IN THE STATES

The Young Lawyers Division of the New Jersey State bar Association is helping resolve outstanding legal issues for former prisoners.

A veto override gives even more former felons in Maryland the right to vote. (Baltimore Sun)

A bill is approved by the Wyoming Senate Judiciary Committee which, if passed, would grant judges greater leeway in sentencing first-time felony offenders, non-violent drug offenders and other parolees.

Prison Fellowship and Charles Koch Institute release results of new Virginia public opinion survey on criminal justice. 

IN MASSACHUSETTS

The bill to repeal mandatory driver’s license suspensions for those convicted of drug crimes has moved to conference committee, after being stalled in the House over a proposed amendment that would not ease up on those convicted of drug trafficking.  

WASHINGTON

Negotiations over “key sections” of sentencing reform legislation are underway in the Senate as lawmakers attempt to gain more Republican votes for criminal justice reform; Illinois residents hope their Senator, Sen. Mark Kirk, will be one of those votes. 

IN THE MEDIA

The Harvard Political Review highlights the especially challenging reentry process for those who had been held in isolation.

The Washington Post fact-checks Sen. Tom Cotton’s claim that proposed legislation would release “thousands of violent felons.”

The Coalition for Public Safety launches #FairJustice Week to highlight the momentum building for reform.

Alicia Keys, outspoken advocate for Criminal Justice Reform, calls on Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to bring reform to a vote in the House through a Valentine’s Day video.

Craig DeRoche writes a Fox News Opinion piece about Charles Colson’s notion that every prisoner retains their “god-given worth”, and how that idea transcends into the work of a Congressional task force named in Colson’s honor.

FROM THE RESEARCHERS

MassINC releases the latest installment in the Justice Reinvestment Policy Brief Series: Reducing Recidivism in Massachusetts with a Comprehensive Reentry Strategy.

A new report from MDRC presents an analysis of five CEO replication programs in New York, California, and Oklahoma.

The latest issue of Criminal Justice Policy Review shows New Jersey’s pre-release residential substance abuse homes are reducing recidivism. The journal also offers an interesting look at efforts to support father’s struggling with child support obligations after release.