In the first post in what will be a period series looking at our official crime stats and what they mean, here I dig into "recidivism," an incredibly important number that is measured poorly and may be impossible to measure well.
Tag: Crime
Reform Prosecutors Do Not Increase Crime: What the Data Tells Us
Election Day was a bad day for criminal legal reform. Not just because Trump's victory means that the Heritage Institute will try to harass if not oust reform prosecutors it dislikes, but because in many cases reform prosecutors lost directly in local elections (although there was a solid win or two). And they likely lost …
Continue reading Reform Prosecutors Do Not Increase Crime: What the Data Tells Us
Some Early Thoughts on Some Maybe-Overstated (By Me) Republican Threat to Local Reforms
For a while now, I've been seriously concerned about the threat that state-level preemption poses to local criminal legal reform efforts. But as I've dug into it more, my views have become ... confused. I don't think it is irrelevant, and it may still pose a dire threat to reforms. But also? Republican efforts to …
San Francisco: Boudin’s Election, Recall, and Why We Got the Lesson From It Wrong
A deep (and a bit long) dive into the election and recall of Chesa Boudin in San Francisco. A story the pundits jumped on, but didn't really get right.
Prosecutorial Elections
An introduction to my forthcoming series of county-specific posts of who votes for reform prosecutors, and the hyperlocal politics they face.
Prisons, Prosecutors, and the Politics of Punishment 