From our earliest days as a nation, the American story has been one of striving. Born in pursuit of a more perfect union, we have repeatedly sought to animate the ideals of liberty and justice in our laws and mores. Our history lays bare our successes and failures in this endeavor. We’ve learned—often in painful ways—that it is up to…
As more and more Americans take to the streets in anger over George Floyd’s killing, the calls for transparency, accountability and justice are growing too. But while the officer who killed him has been charged with second-degree murder and faces jail time, one doctrine could easily shield the officers from being held accountable for civil rights violations of excessive force and deny…
The Trump Administration has presented a surprisingly good opportunity for advocates of criminal justice reform. With the recent passage of the First Step Act, criminal justice reformers are looking to what’s next. Lindsay Marie is a policy analyst for the Lone Star Institute and writer with Young Voices. She joined Stephen Kent in Arlington, VA to discuss the state of…
November 10, 2021 The Honorable Governor Greg Abbott Office of the Governor P.O. Box 12428 Austin, Texas 78711-2428 RE: REQUEST FOR REPRIEVE FOR RODNEY REED Dear Governor Abbott: The Lone Star Policy Institute respectfully urges you to grant Mr. Rodney Reed’s October 21, 2021 request for a 30-day reprieve of his pending November 20, 2021 execution. There is new, compelling…
First and foremost, we need to establish what Civil Asset Forfeiture is and how it differs from Criminal Asset Forfeiture. In criminal asset forfeiture, the property of an individual is taken after charges are brought against them. However, in civil asset forfeiture, an individual does not have to be proven guilty or even charged with a crime for police to…
Pay Your Dues or You Could Land in Jail: How Rent-to-Own Customers Are Facing Jail-Time Rent-to-own stores provide millions of Americans the opportunity to have possession of items they could not otherwise afford. By making steady payments, customers struggling with limited income or low credit can have their dream furniture or other merchandise within their own homes—at least that’s what…