SC4CJR.org

SC4CJR State Director, Alesia Flores, comments on the police killing of Tyre Nichols and calls for reform.

Commentary: Tyre Nichols' killing underscores need for law enforcement overhaul In the wake of yet another horrifically disturbing killing of an unarmed black man by police officers caught on video, we must ask ourselves why and how law enforcement stops

“The average prison wage maxes out at 52 cents per hour, and many people make much less. In at least six states — Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas — most prisoners aren't paid at all for their labor.”

What People Really Make (and Spend) Behind Bars The Marshall Project asked people in prison to track their earning and spending — and bartering and side hustles — for 30 days. Their accounts reveal a thriving underground economy behind bars.

Legal representation is essential at EVERY stage of the criminal justice process, especially bond hearings! Thank you to Molly Bryant at BigIfTrue.com (a female-led, nonprofit news site) for reporting on this important topic.

"In South Carolina, where bond hearings are a defendant’s first chance in front of a judge, public defenders aren’t available during the bond docket in most parts of the state, said Allie Menegakis, a private defense attorney and executive director of South Carolina for Criminal Justice Reform.

“The bond hearing, in my opinion, is one of the most important hearings in a person’s entire criminal case,” she said, “because it determines whether someone’s going to be fighting their case from behind bars or outside of bars.”"

Read the full article here:

https://www.bigiftrue.org/2022/04/28/first-appearances/

After arrest, low-income defendants may spend weeks or months in jail before they can request a lower bond – Big If True Mollie Bryant April 28, 2022 News After arrest, low-income defendants may spend weeks or months in jail before they can request a lower bond After being arrested, defendants accused of crimes can spend days, weeks or longer without seeing a judge or an attorney, delaying their ability to seek lower....