Marcy is the prison where Robert Brooks was killed by a group of officers as he was handcuffed on Dec. 9, 2024.

Does mayor-elect Mamdani support a receiver for Rikers Island? "I think that Eric Adams’ actions have left us with no alternative. I also think that the fact that we have ended here is a reflection of what he has and hasn’t done," he told @katiehonan.bsky.social www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/05/m...

A new proposal would require judges who hand down sentences or make detention decisions to conduct meaningful prison visits annually. The proposed change would be the first of its kind in the nation and mandate hundreds of in-depth judicial visits to state prisons. www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/04/b...

Ready to dive into a mountain of leaves.

Tomorrow, SCOTUS will hear arguments in Louisiana v. Callais, a major threat to (what remains of) the 1965 Voting Rights Act. But this isn't the first time the VRA has faced dire threats; in 2013 and 2021, SCOTUS weakened other provisions. We can learn from those why Callais could be so dangerous 🧵

'The Alabama Solution' secretly captures the brutal conditions inside a penal system declared unconstitutional

So proud of our Stanford colleague Will Tarpeh, newly named a 2025 MacArthur Fellow! Will is a brilliant and innovative scientist and a deeply committed community builder who helped launch a support network for junior Black faculty at Stanford. We’re all beaming! news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...

for the weekend crowd: take a moment today to explore what's on the ballot next month! it's not all about NYC, VA, and NJ: i put together a guide of the 180+ key races you should know about, across 32 states. explore, & find the ones that interest you the most, here: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...

Finding art in life on the subway.

Justice Eddins: “No US Supreme Court opinion has tackled the recording of custodial interrogations. If a case did though, we would still look to our state constitution first.” Hawaii's Const “offers safety to Hawaii’s people that exceeds the federal constitution’s suddenly fluid protections.”

The Administration's plans to fight crime using the National Guard are not the way to build real, lasting safety. Here's what the evidence shows can work, even as we continue to see national declines in crime. New from the @brennancenter.org: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

If the Admin is serious about crime prevention & helping cities with crime rates, the work starts with listening to local leaders, following the evidence, & providing support, not with deploying the Guard. @amescg.bsky.social and I walk through the evidence in a new @brennancenter.org analysis:

Congress in July tripled the budget of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including possibly doubling detention capacity. @lbeisen.bsky.social outlines how private prison companies and their ecosystem may grow so large that it will be hard to unwind:

Hawai'i's supreme court issued a major ruling. From now on, police MUST record interrogations of suspects at police stations (& when feasible, outside police stations, too). The ruling aims to promote fairness when a defendant's word stands against an officer's word. boltsmag.org/hawaii-supre...

NOW: @deborahnarcher.bsky.social and Susan Sturm discussing how to address structural injustice and racial inequality at the Brooklyn Book Festival — with @ahoagfordjour.bsky.social moderating.

I spoke weeks ago with @latimes.com about what it would mean for a state court judge in California to seize control of the embattled L.A. County juvenile halls. A decision could come soon. www.latimes.com/california/s...

A state judge in California might soon strip L.A. County officials of the power to run their juvenile halls. If that happens, the judge would appoint an outside administrator — called a receiver — to try to reform the problem-plagued institution. www.latimes.com/california/s...

The Roberts Supreme Court's campaign finance rulings have “left us with the situation that allows virtually unlimited wheeling and dealing,” says the Brennan Center's Daniel Weiner.

Crime prevention works when it builds on community trust and evidence-based solutions, not performative displays of force. bit.ly/4neYVD1

Barnaby soaking up the end of summer in Prospect Park’s Long Meadow.

NEW: Three years after U.S. Judge Carlton Reeves seized the troubled Hinds County, Miss. jail through receivership, the receiver — Wendell France, Jr. — is set to start running it on Oct. 1. A former cop & asst. jail warden, France will prioritize staffing. mississippitoday.org/2025/09/18/f...

California's incarcerated firefighters — who earn about $1 per hour — might soon get a hefty raise. www.latimes.com/california/s...

