Latest Post
Senators demand the USDA fix its backlog of food distribution to Native American tribes
A bipartisan group of senators is demanding immediate action from USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack after several tribal nations reported that a federal food distribution program they rely on has not fulfilled orders for months, and in some cases has delivered expired food. Last spring, the USDA consolidated from two contractors to one for deliveries of […]
Black, Native people face higher rates of charges in Washington courts
The number of Black people with charges filed against them in Washington’s courts last year was about 2.5 times greater than their share of the state’s population – largely due to misdemeanor charges, which are considered less serious crimes. That’s according to a new online data dashboard released this month by the Washington State Center for […]
Ron DeSantis banned lessons on racism in Florida public schools. ‘Freedom schools’ fill the gaps
“When I say, ‘because’, you say: ‘Black people invented it,’” Renee Scott Best told a class of predominantly Black students one Monday last month. The call and response from the kids grew louder as they read a fictional story about a dystopian world without African Americans and their inventions. A folding bed, tricycle, clock, toilet, […]
When kids age out of the foster system, Safety Net Inland Northwest is there to help
Aging out of the foster care system can be incredibly traumatic. Kids turn 18, and all of a sudden, they’re completely on their own. No home. No job. No money. No support network. “There’s no backup for these kids. There’s no family that they can rely on or anybody they can reach out to,” says Coleen […]
Federal court rules on length of private property seizure by law enforcement
A federal court clarified the limits of law enforcement’s ability to hold onto private property after an arrest. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on Aug. 9, that the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable searches and seizures apply to more than just how property is seized. The protections also apply to how long […]
Eastern WA now has a dedicated federal attorney for Missing or Murdered Indigenous People cases
After centuries of federal disenfranchisement of Native Americans, and years of advocacy by tribal leaders who’ve pointed out the alarmingly disproportionate crime rates affecting Indigenous communities, the Department of Justice has established a program to address systemic criminal justice issues. The deputy U.S. Attorney General issued a directive to U.S. attorneys in July 2022 to […]
The Prison-Industrial Complex: An Overview
The prison-industrial complex (PIC) is a term that draws a parallel to the “military-industrial complex” coined in the 1950s. It describes the intricate web of relationships between institutions of incarceration — such as prisons, jails, detention facilities, and psychiatric hospitals — and the businesses that profit from them. This concept is most often discussed in […]
10 States Where It’s More Difficult for Felons To Find a Job
There’s no denying that laws and policies can make it easier or harder for released felons to find jobs. Here are the worst states for felons looking for employment. Ranking Felon Policies Zippia analyzed the following four factors to determine the worst states for felons seeking employment. The categories were as follows, with data used from […]
Federal judge floats sanctions to resolve backlog of Arizona sheriff misconduct complaints
A federal judge considered on Friday harsh sanctions against the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona if it doesn’t soon resolve a backlog of misconduct complaints stemming from the days of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio. A failure to complete investigations for more than 1,400 complaints has kept alive a class action filed nearly two decades ago over […]