SB 1 Will Worsen Racial Disparities in Kentucky
Each time it passes new legislation, Kentucky’s General Assembly has an opportunity to address barriers faced by Kentuckians of color...
Criminal Justice
Bill Supports Public Safety and Protects Children From Automatically Being Tried as Adults
Current law in Kentucky mandates that children charged with certain felony offenses be prosecuted as adults, rather than as juveniles. The current law limits the discretion of prosecutors and judges,...
Harsh Measure Threatens Kentucky’s Families and Finances
A new harmful and costly immigration proposal – Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) – would create an impractical mandate for most public agencies in Kentucky to participate in federal immigration...
Why Are Many Kentucky Jails So Crowded?
Over the past few months, Kentucky’s severely overcrowded jails have been in the spotlight. While other states have enacted significant criminal justice reforms, reducing their prison and jail populations without...
Building a Huge, Expensive Jail Would Be a Big Mistake for Madison County
Madison County residents are rightly concerned about extreme overcrowding in our jail – currently at 208% of capacity according to recent data from the Department of Corrections. The primary driver...
Kentucky Has an Arbitrary Justice System Across Counties
In Kentucky, we use unaffordable cash bail to lock up too many people while they are awaiting trial, and it’s worse in some communities and for some people than others....
Disparate Justice: Where Kentuckians Live Determines Whether They Stay in Jail Because They Can’t Afford Cash Bail
PDF copy - Disparate Justice: Where Kentuckians Live Determines Whether They Stay in Jail Kentuckians presumed innocent should not have their freedom contingent upon their income or where in the...
Kentucky Needs to Reverse Course on Criminal Justice Trends
It’s that time of year when national criminal justice data gets updated and Kentucky shows up on a number of “worst” lists. New data shows we are: 1 of 8...
Ways Forward for the Commonwealth
In the coming weeks and months, Kentuckians will hear from candidates for governor about their vision and ideas for our commonwealth. KCEP’s careful analysis of Kentucky data and the research...
Expungement Bill Is a Highlight, But Deeper Commitment to Criminal Justice Reform Missing from Session
Overall the criminal justice bills that passed in the 2019 General Assembly will not move Kentucky forward in addressing its growing inmate population. At the same time the state legislature...