I am not sure I would describe criminal justice articles from Law360 as "beach reading," but I am sure that I have noticed a number of notable pieces on that site should not be overlooked amid summer fun. So here...
Douglas A. Berman
Recommended reading
Via this inauguration executive order, Prez Trump called the death penalty the "only proper punishment for the vilest crimes" and asserted that his "Administration will not tolerate efforts to stymie and eviscerate the laws that authorize capital punishment against those...
Douglas A. Berman
Death Penalty Reforms
Offense Characteristics
Procedure and Proof at Sentencing
Who Sentences
As reported in this Reuters piece, "former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison was sentenced on Monday to 33 months in prison for violating Breonna Taylor's rights during the raid in which she was shot and killed." The US Justice Department,...
Douglas A. Berman
Offender Characteristics
Offense Characteristics
A few days ago, Slate ran this new commentary from Frank Bowman discussing the latest reporting on Prez Biden's clemency actions on his way out of the Oval Office. I recommend the piece in full, and here is how it...
Douglas A. Berman
Clemency and Pardons
Procedure and Proof at Sentencing
Sentences Reconsidered
Who Sentences
The title of this post is the title of this new article published in the Journal of Criminal Justice and authored by Noy Assaraf and Roni Factor. Here is its abstract: Objectives While many studies have examined the impact of...
Douglas A. Berman
Prisons and prisoners
While I was on the road, a Third Circuit panel handed down a notable new Second Amendment opinion in US v Harris, No. 21-3031 (3d Cir. July 14, 2025) (available here). The Harris ruling concerns the (un)constitutionality of federal law’s...
Douglas A. Berman
Gun policy and sentencing
Second Amendment issues
The title of this post is the headline of this intersting research published at Corrections 1 that is described as a "futures study of a particular emerging issue of relevance to law enforcement." The article begins with this account of...
Douglas A. Berman
Prisons and prisoners
Technocorrections
Law360 has this lengthy new article providing a detail examination of the Supreme Court's rulings in an array of criminal cases during its October 2024 Term. The article's headline, "High Court Term Yields Gains For Criminal Defendants," reveals its essential...
Douglas A. Berman
Sentences Reconsidered
Who Sentences
As reported in this CNN piece, the "Justice Department is asking that a former police officer found guilty of violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor in 2020 -- when she was shot and killed by police in her Louisville...
Douglas A. Berman
Federal Sentencing Guidelines
Offender Characteristics
Offense Characteristics
Procedure and Proof at Sentencing
This press release from the Buraeu of Prisons earlier this week reports on a notable development inside the BOP. The heading of the press release provides the basics: "Director Marshall Launches FSA Task Force: New Initiative to Tackle Delays, Equip...
Douglas A. Berman
Criminal justice in the Trump Administration
FIRST STEP Act and its implementation
Prisons and prisoners
Who Sentences
As reported in this AP article, on Tuesday of this week, a "man convicted of fatally shooting two people outside a Florida bar in 1993 as part of an attempted revenge killing was executed Tuesday evening, the 26th person put...
Douglas A. Berman
Death Penalty Reforms
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