criminal justice Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Clear Your Record Of Simple Possession? Not That Easy But You Should Try

By Mary Ellen Pitney December 21, 2021

graphic of scales with little bag on one scale

In February 2021, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the State's felony drug possession statute was unconstitutional. This decision, known as State v. Blake, has far-reaching impacts that affect anyone previously convicted of simple possession of a controlled substance. Read More

Democrats Unveil Legislation To Abolish The Federal Death Penalty

By NPR News January 11, 2021

Protesters gather near the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Ind., in August ahead of the scheduled execution of Keith Dwayne Nelson, who was convicted of kidnapping, raping and murdering at 10-year-old Kansas girl. Democrats are pushing new legislation to outlaw federal executions. CREDIT: Michael Conroy/AP

The Democratic proposal, shared first with NPR, comes as the party will have unified control of Congress after victories in two Georgia Senate races, a change in fortunes for Democratic legislative priorities. The legislation would end capital punishment at the federal level and require the resentencing of all federal inmates on death row. Read More

U.S. House Approves Decriminalizing Marijuana; Bill To Stall In GOP-Controlled Senate

By NPR News December 4, 2020

Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon has been pushing for federal decriminalization laws for years and argued Americans already showed support by voting to legalize cannabis in states across the country. CREDIT: House Television via AP

The legislation removes cannabis from the list of federally controlled substances and expunges low-level convictions and arrests. But the GOP Senate is not expected to take up the bill. Continue Reading U.S. House Approves Read More

Supreme Court Weighs Whether All Non-Unanimous Jury Verdicts Are Unconstitutional

By NPR News December 2, 2020

In April the justices said future split verdicts in criminal trials are unconstitutional. Now the question is what about such verdicts in the past — potentially several thousand of them. Continue Reading Supreme Court Weighs Read More

Washington’s First Native American Supreme Court Justice Works So She Won’t Be The Last

By NWPB News November 14, 2020

Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis outside of her Lacey home on Oct. 12, 2020. CREDIT: Dorothy Edwards/Crosscut

Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis didn't meet a lawyer until law school. Now she wants others from underrepresented communities to picture themselves in the legal system. Continue Reading Read More

From Marijuana To Mushrooms, Voters Want Drug Laws Eased, Following Washington State’s Lead

By NPR News November 5, 2020

A Washington, D.C., resident has an operation growing psilocybin mushrooms. With the legalization of marijuana, advocates in several states, including Oregon, have pushed for the legalization of other drugs such as "magic mushrooms." Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Several states approve marijuana for recreational and medicinal use. Oregon votes to decriminalize possession of small amounts of hard drugs. Continue Reading From Marijuana To Mushrooms, Voters Want Drug Laws Eased, Read More

Breonna Taylor Grand Jury Recording Will Be Released, Kentucky Attorney General Says

By NPR News September 29, 2020

The grand jury recording in the Breonna Taylor case will be released, after a judge ordered the attorney general's office to produce the recording by Wednesday. Here, a mother and son attend a demonstration in what activists are now calling Injustice Square Park in downtown Louisville, as protesters demand justice for Taylor's killing by police. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

"The Grand Jury is meant to be a secretive body," Attorney General Daniel Cameron says in a statement. "It's apparent that the public interest in this case isn't going to allow that to happen." Continue Reading Breonna Taylor Read More

Criminal Defendants In Limbo As Trials Put On Hold During Pandemic

By PBS Newshour May 22, 2020

Interior of an empty courtroom with gavel and sounding block on the desk.

When the coronavirus pandemic shut down courtrooms around the country, criminal defense attorneys had to quickly figure out how to continue to serve their clients. Over the last two months, a combination of factors have delayed court proceedings, leaving criminal defendants in limbo as they wait for their stalled cases to move forward. Read More

FILM REVIEW: ‘Just Mercy’ Is An Earnest, Effective Legal Drama Of Real History Learned Too Late

By NPR News December 27, 2019

Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) defends wrongly condemned Walter McMillan (Jamie Foxx) in Destin Daniel Cretton's film. CREDIT: Jake Giles Netter/Warner Bros.

This adaptation of attorney Bryan Stevenson's book about a wrongly condemned black man dramatizes that case while offering an unflinching look at the death penalty. Continue Reading FILM REVIEW: ‘Just Read More

Former Inmate Who Won Fight To Become An Attorney Announces Run For Washington Legislature

By Austin Jenkins October 21, 2019

Tarra Simmons, an attorney who previously served time in prison, plans to run for the Washington Legislature. Courtesy of Tarra Simmons

Tarra Simmons, of Bremerton, who in 2017 won a Supreme Court fight to sit for the state bar exam, despite her prior criminal conviction, plans to formally announce her candidacy for the state House on Monday. Continue Read More

U.S. Supreme Court Hears Case That Could End Non-Unanimous Juries In Oregon

By Conrad Wilson October 6, 2019

U.S. Supreme Court has ended a long legal fight by ruling that a Texas death row inmate is intellectually disabled and thus may not be executed.

