Friday, October 22, 2010

WA Supreme Court justices' comments send jaws dropping

Recent comments by two Washington State Supreme Court justices suggesting that dramatic racial disparaties in criminal convictions are merely an accurate reflection of race-based differences in crime rates have sparked heated controversy.

Within hours of the story's publication a prominent national legal blog posted the story, and the Seattle Urban League called for an inquiry.

Urban League CEO James Kelly has called on WA Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Madsen to "establish a special commission on racial disproportions in the criminal-justice system and to make recommendations on how to modernize the system and ensure equal justice before the law."

"Clearly," Kelly stated, "if two seated justices think there are more African Americans in jail only because they have a crime problem, then there's a problem that goes to the top."

80,000 Victims a Year: AG Holder Needs to Approve PREA Standards

A recent blog post from the ACLU of Washington notes the staggering numbers of sexual assaults in American prisons and jails, and calls on the Obama administration to adopt national standards for correctional sexual assaults ASAP.