Bad Omens: Reform rollbacks in Washington D.C. are a warning sign for state-level advocates (via @prisonpolicy.org) https://pulse.ly/lt1bpizuh3

🚨NEW: Mass incarceration costs the U.S. an alarming $445 billion every year. Where exactly does it all go? Follow the money with our new report 🧵 www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/mone...

The Memphis Safe Task Force is NOT about violent crime. It's a roundup.

Donald Trump and Gov. Bill Lee's law enforcement occupation of Memphis is in its second week, and we're beginning to see the impact on our local jail, a jail that was already overcrowded and stretched to the limit by mismanagement. It's not good. Here's what it looks like:

An important story from my colleague Rebecca Cadenhead @mlk50.com: No school, no fresh air and isolated mlk50.com/2025/10/01/n...

Tennessee's incarceration rate for women is 8th among states according to a new @prisonpolicy.org report. www.prisonpolicy.org/global/women...

Even though families and community members are vital to resolving homicides, most don’t get the opportunity to explain how they’d like to be engaged. In this guide, the families of five homicide victims in St. Louis share what they want police to know about investigating killings in their community.

"Ross said that corrections officers did not intervene during the attack but pepper-sprayed Sanoumegah." Last week, a man in the Shelby County Jail was stabbed 17 times while officers watched. They ultimately used pepper spray on the alleged assailant. The victim is now paralyzed.

Check out our latest email newsletter. Sign up and learn more at justcity.org t.e2ma.net/message/xewe...

The Shelby County Jail is outdated, but an old jail should NOT be deadly anymore than a new one should. Seven men have lost their lives in the jail this year alone - none of them because of the age of the building. We need sweeping changes to leadership and policy before we build a new jail.

📣📣📣 Good news: $100 show-only tickets just dropped. Join us at Minglewood Hall for @roywoodjr.bsky.social’s headlining set, a conversation with @justinjpearson.bsky.social, and a high-energy DJ after-party. 🥳🥳🥳

Ticket sales for Stand Up with Just City end tomorrow! Get them before they're gone at www.justicty.org/standup

Shelby County, TN has nearly 3,000 men, women, and children in jail this morning. The vast majority have not been convicted and cannot afford bail.

Thanks @memphisflyer.com for letting us celebrate in your pages this week. Join us on June 8 at Minglewood Hall for a proper celebration featuring @roywoodjr.bsky.social, @justinjpearson.bsky.social, and much more! Tickets at justcity.org/standup

On the verdict in the trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the killing of #TyreNichols

📣 🎟️ 🤣 TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Join us, @roywoodjr.bsky.social, and @justinjpearson.bsky.social on June 8th for some much-needed laughs and inspiration as we celebrate 10 years fighting for justice. Get your tickets at justcity.org/standup today!

📣 Need a few laughs? After 10 years of serious reform, so do we. Announcing Stand Up with Just City featuring @roywoodjr.bsky.social and @justinjpearson.bsky.social 💸 Sponsorships available now. 🎟️ Individual tickets on sale April 25. ℹ️ More at justcity.org/standup

The jail building is not killing people. Gross negligence, callous indifference, low bids, and thoughtless bail decisions are killing people. A new jail is a small part of the solution, but blindly taxing the poorest people in our community is NOT the first step. dailymemphian.com/subscriber/s...

✅⚖️🔫 A bill being considered in Tennessee will formalize the voting rights restoration process and require that a person also have all firearm rights restored in order to vote.🤯 We discussed this and much more in our latest podcast episode, "Raisins, Spam, & Spaghetti Noodles." Listen up! 📣

"Shelby County has a problem, but the solution isn’t another jail. For decades, government officials have relied on incarceration as their primary response to crime, funneling thousands of people – primarily Black, brown, and poor – into an inhumane and fundamentally unjust criminal legal system."

"Sigmon's head will be covered by a hood and a target will be placed over his heart. Three prison employees will be prepared to shoot Sigmon from a distance of about 15 feet." A free and civil society does not behave this way.

News: The Tennessee Supreme Court has ordered four men to be executed before the end of this year, setting up the return of the state’s death penalty after five years without an execution. nashvillebanner.com/2025/03/03/t...

