lbeisen.bsky.social
@lbeisen.bsky.social
Senior Director, Justice Program, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law; attorney; author of Inside Private Prisons (Columbia University Press); editor of Excessive Punishment (Columbia University Press)
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled “Blue City Chaos and Tragedy: How the Trump Administration is Addressing the Human Cost of Soft On Crime Policies.” This is a false premise, and the hearing included discussion of several bad ideas that won’t make Americans safer 1/5
September 30, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled “Blue City Chaos and Tragedy: How the Trump Administration is Addressing the Human Cost of Soft On Crime Policies.” This is a false premise, and the hearing included discussion of several bad ideas that won’t make Americans safer 1/5
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
Congress in July tripled the budget of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including possibly doubling detention capacity.
@lbeisen.bsky.social outlines how private prison companies and their ecosystem may grow so large that it will be hard to unwind:
@lbeisen.bsky.social outlines how private prison companies and their ecosystem may grow so large that it will be hard to unwind:
Private Prison Companies’ Enormous Windfall: Who Stands to Gain as ICE Expands
With unparalleled funding for ICE, corporations supporting the growth of detention infrastructure will continue to see soaring profits.
www.justsecurity.org
September 24, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Congress in July tripled the budget of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including possibly doubling detention capacity.
@lbeisen.bsky.social outlines how private prison companies and their ecosystem may grow so large that it will be hard to unwind:
@lbeisen.bsky.social outlines how private prison companies and their ecosystem may grow so large that it will be hard to unwind:
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
If the Admin is serious about crime prevention & helping cities with crime rates, the work starts with listening to local leaders, following the evidence, & providing support, not with deploying the Guard. @amescg.bsky.social and I walk through the evidence in a new @brennancenter.org analysis:
What Actually Works to Fight Crime
The administration’s plans to fight crime by dictating state bail policy or deploying the National Guard won’t build long-term safety, but there are many evidence-based ways to reduce crime.
www.brennancenter.org
September 19, 2025 at 7:12 PM
If the Admin is serious about crime prevention & helping cities with crime rates, the work starts with listening to local leaders, following the evidence, & providing support, not with deploying the Guard. @amescg.bsky.social and I walk through the evidence in a new @brennancenter.org analysis:
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
The Administration's plans to fight crime using the National Guard are not the way to build real, lasting safety. Here's what the evidence shows can work, even as we continue to see national declines in crime. New from the @brennancenter.org:
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
What Actually Works to Fight Crime
The administration’s plans to fight crime by dictating state bail policy or deploying the National Guard won’t build long-term safety, but there are many evidence-based ways to reduce crime.
www.brennancenter.org
September 19, 2025 at 7:02 PM
The Administration's plans to fight crime using the National Guard are not the way to build real, lasting safety. Here's what the evidence shows can work, even as we continue to see national declines in crime. New from the @brennancenter.org:
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
Great piece of reporting by @dmac1 and @marianne_levine about ICE's plans to reopen some of the country's most notorious and troubled former prisons as immigrant detention centers. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Riots and abuse troubled these former prisons. ICE plans to reopen them.
The same operators that closed facilities plan to reopen them to hold immigrants. Advocates say that puts detainees at risk of violence and mistreatment.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 8, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Great piece of reporting by @dmac1 and @marianne_levine about ICE's plans to reopen some of the country's most notorious and troubled former prisons as immigrant detention centers. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
President Trump just signed 2 EOs to force Washington, D.C., and other cities from taking steps to substantially eliminate cash bail as a potential condition of pretrial release, threatening to withhold federal funding from cities that fail to end these policies www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Taking Steps to End Cashless Bail to Protect Americans
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose and
www.whitehouse.gov
August 25, 2025 at 6:09 PM
President Trump just signed 2 EOs to force Washington, D.C., and other cities from taking steps to substantially eliminate cash bail as a potential condition of pretrial release, threatening to withhold federal funding from cities that fail to end these policies www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
The new budget bill raises fresh question about the decades-old court settlement that sets standards for how immigrant children are treated in federal custody. A new explainer breaks down what’s changing and why it matters:
bit.ly/3THmGGH
bit.ly/3THmGGH
The Detention of Families Facing Deportation Proceedings
The expansion of ICE detention facilities raises concerns about the treatment of children.
www.brennancenter.org
July 25, 2025 at 12:24 PM
The new budget bill raises fresh question about the decades-old court settlement that sets standards for how immigrant children are treated in federal custody. A new explainer breaks down what’s changing and why it matters:
bit.ly/3THmGGH
bit.ly/3THmGGH
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
The sudden loss of federal support for community safety programs that supplement or complement policing threatens to derail these efforts, just as research is beginning to show their value. Congress should push to restore this funding.
