Criminal Justice Reform

September 17th Edition of the DMGS State Capital Weekly Recap: Cash Bail, Redistricting, Marijuana, and Newsom Survives the California Recall

2023-09-11T01:43:47-04:00

Digital collage image and collage by Ryan Stevens; image sources by Gordon Johnson, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, & Paula Wood from Pixabay    A lot of focus was spent this week on California Governor Gavin Newsom surviving a recall election effort, but lawmakers and other governors across the country were also busy this week on issues ranging from COVID-19 to [...]

September 17th Edition of the DMGS State Capital Weekly Recap: Cash Bail, Redistricting, Marijuana, and Newsom Survives the California Recall2023-09-11T01:43:47-04:00

Michigan Criminal Justice Reform

2023-09-11T01:31:17-04:00

Digital Illustration by Alana Burman Earlier this year we looked at clean slate and second chance legislation introduced and passed around the country, including Michigan. The package of bipartisan clean slate criminal justice reform bills in Michigan were signed into law in October by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, but this was not Michigan’s first foray into [...]

Michigan Criminal Justice Reform2023-09-11T01:31:17-04:00

Virginia Special Session Re-Cap

2023-07-25T12:05:33-04:00

What happened during Virginia's special legislative session? Virginia lawmakers met from August through October in an unusual special session featuring hand sanitizer stations, Plexiglas separators, masks, and video chats. On October 21, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed a myriad of bills from the special session related to the state’s COVID-19 response and recovery, criminal justice [...]

Virginia Special Session Re-Cap2023-07-25T12:05:33-04:00

Criminal Justice Reform: A Look at Clean Slate and Second Chance Legislation

2023-09-11T01:31:22-04:00

In 2018, Pennsylvania became the first state to enact a "Clean Slate" law. DMGS Article Highlights Pennsylvania was the first state to enact a "Clean Slate" law and automatically sealing certain criminal records.Numerous states, like Utah and Michigan, have followed Pennsylvania's lead. Some states only seal or expunge certain misdemeanors, but others, like Michigan, expanded [...]

Criminal Justice Reform: A Look at Clean Slate and Second Chance Legislation2023-09-11T01:31:22-04:00

2020 Special Legislative Sessions

2023-07-25T12:05:35-04:00

Photo by Stephan Müller on Pexels.com What is a “Special Session”?  Unlike a regular legislative session, special sessions occur to deal with specific issues or topics.  Usually, the scope of the special session is limited to these specific issues.  Each state has its own rules and laws for the processes on special sessions, including how [...]

2020 Special Legislative Sessions2023-07-25T12:05:35-04:00
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