow with brown leaves visible.

Fines and Fees Are a Barrier to Criminal Record-Clearing

Jurisdictions can take several steps to eliminate the financial barriers imposed by fines and fees, which would help system-impacted individuals clear their records and reenter society.

Gus Tupper, Akua Amaning, Jaboa Lake

Beyond the U.S. Department of Justice Report
A microphone stands near the West Wing of the White House after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump on January 13, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Getty/Drew Angerer)

Beyond the U.S. Department of Justice

The federal government has the opportunity to look to agencies beyond the Department of Justice to advance progressive criminal justice reforms.

Sarah Figgatt

The Facts on Pattern-or-Practice Investigations Fact Sheet
(Getty/Andrew Harnick-Pool)

The Facts on Pattern-or-Practice Investigations

The U.S. Department of Justice seems poised to restore pattern-or-practice investigations to promote constitutional and effective policing.

Kenny Lo

A Criminal Record Shouldn’t Be a Life Sentence to Poverty Report
(Close-up reflection of a white sign with red and black text in a window reading

A Criminal Record Shouldn’t Be a Life Sentence to Poverty

Bipartisan momentum for clean slate and fair chance licensing policies—which remove barriers to economic opportunity for people facing the stigma of a criminal record—has grown significantly in the states in recent years.

Rebecca Vallas, Sharon Dietrich, Beth Avery

How To Address Concerns About Data on Deaths in Custody Report
Cement barricades, barbwire, and fencing surround a police station in Minneapolis on April 7, 2021. (Getty/Los Angeles Times/Jason Armond)

How To Address Concerns About Data on Deaths in Custody

With the U.S. Department of Justice beginning to collect data pursuant to the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013, Congress and state legislatures should take the initiative to ensure the dependability of the forthcoming data.

Kenny Lo

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