The U.S. Supreme Court kicks off its new term Monday with a case that has potentially sweeping implications for Oregon, and could end the state’s non-unanimous jury system. Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Hears Case That Could End Read More

Commission Recommends Major Overhaul Of Washington Sentencing Laws

By Austin Jenkins June 15, 2019

THOMAS HAWK / FLICKR - TINYURL.COM/HA5H3WP

Washington's Sentencing Guidelines Commission, tasked with promoting accountability and equity in sentencing, has adopted a report to the state Legislature that urges lawmakers to consider two options for modernizing the grid with the twin goals of simplifying sentencing and increasing judicial discretion. Read More

Washington Lawmakers Seek Smoother Path To Redemption For Formerly Incarcerated Residents

By Max Wasserman March 5, 2019

Carolina Landa hugs her son, Zach, in their living room before he leaves for school on Monday, Feb. 25, 2019. The two have been living together in the same home in Olympia since 2015. CREDIT: SHAUNA SOWERSBY / THE TACOMA NEWS TRIBUNE

The stain of a criminal record complicates life’s basics when people are released back into their communities: from finding a place to live to buying insurance. Thousands in Washington state continue to face barriers even after they’ve turned their lives around. Some can tap into a process to clear their records, giving them a fresh start. But the process is complicated, Read More

From Oregon To Connecticut, Communities Face A Shortage Of Police

By NPR News December 12, 2018

Officer Christian Bruckhart collects used needles from a vacant site in his patrol area in New Haven, Conn. CREDIT: RYAN CARON KING/CONNECTICUT PUBLIC RADIO

The severity of the officer shortage varies by location, but the national trend is clear: Since 2013, the total number of working sworn officers has fallen by about 23,000. The number of officers per capita is down even more sharply, from 2.42 per 1,000 residents in 1997 to 2.17 officers per 1,000 in 2016. Read More

Portland Novelist Who Penned ‘How To Murder Your Husband’ Essay Charged With Husband’s Murder

By NPR News September 12, 2018

Nancy Crampton-Brophy has been charged with the murder of her husband, Daniel Brophy. She is the author of romantic suspense novels, who in a 2011 blog post outlined various motives and methods of killing a husband. CREDIT: PORTLAND POLICE BUREAU

How to get away with murder? Maybe don't write a blog post about getting away with murder. Continue Reading Portland Novelist Who Penned ‘How To Murder Your Husband’ Essay Charged With Husband’s Read More

Former State Auditor Sentenced To One Year And One Day In Prison

By Austin Jenkins June 29, 2018

Former Wasington State Auditor Troy Kelley will be sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. WASHINGTON LEGISLATURE

Former Washington state Auditor Troy Kelley was sentenced Friday to one year and one day in prison and one year of supervised release. Continue Reading Former State Auditor Sentenced To One Year And One Day In PrisonRead More

Cathy McMorris Rodgers Touts Prison Reform Bill At Spokane Roundtable

By Emily Schwing May 30, 2018

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers discussed prison reform at a roundtable in Spokane Tuesday. CREDIT: REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS / FACEBOOK - TINYURL.COM/YCDYR563

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is lobbying for a bipartisan prison reform bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month. The Republican made the pitch in Spokane this week. Continue Reading Cathy McMorris Rodgers Touts Read More

Analysis: What John Boehner’s Pivot On Cannabis Tells Us About The Legal Weed Boom

By NPR News April 16, 2018

The former House speaker is getting into the marijuana game, illustrating the ironies of the way many Americans think about weed, particularly when it comes to race. Continue Reading Analysis: What John Boehner’s Pivot On Cannabis Read More

Washington Man Charged With Sending Explosives To Government Agencies

By Patricia Murphy March 27, 2018

The federal courthouse in downtown Seattle. CREDIT: PHIL AEGERTER/KUOW

A Snohomish County man faces a federal charge alleging he sent nearly a dozen explosive packages to government agencies in the Washington, D.C. area. Continue Reading Washington Man Charged With Sending Explosives To Government Read More

Washington ‘Valve Turner’ Sentenced To Prison For Shutting Down Oil Pipeline

By Courtney Flatt February 7, 2018

The five climate activists arrested after shutting down Canada-to-U.S. pipelines pose for a photo. They were identified by Climate Direct Action as (left to right): Emily Johnston, Annette Klapstein, Leonard Higgins, Ken Ward, and Michael Foster.

A Washington climate activist is the first “valve turner” to go to prison for shutting off the flow of oil from Canada’s tar sands region into the U.S. Continue Reading Washington ‘Valve Turner’ Sentenced To Prison For Shutting Down Read More

King County Prosecutor Calls For Repeal Of Death Penalty In Washington

By Austin Jenkins January 22, 2018

The prosecutor of Washington’s most populous county is calling for the repeal of the death penalty. Dan Satterberg plan testified before legislators January 22 in favor of a proposal to replace capital punishment with life without the possibility of parole.   Read More

Harney County, Oregon, Residents Dismayed By Nevada Bundy Trial Dismissal

By Amanda Peacher January 8, 2018

Even though it was a separate case from the Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation, many environmentalists and opponents of the occupation viewed the Nevada Bundy case as an opportunity to get what they viewed as justice. Continue Reading Read More

Lawmakers Consider Abolishing Death Penalty To Save Money In Wash.

By Sueann Ramella January 26, 2012

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington lawmakers are considering a plan to save money by abolishing the death penalty in the state. That idea got a hearing today in Olympia. Karil Klingbeil… Continue Reading Lawmakers Consider Abolishing Death Penalty Read More