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HOT TOPIC. If you're looking for the most current, comprehensive, and engaging opportunity to learn the Fundamentals of Pretrial Justice, don't delay! Space is running out for the "summer school" session starting on July 7.
Dive into this six-week virtual course to learn directly from pretrial justice experts, while engaging with fellow classmates who are driving or advocating for pretrial reform across the country.
The new curriculum — updated to reflect PJI's racial equity transformation — identifies the systemic and compounding role of race in pretrial decision-making, and uses an equity lens to address each decision point in the pretrial system. ( Read the full course description here.)
Live sessions meet weekly on Tuesdays from 3:00-4:30 p.m. EDT. We look forward to seeing you in class!
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MEDIA COVERAGE. Earlier this month, Harper's Bazaar investigated cash bail, bail funds, and how national protests are shining a spotlight on pretrial justice reform — including commentary from PJI.
“So, [cash bail] is really like free money for the bondsman,” says Cherise Fanno Burdeen, one of the executive partners for the Pretrial Justice Institute. “Just another form of exploitation. And the thing that sort of gives you the pit-in-your-stomach sickness about it is that it’s not like it even works.” Keep reading...
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- The California Judicial Council voted to rescind its emergency order, which created a presumptive $0 bail schedule as a way of reducing jail populations during the COVID-19 outbreak, but urged counties to maintain the emergency schedule “where necessary to protect the health of the community, the courts, and the incarcerated.” Los Angeles, Alameda, and San Diego counties are among those localities that have announced they will continue operating under the emergency bail schedule.
- The University of North Carolina School of Government Criminal Justice Innovation Lab released its detailed analysis of felony and misdemeanor charges brought in the state in 2019. The vast majority of charges were for non-violent misdemeanors. In 2019, the state charged 1.6 million misdemeanors and 340,000 felonies; 6.6% of misdemeanors and 16.4% of felonies were for violent crimes.
- Bail funds nationwide have received over $90 million following the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests. The Minnesota Freedom Fund alone received $20 million. On its website, the fund states that starting June 5, donations may be used to expand legal support for people arrested or incarcerated for protesting the murder of George Floyd, and that “[f]urther donations will help pay cash bail and immigration bonds for those who cannot afford to do so, and advance our efforts to end the unjust practice of cash bail and pretrial punishment in Minnesota.”
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BLACK LIVES MATTER. If you missed it last week, please take a moment to read PJI's response to the murder of George Floyd and the civil unrest in our nation. Learn more about why we believe there is no pretrial justice without racial justice — and how we can partner together to advance equity in systems and communities.
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STATE OF PRETRIAL. Have you visited the PJI website for your digital #WHIPJ experience, complete with a new interactive map? Just click on any state to get a quick fact about recent pretrial changes, then select "learn more" to score additional updates and stats.
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