There are 28 article(s) tagged criminal justice reform:

• January 2023

  • Calls for reform in wake of Nichols’ death have roots in George Floyd protests

    The “Behind The Headlines” reporters roundtable focused on the death of Tyre Nichols and its long-term impact on policing and criminal justice reform in Memphis.

    By Bill Dries January 28, 2023

• October 2022

  • Mulroy says crime labs are ‘state responsibility’ with focus on rape kits

    Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy talks about the “horrific first week” of his term as the county’s chief prosecutor on “Behind The Headlines” and the two violent crime cases still reverberating a month later in criminal justice reform discussions.

    By Bill Dries October 14, 2022

• July 2022

  • Weirich, Mulroy clash on abortion prosecutions and focus of DA’s race

    The two contenders for Shelby County District Attorney met on “Behind The Headlines” for a discussion on local enforcement of the state’s abortion trigger law, balancing reform with accountability, murder convictions overturned on appeal and dueling campaign ads.

    By Bill Dries July 05, 2022

• April 2022

  • What a Democratic District Attorney’s office would look like

    Each of the three Democratic primary candidates for Shelby County District Attorney General pledge to make deep reforms in the prosecutor’s office.

    Related story:

    What change in the DA’s office could look like on first day

    By Bill Dries April 04, 2022

• February 2022

  • County government reviews criminal justice fines and fees as part of national effort

    The county administration is working with a national coalition of local elected leaders to question the efficacy fines and fees in the local criminal justice system. Among the first changes, was dropping a fee for medical services at the county corrections center.

    By Bill Dries February 23, 2022

• January 2022

  • Political Roundup: Sugarmon opens for Juvenile Court Judge as races heat up

    Candidates who won’t be on the ballot until August are actively campaigning along with those in partisan races whose first hurdle is the May county primaries.

    By Bill Dries January 18, 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

  • Attorney Janika White joins Democratic primary for DA

    White makes the Democratic primary race a three-way contest with the winner in May expected to challenge Republican DA Amy Weirich in the August county general elections.

    By Bill Dries December 15, 2021

  • Mulroy makes three as he announces for high-profile DA race

    The race for District Attorney General is taking shape as a key moment and a key office in the debate about criminal justice reform in a city where violent crime is rising.

    By Bill Dries December 09, 2021

• November 2021

  • Watch: Weirich pushes for truth in state sentencing laws

    Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich talked on “Behind The Headlines” of her concerns about guidelines judicial commissioners use in determining who should be released while they await trial and the second take on a juvenile assessment center.

    By Bill Dries November 13, 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

• July 2021

  • Wide range of new state laws now in effect

    Here’s a review of some of the new state laws and changes to state law that took effect July 1 after approval by the Tennessee General Assembly and the signature of Gov. Bill Lee.

    By Bill Dries July 04, 2021

• April 2021

  • Memphis Police Chief nominee talks protest and policing in online forum

    Memphis Police Chief nominee Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis met the public on a limited basis Friday, April 30, during a one-hour online Q&A session with screened written questions. 

    By Bill Dries April 30, 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

• March 2021

  • County Commission sorts out future of county vaccination efforts

    The regular Monday session of the commission will be followed by a special Friday meeting with Tennessee Health commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey on problems that led the state to shift control of COVID vaccine distribution from the county to the city of Memphis.

    By Bill Dries March 08, 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

• November 2020

  • County Commission to look at budget season deadlines

    A resolution by Edmund Ford Jr. on setting deadlines and milestones for the county budget season is on the County Commission’s agenda for Monday, Nov. 9. 

    By Bill Dries November 09, 2020

• June 2020

  • District Attorney launches community justice program

    Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich's office is launching a restorative justice initiative called the Community Justice Program. 

    By Yolanda Jones June 25, 2020

  • ‘Crashing Down': Two states of emergency in one city

    The "last seven days" mark long-standing issues in Memphis and a renewed public interest in them as a global pandemic and nationwide protests intertwine. 

    By Bill Dries June 03, 2020

• November 2019

  • Stanton marks end of clerk’s term and tenure with changes, goals, paper

    General Sessions Court Clerk Ed Stanton Jr. has a little less than a year left in office and will not seek re-election next year. Before his exit, Stanton says he has a few goals to accomplish.

    By Bill Dries November 17, 2019

• August 2019

  • Lifeline to Success approaches a decade in changing lives of ex-offenders

    The Brown family started the idea of Lifeline to Success at their dinner table 2009, and they have counseled 1,200 people in the 10 years since it began. 

    By Omer Yusuf August 24, 2019

• July 2019

  • Mayoral candidate Tami Sawyer unveils criminal justice platform

    Mayoral contender Tami Sawyer and incumbent Mayor Jim Strickland differ greatly on how they believe the Memphis Police Department should be set up to fight the city's violent crime issues. 

    By Omer Yusuf July 13, 2019

• June 2019

  • Criminal justice reform part of Gov. Lee’s Memphis itinerary this week

    Gov. Bill Lee is in Memphis Tuesday into Wednesday morning for a series of stops, including signing the bill that eliminates the state fee to expunge criminal records.

    By Bill Dries June 10, 2019

• May 2019

  • ‘Mama’s Day Bail Out’ frees women from jail in time for Mother’s Day

    Six women will be bailed out of jail this week during Mother's Day Bail Out by the Official Black Lives Matter Memphis Chapter. Since 2017, the group has paid bail for 30 men and women in Memphis and Shelby County in its effort to end cash bail. 

    By Yolanda Jones May 09, 2019

• April 2019

  • Nelson: How to fight recidivism with great books

    The parole board was blown away when a woman who had spent 25 years behind bars, and who was a member of the great books group at West Tennessee State Penitentiary, quoted Herodotus in answer to a question about how she now defined success.

    By Michael Nelson April 18, 2019