There are 26 article(s) tagged Josh Spickler:

• May 2022

  • Opinion: Despite Strickland’s accusations, ‘truth in sentencing’ won’t make Memphis safer

    “This new law is not about ‘truth;’ it is about severity,” writes Just City’s executive director. 

    By Josh Spickler May 17, 2022

  • Strickland calls ‘BS’ on critics of ‘truth in sentencing’ state law

    Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland went after critics of his backing of the state truth in sentencing law and his description of 201 Poplar as a “revolving door” for criminals during a lively interview on “Behind The Headlines.”

    By Bill Dries May 17, 2022

• January 2022

  • Nashville Conviction Review Unit could be a model for Shelby County

    Sunny Eaton, who runs Nashville’s Conviction Review Unit, said, “These wins are the kind that are absolutely changing lives for people who never deserved to be in that position.”

    By Ian Round January 17, 2022

  • WATCH: Conversation about violent crime about to heat up

    Josh Spickler, of the criminal justice reform group Just City, said on WKNO’s Behind The Headlines that there is another side to allegations the county’s criminal justice system is a ‘revolving door.’

    By Bill Dries January 15, 2022

• December 2021

  • Criminal justice groups demand bail reform, threaten lawsuit against county

    Just City and the ACLU gave county officials until the end of December to respond to their letter and until the end of January to hold a “mediated discussion.” 

    By Ian Round December 01, 2021

• October 2021

  • Complex judicial races and issues bloom ahead of 2022 elections

    A veteran Public Defender is seeking to become the first Indian-American to serve as a judge in Shelby County. But Sanjeev Memula is considering which of the nine criminal divisions of General Sessions Court he will seek.

    By Bill Dries October 11, 2021

• September 2021

  • County’s legal bills more than $341,000 as reported COVID conditions strain 201 Poplar

    The county is paying an average of $34,000 per month to a Jackson, Tennessee, law firm to represent Sheriff Floyd Bonner in a federal lawsuit. 

    By Matt Stroud September 30, 2021

• August 2021

  • Juvenile court transfers decrease but concerning trends remain

    Virtually all the youths whose cases were transferred to adult court in Shelby County the past two years were Black.

    By Yolanda Jones August 31, 2021

  • Shelby County Jail inspections find issues of ‘great concern’

    Attorneys representing the inmates, including lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union and Memphis’ Just City, claim conditions at the jail are ill-equipped to deal with safety regarding COVID-19.

    By Rob Moore August 17, 2021

• April 2021

  • County Commission approves $2.45M settlement in jail tracking glitch lawsuit

    The federal class action lawsuit was filed in 2016, a month after a new computer system was installed by the county to track the movement of pre-trial detainees through the criminal justice system. 

    By Bill Dries April 27, 2021

• January 2021

  • Calkins: Times they are a-changin', as the NFL throws its support behind Just City

    The NFL has granted $200,000 to Just City as part of the league’s social justice initiative. The money is important – but so is the message the money sends.

    By Geoff Calkins January 08, 2021

• October 2020

  • Police reform discussion focuses on questions of what is real change

    Former Memphis City Council member Harold Collins and Just City Director Josh Spickler said on “Behind The Headlines” that for all of the talk of changing police, MPD is still policing the way it has for decades. 

    By Bill Dries October 16, 2020

• March 2020

  • Exclusive: COVID threat triggers jail bailouts

    As the number of COVID-19 cases in Shelby County continue to rise, Just City, a nonprofit criminal justice reform organization, is armed with $50,000 from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization and another $25,000 from an anonymous donor with the intention of bailing out several Shelby County Jail inmates this week who are believed to be vulnerable to the virus.

    By Marc Perrusquia March 24, 2020

  • Coronavirus threatens vulnerable jail population

    Reform advocates say more efforts need to be made to ensure the poor aren't being put at undue risk in jail during the coronavirus threat. Judges say it can be complicated. 

    By Marc Perrusquia March 20, 2020

  • Criminal justice advocate urges release of juvenile detainees

    A criminal justice reform advocate is calling for all youngsters detained in Shelby County’s juvenile detention center to be released immediately to reduce the impact of the coronavirus.

    By Yolanda Jones March 19, 2020

• January 2020

  • Behind the Headlines Podcast: Juvenile justice

    Executive Director of Just City Josh Spickler discusses juvenile justice in Shelby County with host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries.

    By The Daily Memphian Staff January 17, 2020

  • Question of new or renovated juvenile detention center could renew debate over size

    Just City executive director Josh Spickler said on the WKNO program “Behind The Headlines” that Juvenile Court needs more resources for children in detention. But he said the question of which children and how many wind up in detention or tried as adults should take priority over the details of the bricks and mortar.

    By Bill Dries January 17, 2020

  • Records show increase, racial disparity in juvenile transfers to adult court

    Children transferred from juvenile court to adult court is on the rise. Last year, 90 children were charged as adults and almost all are African American.

    By Yolanda Jones January 13, 2020

• August 2019

  • Movie, panel discussion highlight flaws of criminal justice system

    A panel discussion and viewing of the film "Brian Banks" gave young people a lesson in how the criminal justice system works and how they interact with it.

    By Linda A. Moore August 15, 2019

• March 2019

  • Memphis advocates back Lee’s plan to drop expungement fee

    Gov. Bill Lee calls for eliminating the $180 state expungement fee to make it easier for people to wipe their records clean, advocates say. The move drew wide praise from those in Memphis.

    By Sam Stockard March 01, 2019

• February 2019

  • Just City program trains volunteers to be eyes and ears in court

    Just City's Court Watch wants to have 100 volunteers trained by the end of year to observe court proceedings, from arraignments to trials, at 201 Poplar. 

    By Yolanda Jones February 12, 2019

• January 2019

  • Parkinson pushes expedited expungement fee

    Offenders eligible for expungement could pay a $250 fee to speed up the process of clearing their criminal record.

    By Sam Stockard January 24, 2019

• December 2018

  • Detention center funding decision taps larger criminal justice system concerns

    County commissioner Tami Sawyer and activist Josh Spickler discuss flaws in the juvenile justice system and the roles a new assessment center and new juvenile detention center might play in reforming the system. 

    By Bill Dries December 28, 2018

• November 2018

  • Shelby County eliminates phone call costs for juvenile detainees

    Shelby County has reached an agreement with its inmate telephone services vendor, Global Tel, to eliminate charges on all phone calls made by juveniles to their parents or guardians and vice-versa, Mayor Lee Harris announced Monday.

    By Omer Yusuf November 20, 2018

• October 2018

  • Court orders state to stop suspending licenses of people too poor to pay debt

    Tens of thousands of Tennesseans whose licenses were suspended because they were too poor to pay court debt won a major victory this week when a judge ruled in their favor against the state.

    By Sam Stockard October 18, 2018