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.
Topic: Just City
RSSThere are 44 article(s) tagged Just City:
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September 2021
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August 2021
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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.
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May 2021
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Jail’s low vaccination rate fuels request for modified lawsuit settlement
Fewer than 10% of detainees at 201 Poplar have been vaccinated and criminal justice advocates have filed a motion asking the court to get the Sheriff’s Office to do more to implement a vaccination program — one of the terms agreed upon in a lawsuit settlement agreement.
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April 2021
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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.
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January 2021
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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.
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August 2020
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Opinion: You don’t have to join a protest to be an ally in a cause
Many organizations are working on worthwhile causes. Many of these organizations are nonprofits, often with limited funding and staff, who are looking for volunteers to serve as advocates.
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March 2020
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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.
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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.
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January 2020
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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.
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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.
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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.
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November 2019
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Member of ‘Exonerated Five’ to speak at Mississippi Boulevard
Raymond Santana – one of the members of the Exonerated Five, formerly known as the Central Park Five – will speak at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis Saturday, Nov. 16.
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August 2019
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Noura Jackson talks about her Alford plea and life after prison at Just City event
Noura Jackson was in Memphis with the author of a book that criticizes the handling of Jackson's trial for her mother's murder.
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May 2019
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Lee sends promising signal by dropping fee to clear criminal records
Just City's clients report higher wages, more stable hours and healthier families because they were able to get better jobs after expungement of their records.
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March 2019
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Death penalty opponents call for alternatives, reform
Tennessee officials have defended capital punishment, saying it brings justice to victims' families. But at a recent discussion at LeMoyne-Owen College, panelists with personal stories about death row said the system is broken.
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February 2019
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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.
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October 2018
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No mental evaluation for teen accused in Phil Trenary homicide
Ranisha Wright, one of three people charged in connection with the death of Phil Trenary, will not undergo a mental evaluation her attorney told a Juvenile Court judge during a brief hearing Tuesday morning. -
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.
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September 2018
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Cost of traffic fines, fees limiting opportunities for thousands of Memphians
About 18,000 times each year, the state of Tennessee suspends the driver’s license of a Shelby County resident for failure to pay traffic fines and fees, according to data obtained by the nonprofit advocacy organization Just City. A disproportionate number of those drivers are black, making the fines a social justice issue, said Just City executive director Josh Spickler.
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