More Than 300,000 Kentuckians Have Been Charged for Cannabis Over the Past Two Decades
Over the past two decades, as states around the nation have moved to decriminalize and legalize cannabis, more than 300,000...
The 2022 General Assembly Passed More Bills Increasing Incarceration Than Decreasing It, and Failed to Make Other Badly Needed Justice Changes
Kentucky has one of the worst rates of incarceration in the country. Two years after a sharp decline in the Kentucky jail population due to COVID-19 policy-driven releases, the state’s...
Pretrial Bills in the Kentucky General Assembly Are a Mixed Bag
Kentucky’s pretrial system — which determines whether a person charged with a crime waits for their day in court behind bars or at home — is arbitrary, unfair and rife...
While Failing to Address Kentucky’s Overdose Crisis, HB 215 Would Keep People Incarcerated Longer
Kentucky is currently in the midst of an overdose crisis, particularly with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that when pharmaceutically prescribed can be used to treat pain but when acquired illegally...
There’s Still Time for Kentucky to Reverse Course on Harmful Criminal Policies
The 2022 General Assembly has a big opportunity to build on positive changes in criminal policy from last session. Increasing the threshold at which theft becomes a felony, ending the...
Kentucky Has an Opportunity to Continue Steps to Reducing Incarceration by Addressing Harsh “Persistent Felony Offender” Laws
Kentucky’s Persistent Felony Offender (PFO) law is a punitive sentencing policy that emerged during the beginning of the so-called War on Drugs. While originally intended as a measure to deter...
One Step Forward, Six Steps Back: A Decade After Widely Hailed Criminal Justice Reform, Incarceration Is Worsening in Kentucky
Amid inflammatory — and frequently racist — news stories about violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kentuckians may be wondering if more criminal punishment would make our communities safer. The answer...
In Decade Since Major Criminal Justice Reform, the Kentucky General Assembly Has Passed Six Times as Many Laws Increasing Incarceration as Decreasing It
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the passage of 2011’s House Bill (HB) 463, “The Public Safety and Offender Accountability Act.”[efn_note]2011 Ky. Acts, ch. 2, https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/11RS/documents/0002.pdf.[/efn_note] HB 463 was...
The 2021 Legislative Session Criminal Justice Wrap Up: Some Important Wins that Should Be Built on to Achieve Systemic Change
This year, the Kentucky General Assembly took important steps forward in criminal justice with the passage of policies that will reduce incarceration and related harms in modest but important ways...
SB 4 Would Limit No-Knock Warrants and Reduce Harm, but New Amendments Undermine Positive Impact
On the one year anniversary of the killing of Breonna Taylor by police in March 2020, public officials, community organizations and advocates continue to call for a ban of “no-knock”...