criminal-justice-reform
Acquitted individuals still have a criminal record. This proposed law would change that
Rep. Joanna McClinton said she expects the bill could pass the House by the end of the month.
Ex-offenders in Pa. can be denied professional licenses because of old convictions. Bipartisan lawmakers want to change that
One year after Pennsylvania passed its landmark Clean Slate Law, which shields certain criminal records from the view of employers, lawmakers hope to eliminate yet another barrier to employment for ex-offenders.
Census 2020: Why some Pa. lawmakers say the state’s inmates should be counted at home, rather than in prison
In the lead up to 2020 census, General Assembly lawmakers have their eyes on a small but potentially important change to state law — counting incarcerated people at their homes, not at the prisons where they're serving their time.
A program that keeps people with addiction out of prison is ‘extremely underused.’ A Senate bill could change that
The bills, which have the support of Gov. Tom Wolf, now go to the full Senate for a vote.
Lawmakers, Wolf need to put reform front and center on cannabis legalization | Aryanna Berringer
I saw firsthand the damage that a cannabis arrest can wreak. We need to put those days behind us.
In the Pa. House, encouraging steps on criminal justice reform continue | John L. Micek
On criminal justice issues lately, there's been that rarest of all things: a through-line in policymaking; a recognition that action taken in one part of state government has ripple effects in other parts of state government.
We can protect victims and reform criminal justice at the same time. This is how | Opinion
Pennsylvania is currently one of only nine states that does not incorporate victims’ rights into its constitution. Voters can change that.
Meek Mill, Van Jones back Pennsylvania lawmakers’ push to reform parole and probation
A bipartisan coalition of activists and lawmakers gathered Tuesday to make the case.
House panel hears from judges on how to fix state criminal justice system
A panel of state judges met with the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee Tuesday to discuss the state’s criminal justice reform efforts. Inside the state Supreme Court building, seven judges from counties across the commonwealth expressed support for reforming mandatory restitution, probation and parole, and bail practices. Judge Kai Scott, of Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas, […]
It’s not just Republicans talking about cutting regulations in Harrisburg
(*This story was updated to reflect that the bill language while modeled after Virginia, does not have a set percentage of regulations to cut yet. It was also updated with comment from the the Department of State.) Two freshmen lawmakers are proposing a bill, modeled of one recently passed in Virginia, to slash state regulations […]
Wolf, in D.C. for governors’ meeting, says Philly rapper Meek Mill’s case exposes criminal justice flaws
“This is the holy grail of politics,” Wolf said Saturday. “You can bring extreme right and extreme left together because it’s not only fair, it’s smart and it actually gets people back into the economy.”
Wolf to talk criminal justice reform at National Governors Association meeting in D.C. on Saturday
Pennsylvania has been hailed as a national model on criminal justice reform.