The title of this post is the title of this new paper authored by David Shapiro and Molly Bernstein available via SSRN. Here is its abstract:
Properly understood, the “cruel or unusual” punishment clause of the Michigan Constitution grants every
Tuesday Talk*: Should Lame-Duck Pardons Be Banned?
Sure. it’s all the rage at the moment, but Joe Biden’s pardon of his son is hardly a novel concept, either as to pardoning a family member (think Charles Kushner) or issuing a pardon on the way out the door.
Rounding up just some early commentary on a father's pardoning
I was inclined to wait a bit before doing a round up of commentary on Prez Biden’s decision last night to pardon his son Hunter. (For the record, I suspect Prez Biden made the decision to pardon Hunter a long
Intriguing new data on jail admissions from Prison Policy Initiative and Jail Data Initiative
Via email I received work of this this new briefing from the Prison Policy Initiative, completed in collaboration with the Jail Data Initiative, which offers broad data on jail admissions and populations. The full title of this briefing provides a
Police Arrest Canadian Duo Along I-80 for Trafficking Cocaine
Search Reveals Over $40 Million of Cocaine in Vehicle
Illinois State Police brought felony charges against 27-year-old Vanshpreet Singh and 36-year-old Manpreet Singh, both from Canada, after recovering over $40 million of cocaine during a traffic stop. Police pulled the
George Santos, AG Garland's charging memo, Pam Bondi, oh my
My post title not only reflects my Ozian mood, but also my effort to get extra attention for this last banger post by Jonathan Wroblewski over at the Sentencing Matters substack. The post lurks under the sly simple query in
Father And Son, Pardoned
When Donald Trump pardoned Crazy Joe Arpaio, there was a smattering of criticism that lasted minutes, maybe an hour or two, before he did something else that caught the media’s attention. Joe Biden is unlikely to be so lucky when
Fascinating account of concerns and chatter over Prez-Elect Trump's pardon plans for Jan 6 defendants
In this post the morning after Donald Trump’s election, I wondered aloud about how he might seek to make good on his campaign promises to pardon persons federally prosecuted for their behaviors at the Capital on January 6, 2021. In
Prez Biden issues full pardon to his son Hunter
Upon seeing this news as reported by the New York Times, under the headline “Biden Issues a ‘Full and Unconditional Pardon’ of His Son Hunter Biden,” I am tempted to joke that Prez Biden decided to use the long holiday
"Why Mass IncarcerationIs Uniquely American"
The title of this post is the title of this “ahead of print” article forthcoming in the journal Crime and Justice authored by Michael Tonry. Here is its abstract:
Mass incarceration, among Western countries a uniquely American phenomenon, resulted from