🚔 Opioid treatment in jails saves lives A new study found that people who received medications for opioid use disorder while jailed were less likely to overdose, die, or return to jail after release. 🔗 www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.... #SciComm 🧪 #Opioids #Prisons

As a federal judge contemplates who to assign to take over managing Rikers Island, Carlos Cruz, 43, has become the 12th person to die in a city jail this year — as he waited more than two months to be transferred upstate. “He was looking forward to going upstate." www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/04/r...

Inbox: The city Correction Department just announced another death on Rikers Island, the 12 this year and third over the past week. The judge overseeing the department is currently looking over candidates for a “remediation manager” role. She’s taken the entire summer and no deadline on the books.

Join Brennan Center experts for a virtual discussion on this summer’s biggest stories impacting democracy, including gerrymandering, presidential abuses of power, and elections on Thurs., Sept. 4, at 3 p.m. ET. RSVP: bit.ly/4lIUNtm

The first Black mayor of a tiny Alabama town has overwhelmingly won an election, four years after White residents locked him out of the town hall and refused to let him serve. https://cnn.it/4p0fkwn

The scholar-judge interplay in the evolution of Second Amendment law offers a model for other legal movements. bit.ly/4mEXRbc

Inbox: Rikers Island detainee Jimmy Avila, 34, died at 4:29 p.m. He’s the 11th death on Rikers this year. Last weekend, Ardit Billa, 29, was found dead inside his cell covered in feces. He was housed in a specialized unit for detainees w/serious mental health conditions.

Enjoying the end of summer!

The PACE unit on Rikers Island is supposed to provide the highest care w/nurses and psychiatrists. On Saturday, Ardit Billa, 29, was found dead inside his PACE cell covered in feces. He hadn't left his cell in days, according to a jail source. My latest —> www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/25/a...

Are you starting your 1L year this fall? Here's my explainer for what is ahead and what you should and shouldn't do. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayl3...

Denmark eliminates 25% book tax to combat declining reading boingboing.net/2025/08/22/d...

✍🏽 We train incarcerated writers and publish their work. If you’d like to support this mission, consider becoming a monthly donor. ❤️ As a nonprofit, we’ll share posts like this from time to time because none of this work would be possible without our community of supporters.

Another Rikers death puts NYC on pace to double jail fatalities from all of 2024 https://gothamist.com/news/another-rikers-death-puts-nyc-on-pace-to-double-jail-fatalities-from-all-of-2024

People-watching at the park. 👀

‘I did drop a tear’: Camp Reunite helps kids connect with their incarcerated parents. Story via @wisconsinwatch.org.

Gerrymandering has long been a thorn in the side of American democracy, but now the practice is a bigger threat than ever. Here’s what to know about it: bit.ly/3MqI6FI

Latest news! North Carolina Reps. joined together to propose a bipartisan resolution for continued Red Wolf repopulation and recovery effort support, including building wildlife corridors. With only 18 known Red Wolves left in the wild, every step forward is vital. Read more: 🔗 bit.ly/4mDSqZC

After Prison, This Man Opened a Thriving Vegan Donut Shop in Baltimore. Story via @thebaltimorebanner.com.

For the first time since its founding over 400 years ago, New York City soon won't run its own jails. Instead a federal judge will. My latest for @brennancenter.org unpacks the road ahead for the troubled jails — including Rikers Island. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

If you're a 1L starting law school in coming weeks, just remember: You're *supposed to* feel a bit confused at first. It's normal. Law is like a language. You learn it best through immersion. You'll take a few weeks to get to speed. This may help, too: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

L.A. County unlikely to fight probation takeover — as long as receiver battles problem staffers

Smart! Raven loves winning Tic Tac Toe.

Tennessee executed an inmate without deactivating his implanted defibrillator, despite uncertainty about whether the device would shock his heart when the lethal chemicals took effect.

An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City has killed two people and sickened 58 since late July. Here’s what to know.

This is a very cool feature about a very cool transit project! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

years of going to new york and this week was the first time i got a photo of the brooklyn bridge

Waiting for treats.