Criminal Justice
Crime and the South have an unfortunate history. Sometimes the criminals are brought to justice, sometimes they are not, and sometimes, the criminals are in the justice system itself.
Questions remain about possible execution of an innocent man in Texas
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October 6, 2009
Last month, Facing South reported on the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, a Texas man executed in 2004 for allegedly setting his house on fire and killing his three children....
CENSUS WATCH: Census worker death continues to haunt Appalachia
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October 1, 2009
The death of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker, continues to haunt the Appalachian region. As Facing South previously reported, Sparkman's body was found...
Prisoners of the Census: How the incarcerated are counted distorts our politics
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September 18, 2009
By Christian Smith-Socaris, Progressive States Network
Currently, 1 in 100 American adults are now behind bars, with over 1.3 million Americans in state or federal correctional...
Report criticizes Galveston Sheriff's decision not to evacuate county jail during Ike
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September 16, 2009
One year ago as Hurricane
Ike approached Galveston, city and county authorities ordered
mandatory evacuations, and warned that anyone remaining on the island
faced "certain...
N.C. District Attorney under fire for saying blacks are "instinctively" prone to violence was misquoted
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September 10, 2009
Earlier this week, we reported that Forsyth County, N.C. District Attorney Tom Keith was being called on to resign after a newspaper quoted him as saying blacks were were...
Texas Justice: Where wrongful convictions are the norm
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September 1, 2009
There's growing evidence that Texas executed an innocent man in 2004.
A nationally-known fire expert told a Texas state commission on forensics last week that the arson...
The New Abolitionism: Troy Davis case shines light on anti-death penalty movement in the South
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August 18, 2009
In what legal experts are calling a highly unusual step, but a major breakthrough, Monday the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a new hearing for death-row inmate Troy Davis, the 40-year...
NC Racial Justice Act passes, awaits governor's signature
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August 6, 2009
The North Carolina Racial Justice Act passed in the state Senate this week and now heads to Gov. Bev Perdue for her signature.
As Facing South previously reported, the N.C....
VOICES: Recent hunger strikes highlight need to improve detention centers
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August 5, 2009
By Marcelo Ballvé, New America Media
The recent hunger strikes at an immigration detention center in rural Louisiana highlight an issue advocates have struggled to bring...
Locked Away: Study finds record number of lifers in prison, overwhelming racial disparities
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July 28, 2009
A new report by the Sentencing Project finds that a record number of prisoners are serving life sentences.
According to the report, more than 140,000 individuals are now serving...
An act of racial justice: NC bill aims to fight racial bias in death penalty convictions
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July 15, 2009
Following a heated and emotional debate on racial disparities in the criminal justice system, the North Carolina House of Representatives on Tuesday narrowly endorsed the Racial...
VOICES: Ending racial injustice and prosecutorial misconduct
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July 15, 2009
By Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, North Carolina NAACP
When will our government -- our governor, council of state, legislature, criminal justice system and the courts...
States continue move toward alternatives to incarceration
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July 13, 2009
As Facing South has reported, states facing massive budget crises have begun to move away from a "lock-'em-up" approach in prison policy. The trend continues as states deal with...
Texas cities grapple with anti-gay bias among police
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July 10, 2009
Just weeks after a police raid on a gay club in one Texas city left a patron with life-threatening brain injuries, another Texas city is embroiled in controversy after gay men...
Jena Six case comes to an end; shone light on racism in criminal justice system
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June 30, 2009
In September 2007 more than 40,000 demonstrators descended on the small town of Jena, La. to protest unequal justice for the Jena Six, a case in which charges were brought against...
CLOSING THE GAP: Attorney general seeks review of cocaine sentencing laws
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June 26, 2009
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told lawmakers this week that it was time to close the gap in prison sentences for crack and powder cocaine crimes, a disparity in sentencing...
Detained and Dying: Immigrant deaths in detention raise questions about oversight of private prisons
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June 16, 2009
A coalition of immigrant and civil rights groups held a vigil in front of the Atlanta headquarters of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency last week to mark the three-...
THE AMERICAN LOCKDOWN: Is prison reform on the horizon?
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June 12, 2009
As the situation of prisoners at Guantanamo continues to inform the national debate around incarceration, more and more observers are pointing out that Gitmo is far from America's...
Alabama coal mining company sued over slain Colombian unionists
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June 4, 2009
In a case that gives a whole new meaning to the term "dirty coal," a federal lawsuit filed last week against the Drummond Co. of Birmingham, Ala. alleges that the coal company...
Abortion doctor killer a soldier in terrorist 'Army of God'?
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June 2, 2009
The details emerging about Scott Roeder, the man charged in Sunday's fatal shooting of Dr. George Tiller inside Tiller's church in Wichita, Kan., suggest ties to a loosely...
Insurer turns its back on contractor accused of Iraq prison atrocities
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May 29, 2009
The human rights atrocities committed by U.S. soldiers and private contractors at prisons in Iraq landed in the spotlight again this week when a British newspaper disclosed...
Ga. utilities pull out of coal plant project that faces questions of corruption
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May 21, 2009
We recently brought you a story about questions of corruption dogging a project to build a new coal-burning power plant in Georgia.
Since that story ran, four electric...
Global day of action held for Ga. death-row inmate Troy Davis
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May 19, 2009
Across the country today, and internationally, events are being held calling for a new trial for Georgia death row prisoner Troy Davis.
Davis, a 40-year-old African-American man...
Doing time on their own dime: More states charge inmates for stays in jail, prison
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May 19, 2009
As the economic downturn worsens and states grapple with large budget deficits, many inmates may find themselves paying for their crimes beyond just doing standard jail time.
Due...
Coal-powered corruption in Georgia?
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May 14, 2009
State and local law enforcement officers raided the homes of top officials at a metro Atlanta electric utility recently as part of an ongoing investigation into charges of theft...
