Onondaga County Bar Association Assigned Counsel Program, Inc.

The court found that even though investigators seek warrants for geofence location data, these searches are inherently unconstitutional.

Federal Appeals Court Finds Geofence Warrants Are “Categorically” Unconstitutional In a major decision on Friday, the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that geofence warrants are “categorically prohibited by the Fourth Amendment.” Closely following arguments EFF has made in a number of cases, the court found that geofence warrants constitute the sort of “general,.....

The NYPD’s routine violations of state law undermine the presumption of fairness that the law is supposed to afford, said Legal Aid’s Freeman.

The NYPD Is Illegally Leaking Sealed Records About Children to Tabloids NYPD illegally discloses sealed juvenile arrest records to prosecutors and even right-wing media, a lawsuit says.

In 21 counties outside of New York City, the number of shootings with injuries dropped 29 percent through July compared to the first seven months of 2023, a Division of Criminal Justice Services report shows.

Here's How Much Shootings In NY Have Declined In Past Year, Report Says State leaders are crediting major policing reforms for a marked decline in shootings across New York State.In 21 counties outside of New York City, the number of shootings with injuries dropped 29 percent through July compared to the first…

“The United States has less than five per cent of the world’s population and nearly one-quarter of its prisoners. Astonishingly, if the 2.3 million incarcerated Americans were a state, it would be more populous than 16 other states.

America is guilty of over-incarceration Cooper is the author of “How America Works … and Why it Doesn’t.” A huge number of Americans — disproportionately those from underprivileged backgrounds — are trapped in a senseless system of mass incarceration. According to New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice, “The Unit...

The Biden-Harris administration demanded that children should not be separated from their families solely due to financial hardship.

White House unveils new policies to transform child welfare The policiesn aimed at preventing family separation and creating opportunities for families and youth, were presented during a convening that brought together policymakers from federal, state, local, and tribal governments, along with leaders from philanthropy, child welfare, and family support orga...

American criminal justice has a crippling false conviction problem and that is particularly acute in death cases where informants are used.

Missouri Case is a Reminder That America Needs to Face Up to the False Conviction Epidemic in Death Cases Amherst professor Austin Sarat discusses the case of Marcellus Williams, a death row inmate in Missouri, and the broader issue of false convictions in capital cases due to unreliable informant testimo...

An analysis of six years of shootings by immigration agents reveals a rogue force whose officers sometimes recklessly fire their weapons.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has kept its use of deadly force secret. Until now. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has kept its use of deadly force secret. Exclusive documents reveal that officers recklessly fire their weapons.

New preliminary data from major U.S. cities shows a sharp drop in violent crime in the first half of the year — more than 25% in some communities — as the COVID-era crime wave recedes.

Early numbers show violent crime dropping sharply following COVID surge Violent crime is fell as much as 25% or more in some communities during the first 6 months of 2024

Several counties downstate—Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester—plus Staten Island and Long Island made the U.S. News and World Report‘s list of America’s top 25 safest communities.

Is New York the safest state in the US? After a list of the safest communities in the U.S. prominently featured New York State, Hochul took the opportunity to highlight a declining statewide crime rate.

For several months, Gothamist has been examining the details behind more than 700 lawsuits filed against the City of New York for sexual assaults that former detainees say they suffered while incarcerated on Rikers Island.

Rikers guard charged with r**e while off duty has a string of accusations from detainees At least two women allege that Anthony Martin Jr., a correction officer at Rikers Island, sexually assaulted them while they were detained at the women’s jail.

Whistleblower laws have advanced in public and private sectors, but protections for police who report illegal or unethical behavior lag far behind.

They Exposed Police Misconduct. Now They Paid a Steep Price.

“If it’s 103 outside, it may be 107 to -8 inside of your cell,” said a man who worked in the fields while imprisoned in Texas.

‘Deliberate Indifference’: Court Rulings Challenge Extreme Heat Conditions in Prisons

Data from the State Division of Criminal Justice Services shows crime has fallen six percent year-over-year.

Crime drops six percent in New York - CortacaToday ALBANY, NY (CortacaToday) -- New York is seeing a decline in crime. Data from the State Division of Criminal Justice Services shows crime has fallen six percent year-over-year. Governor Hochul calls public safety her top priority. "Our approach is working, as murders, shootings, violent crime and pr...

Police questioning of minors, however, when paired with deceptive or coercive means, is more likely to result in false confessions and wrongful convictions, according to the report accompanying the resolution.

