Criminal Justice

Criminal justice is the system of laws, institutions, and practices that are used to enforce the law and to protect individuals and communities from crime. Criminal justice is a broad term that encompasses a range of different activities, including law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and corrections. The criminal justice system is designed to ensure that individuals who commit crimes are held accountable for their actions, and to protect the rights and safety of victims and the general public. Criminal justice is a complex and dynamic field, and it is influenced by a range of factors, including social, economic, and political forces. Individuals who work in criminal justice may include law enforcement officers, judges, lawyers, and corrections officers.

Texas and Louisiana’s First Spouses’ Global Human Trafficking Summit – 10.14.21
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Texas and Louisiana’s First Spouses’ Global Human Trafficking Summit – 10.14.21

First Lady of Texas Cecilia Abbott and First Lady of Louisiana Donna Edwards have partnered in the past year to educate other first spouses along with key stakeholders across the country on anti-human trafficking efforts and resources they can bring back to their own states. The latest educational summit in October 2021 was hosted by the Texas Governor’s Child Sex Trafficking…

Tarrant County 5 Stones November 2023 Meeting
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Tarrant County 5 Stones November 2023 Meeting

Here is our recorded meeting link and chat notes for our November 2023 TC 5 Stones meeting! Our 5 Stones meeting this November consisted of some law enforcement updates, a year-end review, and an awards presentation celebrating some of our amazing community influencers. Link to the recorded meeting: The chat log is how our online audience is able to introduce…

U.N. report calls U.S. prison labor system ‘contemporary slavery’
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U.N. report calls U.S. prison labor system ‘contemporary slavery’

A recent report published by United Nations human rights experts denounces the prevalence of “contemporary slavery” within the U.S. prison system. The report, a result of a comprehensive investigation following the experts’ visit to the U.S. earlier this year, reveals the harrowing realities of forced labor, shocking prison conditions, and systemic racism that plagues American…

For Virginia survivors, the scars of human trafficking may include a criminal record they can’t erase
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For Virginia survivors, the scars of human trafficking may include a criminal record they can’t erase

After that, rape became a regular part of her life. But landlords and employers don’t see the years Holmes spent as a human trafficking victim. They just see the litany of charges — including identity theft and drug possession — that came about as a …

Hochul signs bills to combat human trafficking – The Gloversville Leader Herald
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Hochul signs bills to combat human trafficking – The Gloversville Leader Herald

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a package of bills into law Wednesday that aim to combat human trafficking and expand the state’s anti-human trafficking task force and length of duty. The group of six bills will require Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, commercial service airports and bus stops, MTA facilities, truck stops and…

UN Report Urges End to Forced US Prison Labor—a ‘Contemporary Form of Slavery’
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UN Report Urges End to Forced US Prison Labor—a ‘Contemporary Form of Slavery’

A report published Thursday by United Nations human rights experts condemns systemic racism in the U.S. criminal justice system and policing, while describing “appalling” prison conditions and decrying forced unpaid convict labor as a “contemporary form of slavery.” The U.N. International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the Context of Law…

Forced Labor Continues in Colorado, Years After Vote to End Prison Slavery  – Bolts
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Forced Labor Continues in Colorado, Years After Vote to End Prison Slavery  – Bolts

Throughout Abron Arrington’s decades-long incarceration in Colorado, he often found himself in solitary confinement—not because he was causing trouble, but simply because he refused to work. He didn’t see the point given he was paid 13 cents an hour and figured his time could be better spent learning physics. Before Arrington was incarcerated in 1989,…

16 women graduate from CATCH Court, a criminal justice program for victims of human trafficking – Ohio Capital Journal
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16 women graduate from CATCH Court, a criminal justice program for victims of human trafficking – Ohio Capital Journal

Liyah Guilkey was able to leave prison to access CATCH Court, a specialized docket in the Franklin County Municipal Court for women in the system who are victims of human trafficking. “Every person that wrote you off as no good, who viewed you as a commodity and treated you as if you were disposable, made a…

New hotel human trafficking course helps ‘lift up the standards’
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New hotel human trafficking course helps ‘lift up the standards’

By Kaitlyn McMahon, Capital News Service RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia hotel employees are being trained how to recognize and report the signs of human trafficking in an effort to reduce the number of victims. The 30-minute, online training program officially launched this year. Current employees had to complete the course by the end of June….