News Roundup

The first News Roundups published in each of the last two years have noted that increasing bipartisan support for federal criminal justice reform had caused many to believe that an overhaul of the system was imminent.  On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced his support for a legislative package known as the First Step Act that would bring significant changes to the federal system.  News reports say that, among other things, the legislation would reduce the severity of the federal “three strikes” penalty, make the reduced sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine retroactive, and allow judges greater discretion to avoid imposing mandatory minimum sentences in some cases.  The bill also would create programs to improve prison conditions, including prohibiting the shackling of pregnant inmates.  Keep reading for more news. Khashoggi.  Last month, the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, allegedly at the direction of the Saudi government, was major international news.  This week, Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor announced that he was seeking the death penalty for five people suspected to have been involved in the incident, saying that the 15-person team sent to confront Khashoggi in Turkey disregarded orders to return him to Saudi Arabia alive.  The move is widely seen as an effort to distance top Saudi officials from the killing which has garnered international condemnation. NC PRO.  Shea recently blogged about a new SOG application called NC Prosecutors’ Resource Online (NC PRO), a digital knowledge base that is a revolutionary update for the NC Prosecutors’ Trial Manual.  If you [...]