5 Things You Need to Know About Criminal Justice Reform

March is National Criminal Justice Month. Plus, criminal justice reform is one of the few pieces of major legislation that has been passed with bipartisan consensus under the Trump administration. We'll be talking more about this issue on Tuesday's episode. Today, though, we're getting you ready for that conversation by sharing five things you need to know about criminal justice reform. 

1. The cost of the criminal justice system can begin before a person is every convicted of a crime.

• The Bail Project
• How the bail system in the US became such a mess — and how it can be fixed
• Bail reform, which could save millions of unconvicted people from jail, explained
• The Economics of Bail and Pretrial Detention

1. Once you're in the court system, the process is difficult and representation is hard to come by.

• Plead guilty, go home. Plead not guilty, stay in jail.
• The Trial Penalty: The Sixth Amendment Right To Trial on the Verge of Extinction and How To Save It
• Overworked and Underpaid: America's Public Defended Crisis

1. If you plea or are convicted, sentencing is another layer of inequity.

• The First Step Act, explained
• Trump administration looks to Texas as it pushes a criminal justice reform bill

1. A prison sentence is often just the beginning of the punishment which can continue far beyond the prison walls.

• Is it a poll tax if felons have to pay court costs and fees to regain voting rights?
• Invisible Punishment: The Collateral Consequences of Mass Imprisonment

1. Let's talk about the death penalty.

• Death Penalty Fast Facts
• Nine facts about monetary sanctions in the criminal justice system

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