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Walter Palvo has this new piece at Forbes highlighting transitions and challenges at federal Bureau of Prisons. I recommend the full piece, headlined "Bureau Of Prisons Executives Announce Retirement Ahead Of New Director," and here are a few excertps: The... Douglas A. Berman Prisons and prisoners Who Sentences

The title of this post is the title of this new article authored by Kristen Bell now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract: Clauses in five state constitutions prohibit treating people who are arrested or confined with “unnecessary rigor.”... Douglas A. Berman Prisons and prisoners Scope of Imprisonment Sentences Reconsidered

For a host of reasons, I have already concluded that it is essentially impossible for me to keep up with, let alone blog about, all the notable and newsy criminal justice and sentencing stories giving 2025 quite a start. Consequently,... Douglas A. Berman Recommended reading

This new USA Today piece highlights that a trio of states that have not conducted many executions recently are scheduled to carry out death sentences next month: Louisiana's execution of Christopher Sepulvado on March 17 would mark the end of... Douglas A. Berman Baze and Glossip lethal injection cases Death Penalty Reforms

As reported in this local article, "New U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to return convicted murderer John Fitzgerald Hanson to Oklahoma for execution." Here is more: "Inmate Hanson viciously murdered an innocent woman,"... Douglas A. Berman Death Penalty Reforms Prisons and prisoners Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Who Sentences

The title of this post is the title of this new paper authored by William M. M. Kamin now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract: Over the Supreme Court's past four Terms, federal postconviction habeas corpus has been placed... Douglas A. Berman Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

One reason I have given significant attention to modern marijuana reform — and helped to start an academic center, OSU's Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, conducting research on the topic — relates to my worries that basic justice-system data and... Douglas A. Berman Criminal justice in the Trump Administration Drug Offense Sentencing Pot Prohibition Issues Prisons and prisoners Who Sentences

As reported in this AP piece, a " Texas man who killed his strip club manager and another man, then later prompted a massive lockdown of the state prison system when he used a cellphone smuggled onto death row to... Douglas A. Berman Baze and Glossip lethal injection cases Death Penalty Reforms

As reported in this AP piece, a "Florida man convicted of killing a husband and wife at a remote farm in an attack witnessed by the couple’s toddler was put to death Thursday in the state’s first execution of the... Douglas A. Berman Baze and Glossip lethal injection cases Death Penalty Reforms

The title of this post is the title of this paper recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and authored by Christopher Muller and Alexander Roehrkasse. Here is its abstract: Using administrative and survey data, we show... Douglas A. Berman Data on sentencing Prisons and prisoners Race, Class, and Gender Scope of Imprisonment

The question in the title of this post is prompted by this lengthy Chicago Tribune article reporting on the results of a lengthy trial and jury deliberation under the headline "No sweep for either side, but Madigan jury’s split verdict... Douglas A. Berman Offender Characteristics Offense Characteristics Purposes of Punishment and Sentencing White-collar sentencing

The title of this post is the title of this new talk/paper authored by Paul Cassell available now via SSRN. Here is its abstract: This article, which serves as the keynote address for the 2025 University of Pacific Law Review... Douglas A. Berman Victims' Rights At Sentencing Who Sentences

A helpful lawyer made sure I saw this week's important new ruling by a Third Circuit panel in Pitsilides v. Barr, No. 21-3320 (3d Cir. Feb. 10, 2025) (available here). I highly recommend the Pitsilides ruling in full, especially because... Douglas A. Berman Gun policy and sentencing Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Second Amendment issues

I flagged in this post last week that on February 12 the US Sentencing Commission was to be conducting a public hearing "to receive testimony from invited witnesses on proposed amendments relating to the career offender guideline, firearms offenses, simplification,... Douglas A. Berman

The title of this post is the title of this new article authored by Rachel Barkow just posted to SSRN. Here is its abstract: Constitutional law is typically conceived as a set of individual rights and a list of powers... Douglas A. Berman Offense Characteristics Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Who Sentences

I recently came acrosss a series of short policy papers released last month by the think tank R Street Institute to provide suggestions regarding a "public safety agenda" for various government entities. Here are links to the four papers in... Douglas A. Berman Who Sentences

As reported in this AP piece, "President Donald Trump on Monday pardoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose 14-year sentence for political corruption charges he commuted during his first term." Here is more: The Republican president called the Democratic former... Douglas A. Berman Clemency and Pardons Criminal justice in the Trump Administration Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

As reported in this local article, "Louisiana has approved a protocol for executions by nitrogen hypoxia, which will allow death sentences to be carried out again after nearly 15 years, Gov. Jeff Landry said Monday." Here is more: Louisiana has... Douglas A. Berman Baze and Glossip lethal injection cases Death Penalty Reforms Who Sentences