Police shouldn't lie to minors during questioning, ABA House says At the ABA Annual Meeting on Monday, the House of Delegates considered a resolution that addresses police questioning of minors. (Image from Shutterstock)

Local Attorney Nick DeMartino created the Volunteer Advocate Lawyer for Animal Abuse Court group around 2017, to help represent the best interests of abused dogs during court proceedings.

Dogs seized in Syracuse abuse cases can be stuck in limbo in shelters. These lawyers free them Dogs can be held for years in shelters as abuse cases go through court.

In New York, the New York City family police agency, the Administration for Children’s Services, still considers itself free to harass domestic violence survivors and their children by putting them under constant surveillance.

“[It] feels like a jail cell has dropped around my family” New York’s family police agency is still harassing survivors of domestic violence and their children . (And in the rest of the country, it's...

Homicides drop further than pre-pandemic levels.

Homicides drop further than pre-pandemic levels: Report Homicides are continuing to decrease since pandemic highs.

Between 1980 and 2022, the number of incarcerated women increased by more than 585%, rising from a total of 26,326 in 1980 to 180,684 in 2022.

Incarcerated Women and Girls – The Sentencing Project The number of incarcerated women stands over six times higher than in 1980.

While police use of force is finally being systematically studied and cataloged, that scrutiny hasn’t resulted in enough constructive reform.

Vital City | A Decade After Garner's Death, an Explosion of Knowledge — But Limited Progress While police use of force is finally being systematically studied and cataloged, that scrutiny hasn’t resulted in enough constructive reform

There are more than 100 response teams nationwide, but experts say more research on their impact is needed.

Sending Unarmed Responders Instead of Police: What We’ve Learned

Home-rule legislation signed into law by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will merge two Justice Courts in the westernmost part of the state. The bill allows neighboring town courts in Harmony and North Harmony in Chautauqua County to operate from a single court facility, and to elect a single judge.

Two Western NY Justice Courts Set to Merge After Home-Rule Legislation Is Signed | New York Law Journal Similar home-rule requests could be coming to lawmakers in the future, said a backer of the measure who is a candidate for the state Assembly.

Would slashing public defender caseloads in Washington better ensure people accused of crimes, but unable to afford a lawyer, receive counsel as they are constitutionally guaranteed?

Washington Supreme Court Considers Cutting Public Defender Caseloads

Governor Hochul recently signed legislation sponsored by Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D, WFP - Manhattan) and Assemblymember Landon Dais (D - Bronx) to reduce the backlog in the Family Court system by creating additional judgeships.

Governor Hochul Signs Hoylman-Sigal Legislation to Reduce Case Backlog in Family and Civil Courts NEW YORK — Governor Hochul recently signed legislation sponsored by Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D, WFP - Manhattan) and Assemblymember Landon Dais (D - Bronx) to reduce the backlog in the Family Court system by creating additional judgeships.

Lawmakers across the country have considered legislation this year that would allow courts or parole boards to reevaluate a person’s long prison sentence and decide whether they can be safely released into society.

Efforts to release prisoners from long sentences draw new interest • New Jersey Monitor As America’s prison population ages, the “second look” movement has gained interest as a way to reduce overcrowding and save money.

Gall’s behavior was “as shocking as anything I have seen in my 40 years of judicial ethics enforcement,” said Robert H. Tembeckjian, the commission’s administrator and counsel.

State calls for removing CNY Supreme Court judge after ‘racially offensive, profane’ display at party Police video showed her threaten to shoot a group of Black teens: “That is how Judge Gall rolls.”

Great Meadow and Sullivan prisons are slated to shut down in November. The state could close up to three more over the next year.

New York to Close One of Its Most Notorious Prisons

A federal appeals court ruled in August that Mississippi’s lifetime ban on voting for people convicted of certain felonies violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

Court Strikes Down Mississippi's Lifetime Felony Voting Ban The federal appeals court ruling highlights progress made nationwide in restoring voting rights to people with past convictions.

A bill awaiting New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature would end an often undetected practice of adoptive parents pocketing funds for children they are no longer caring for, and allow child welfare agencies to transfer monthly payments to young people who face the abrupt loss of a home and guardian that had been promised to them.

New York Bill Aims to Ensure Adoption Money Follows the Child | The Imprint A New York bill would ensure that adoptive parents don’t continue to receive payments after their children have been returned to foster care.

Can you vote, get financial aid, or travel out of state? Some of that depends on your supervised release and evolving laws. Here’s our guide on the basics.

What Can a Convicted Felon in New York Do When They Get Released?

When individuals were released from jails before trial as part of COVID-19 measures, there was no link to changes to violent crime, data indicates.

Criminal Justice Reforms Not Linked to Violent Crime The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, we work to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and unders...