“No government official in America has as much unreviewable power and discretion as the prosecutor,” many scholars agree . While prosecutors decide whether to initiate criminal proceedings, what charges to bring, and what sentencing recommendations to make, they also bear the enormous responsibility of having essentially no checks on their decisions. As one author has said , “the presumption that prosecutors act in good faith has made the charging power virtually immune from
Mandatory arrest laws in the domestic violence context were originally well-intentioned , meant to simplify decision-making for officers and to emphasize the seriousness of domestic violence. However, mandatory arrest laws have disproportionately harmed the LGBTQ+ community due to their failure to account for the unique dynamics of same-sex relationships. This failure has led to higher dual arrests and wrongful arrests of victims. Specifically, this blog focuses on mandat
Trigger Warning: Mentions of Suicide The issue of mass incarceration has persisted in the United States and is often discussed through legal and policy lenses. However, the psychological toll of prolonged isolation within prisons is equally critical. Solitary confinement in particular has devastating effects on mental health, emotional well-being and cognitive functioning. This piece explores not only the harm caused by isolation but also the reform and intervention that ca
Twenty years ago, the “Contacts” app on the iPhone didn’t exist. iPhones themselves didn’t even exist . It was the age where you memorized your loved one’s phone numbers because there were no other alternatives. Flash forward to 2025, nearly one in three Americans do not have their emergency contact numbers memorized. This percentage will likely just get worse, considering that the older you are, the more likely you are to have somewhere between two and five phone numbers m
“ Diddy recruited his kids for birthday singing video in an attempt to sway potential jurors.” “What is jury nullification, and what does it mean for Luigi Mangione’s defense?” “ OJ Simpson : The First Trial of the Digital Century.” Over the past few decades, the rise of media and digital platforms has strongly influenced our decision-making. The court of public opinion often decides a celebrity’s fate before a trial begins. High-profile criminal cases involving cele