Ted Gest
The Crime Report
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Past articles by Ted:
Teach Cops to Make Citizens 'Believe They Count,' Webinar Told
Researchers at a webinar session on mitigating racial disparities in the justice system endorsed the approaches of "procedural justice," training on implicit bias and de-escalation of potentially violent incidents. Members of the public tend to get along with police officers who "treat them with dignity and respect," said Yale law professor Tracey Meares. → Read More
Congress Cuts Crime Victim Aid, Tracks Police Misconduct
Federal aid to programs that help crime victims would drop by nearly one-third under an appropriations bill approved by congressional leaders on Sunday. → Read More
Panel Urges Early Access to COVID Vaccine For Inmates, Correctional Staff
After more than 220,000 prisoners and 48,000 correctional staff have tested positive for the coronavirus, a national panel calls for a series of measures to curtail the impact of COVID-19 on the nation's corrections system. → Read More
Is Diversion the Right Way to 'Defund' the Police?
Advocates told a national forum that many cases involving drugs and mental illness that clog the criminal justice system can be handled better by sending suspects much earlier to treatment and other social services. → Read More
Pretrial Risk Assessment Tools More Accurate Than 'Human Judgments Alone': Experts
A group of criminologists and law professors challenged a new report by the Pretrial Justice Institute contending that pretrial risk assessment instruments are dangerous. "The benchmark here is not perfection but improving upon unaided human judgment, which is universally acknowledged to introduce racial and other biases," the group said in an open letter. → Read More
NYU Experts Offer 'Evidence-Based' Smart Policing Plan
New York University School of Law’s Center on Race, Inequality and the Law released a report it said was a "direct counterpoint" to President Donald Trump's law enforcement and justice commission. → Read More
Trump Policing Panel Calls for Efforts to 'Minimize' Unjustified Use of Force
President Donald Trump's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice mixed support for policies curbing excessive force with sharp criticism for prosecutors who undermine justice by "deciding not to enforce certain laws." President-elect Joe Biden, who plans to create his own policing commission, has said he would review previous administrations' recommendations on "their merits." → Read More
Voters Still in 'Punitive' Mood, Despite Support for Justice Reforms, Panel Told
Prosecutorial races and referendum ballots around the nation demonstrated support for some reform trends, such as pot legalization, but also delivered some setbacks to those hoping for broader change, according to experts assembled by the Council on Criminal Justice think tank. Justice reform still has a "long way to go," said former California Gov. Jerry Brown. → Read More
Chicago Bail Reform Didn't Increase Crime: Study
Police said people released on bail helped drive an increase in shootings. A researcher says the effects of the pandemic may have been responsible. → Read More
Policing Experts Say Reform Possible Without 'Defunding'
A Carnegie Mellon University panel says policing can be redefined in a way that one speaker describes as resulting in a "dramatically smaller footprirnt for law enforcement." → Read More
Crime Victim Groups May Face Loss of Federal Funds
A Senate committee on Tuesday called for a cut in aid to organizations that help crime victims, citing a decline in federal fines and penalties that are designated for victim aid. → Read More
Medicaid Help for Ex-Inmates at Risk in Obamacare Case
If the ACA is struck down by the Supreme Court, so will be the Medicaid expansion---and formerly incarcerated individuals will be left uninsured and unable to get the care they need, says a new report from the Square One project. → Read More
How Much Justice Reform Can Trump Take Credit For?
President Donald Trump says he deserves praise for signing the First Step Act, which reduced federal prison terms. But some critics contend that Trump has vastly exaggerated the impact of the statute and his role in it. → Read More
Declining Jail Population Endangered by Court Delays During Pandemic
A study by the Safety and Justice Challege of six major jurisdictions finds fewer jail inmates during COVID-19, but delays in processing criminal charges could send the jail numbers back up. → Read More
55 Ways to Measure How Good Prosecutors Really Are
Researchers and prosecutors issued the first detailed blueprint on how to judge prosecutors' work, in a project funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Charles Koch Foundation. → Read More
Justice System Must 'Reduce Density' in Pandemic, Panel Says
A national panel headed by former Attorneys General Alberto Gonzales and Loretta Lynch issued a blueprint for how the criminal justice system should adapt and improve during the COVID-19 crisis. It urged authorities to avoid "simplistic cuts." → Read More
'Steep Increase' in Violent Crime Reported This Year
A new report by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice shows violent crime up this year in major U.S. cities. The FBI meanwhile reported a slight violent crime drop last year nationwide. → Read More
FBI: Murders Rose During Pandemic Across the U.S.
An FBI compilation from about two-thirds of the nation's police departments found both murders and aggravated assault reports up in the first six months of 2020, while robberies and rapes declined. → Read More
U.S. Violent Crime Rate Dropped 15% Last Year
The annual crime victimization survey found a notable decline last year after several years of rising crime. This year's results may differ markedly under changed conditions during the pandemic. → Read More
Experts Urge Caution as Courts Reopen Via Video
One study found that defendants whose bail hearings were conducted remotely had much higher bond amounts set by judges. Meanwhile, some federal and state courts are allowing in-person proceedings to resume under COVID-19 guidelines. → Read More