When a child is charged with a serious crime, it raises difficult questions about how the juvenile justice system should respond. A recent case in Colorado, where an 11-year-old boy faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of his younger brother, highlights the tension between legal authority and common sense. While Colorado law allows…
Idaho has passed one of the broadest “medical conscience” laws in the country, allowing doctors, pharmacists, hospitals, and insurance companies to refuse certain types of care based on religious or moral beliefs. While the law is described as protecting providers, it also raises serious concerns about whether people will be able to receive the medical…
Recent violent crimes in Kansas City and St. Louis have led to familiar calls for tougher laws and longer prison sentences. Whenever a tragedy happens, the public is told the same thing — that the solution is to be “tougher on crime.” This overly simplistic knee-jerk “solution” has repeatedly proven to be ineffective and costly.…
Ada County Jail has launched a new education-based initiative aimed at reducing recidivism and improving reentry outcomes for individuals in custody. In partnership with the National Sheriffs’ Association, the jail has adopted the IGNITE program — Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education — becoming the third Idaho facility to implement it, following the Bonneville…
As part of renewed deportation efforts, the Trump administration has pushed states to provide personal data from voter rolls, driver’s license records, Medicaid, and food assistance programs, while also working to consolidate information across federal agencies into a centralized database. For individuals facing criminal charges or immigration concerns, this growing coordination raises serious Fourth Amendment…
Idaho’s mental health court programs have helped hundreds of people rebuild their lives, but new state budget cuts could put those programs at risk. One Twin Falls father credits mental health court with saving his life. After the death of his younger brother, he spiraled into depression and alcoholism. During a crisis, he attempted to…
Across the country, thousands of children are pushed into the adult criminal justice system through a practice known as automatic charging. In 28 states and Washington, D.C., certain charges and age thresholds require prosecutors to file cases against youth directly in adult court—without any meaningful judicial review. This policy ignores decades of research on adolescent…
Idaho’s prisons are beyond capacity, and the consequences are hitting taxpayers, families, and the justice system all at once. New budget figures from the Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) show the state is incarcerating more than 10,000 people despite having space for just over 8,200 in its prisons. When beds run out, Idaho sends people…
One of the most basic promises in the Constitution is simple: the government does not get to kick in your door without a judge’s permission. That principle is not symbolic — it is the core protection of the Fourth Amendment. A newly revealed internal ICE directive suggests the federal government may be trying to sidestep…
Suicides in jails are a growing and deeply concerning issue, with many facilities across the country struggling to prevent these tragic events. Incarcerated individuals, often facing mental health challenges and isolation, are at a higher risk of taking their own lives. Despite efforts to address the problem, too many jails continue to fail in providing…