🎙️🎙️🎙️When it was built in the early 1980s, the Shelby County (TN) Jail was called a "glamour slammer." 45 years later, it's a death trap. We talked to two reporters from @mlk50memphis.bsky.social about jail conditions, the Sheriff's media blitz, and more. Listen up! 📣📣📣

Do you or someone you know have guns you no longer want? If you're in Memphis, bring them to us Saturday, and we'll transform them into something beautiful. And you'll get a Kroger gift card in return. Everybody wins! 🔫 >>> 🌹

“The presumption of innocence has potentially suffered a knock-out blow.” - @joshspickler.bsky.social

Arizona lawmakers have re-filed a bill to limit the use of "felony murder"—a technique that allows prosecutors to charge people with murder even if they haven’t killed anyone. Multiple people have been imprisoned for killings committed by police. theappeal.org/arizona-bill...

Policy idea: County Commissioners get their healthcare from the same provider they select for the jail. How might things be different? wreg.com/news/investi...

This is an excellent thread about the immense challenges of navigating the housing market when you have a criminal record. However, in Tennessee and most other states, a conviction isn't necessarily permanent. Find out more about our Clean Slate work at justcity.org/clean-slate-fund

Sadly, this brand new primer about reporting on jail deaths is extremely timely in Memphis, Tennessee. We've had four people lose their lives in our jail over the last two weeks. If you're a journalist on the courts and corrections beat, have a look! 🔎

Four people have died in the Shelby Co Jail in the last two weeks. That's nothing new for this facility and its leadership. In 2023, we explored this topic with @micheledeitch.bsky.social, a leading expert on in-custody deaths, in Ep. 54 of The Permanent Record. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

A West Tennessee lawmaker with an apparent "personal thing" against Shelby County DA Steve Mulroy is gaveled out of order by his fellow Republican and committee chair last week during TN's special legislative session in immigration. WATCH:

📣📣📣 LISTEN 📣📣📣 A new episode of The Permanent Record is out now! Josh and Stella talk about: - TN General Assembly's special session 😢 - MPD Chief quietly and unanimously reappointed 😲 - Bond amounts for minor offenses in Memphis (A $5,000 bond for a $12 theft?) 😡 www.justcity.org/podcast

Looking for a place to focus your energy over the next four years? "Tennessee bars a greater share of its population from voting than any other state in the U.S." www.tennessean.com/story/news/2...

"Why don't we have more crime than we do? What is it about this community? What is it about any group of people living together that keeps crime from happening?" New year. New format. New questions. Our latest episode is a discussion about criminal justice news in Memphis! www.justcity.org/podcast

"How can reforms look like good governance when the media silences the beneficiaries and dedicates exactly zero words to talking about the good these policies do?"

“Memphis deserves leadership that prioritizes the well-being of its residents over the potential inconveniences of reform.” tennesseelookout.com/2024/12/20/t...

"We have no trust or confidence in leaving corrections to the people involved in the unlawful conduct, the persons who failed to supervise them, or those who stood by and said nothing while the unlawful conduct occurred. We need DOJ involvement." Add your voice! actionnetwork.org/petitions/si...

Since 2023, nearly two dozen employees at Tennessee’s largest prison — run by CoreCivic — have been charged with crimes ranging from smuggling drugs or cell phones to having sex with an incarcerated person and other official misconduct. nashvillebanner.com/2024/12/20/t...

Experts tell us that most jail deaths are preventable, yet the Shelby County Jail continues to see a much higher rate of deaths than other pretrial detention facilities. When will this community finally demand accountability from the Sheriff? www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/l...

Michigan passed reforms to stop imposing court fines & fees on children — often very young (someone quoted here was *11*!). And the reforms applied retroactively this fall, relieving millions of dollars of debt that were weighing people down from young ages. NEW: boltsmag.org/michigan-juv...

"There is no guardian mentality. It’s not taught; it’s not modeled. It’s really not expected. What is expected is that you get what you want by whatever means necessary.” - @joshspickler.bsky.social