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Crime-Prevention Efforts Face Setbacks After Federal Cuts
The Justice Department’s withdrawal of funding for long-standing public safety programs and partnerships is an alarming reversal.
www.brennancenter.org
July 24, 2025 at 3:00 PM
The sudden loss of federal support for community safety programs that supplement or complement policing threatens to derail these efforts, just as research is beginning to show their value. Congress should push to restore this funding.
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
The budget bill allocates billions to lock up immigrant families (mostly mothers and children) while the admin cuts oversight, the minimum needed to make sure the system is humane. I was honored to collaborate with @lbeisen.bsky.social, who has written extensively about mass incarceration
The new budget bill raises fresh question about the decades-old court settlement that sets standards for how immigrant children are treated in federal custody. A new explainer breaks down what’s changing and why it matters:
bit.ly/3THmGGH
bit.ly/3THmGGH
The Detention of Families Facing Deportation Proceedings
The expansion of ICE detention facilities raises concerns about the treatment of children.
www.brennancenter.org
July 19, 2025 at 12:39 AM
The budget bill allocates billions to lock up immigrant families (mostly mothers and children) while the admin cuts oversight, the minimum needed to make sure the system is humane. I was honored to collaborate with @lbeisen.bsky.social, who has written extensively about mass incarceration
Some politicians and gov officials continue to push a narrative that recent immigrants, especially undocumented ones, are driving crime in the U.S. Research & data do not support the view that immigrants commit crimes at higher rates than native-born Americans. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
Debunking the Myth of the ‘Migrant Crime Wave’
Data does not support claims that the United States is experiencing a surge in crime caused by immigrants.
www.brennancenter.org
July 16, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Some politicians and gov officials continue to push a narrative that recent immigrants, especially undocumented ones, are driving crime in the U.S. Research & data do not support the view that immigrants commit crimes at higher rates than native-born Americans. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
The right to challenge one’s detention in court dates back to 1215, when it was meant to keep kings from arbitrarily locking people up in secret dungeons. Today, it’s still a vital protection against unlawful detention.
bit.ly/3T6Mv2A
bit.ly/3T6Mv2A
Habeas Corpus, Explained
The centuries-old tool is a bedrock principle of constitutional democracy that protects against unlawful detention.
www.brennancenter.org
July 16, 2025 at 7:02 PM
The right to challenge one’s detention in court dates back to 1215, when it was meant to keep kings from arbitrarily locking people up in secret dungeons. Today, it’s still a vital protection against unlawful detention.
bit.ly/3T6Mv2A
bit.ly/3T6Mv2A
Immigrants detained in ICE holding rooms at 26 Federal Plaza in NYC allege inhumane conditions, including just one meal a day and sleeping on the floor. This comes as the administration has defied congressional oversight. gothamist.com/news/theyre-...
‘They’re killing us’: Immigrants complain of inhumane conditions inside NYC holding site
Immigrants complain of cramped conditions, inadequate food and bathing facilities and sleeping on concrete floors.
gothamist.com
July 11, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Immigrants detained in ICE holding rooms at 26 Federal Plaza in NYC allege inhumane conditions, including just one meal a day and sleeping on the floor. This comes as the administration has defied congressional oversight. gothamist.com/news/theyre-...
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
For the fifth year since 2020, the Brennan Center conducted its survey of election officials this spring. Some unsettling, interesting and important findings this year! /1 www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Local Election Officials Survey — July 2025
Sixty percent of local election officials are concerned about federal cuts to election security services, and 87% say it’s important for state and local government to provide additional resources to m...
www.brennancenter.org
July 10, 2025 at 10:48 AM
For the fifth year since 2020, the Brennan Center conducted its survey of election officials this spring. Some unsettling, interesting and important findings this year! /1 www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
The budget bill that passed today makes ICE the largest federal law enforcement agency. The influx of money comes as the administration is dismantling federal oversight of conditions at ICE facilities. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
July 3, 2025 at 8:21 PM
The budget bill that passed today makes ICE the largest federal law enforcement agency. The influx of money comes as the administration is dismantling federal oversight of conditions at ICE facilities. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
ICYMI, DHS has released new guidance that could make it nearly impossible for members of Congress to perform their oversight duties to ensure migrants being held in certain ICE facilities are treated in a humane way. 1/8 www.ice.gov/doclib/deten...
June 20, 2025 at 9:52 PM
ICYMI, DHS has released new guidance that could make it nearly impossible for members of Congress to perform their oversight duties to ensure migrants being held in certain ICE facilities are treated in a humane way. 1/8 www.ice.gov/doclib/deten...
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
Netflix announces premiere dates, plural, for the final season of "Stranger Things": cnn.it/43GGePS
Netflix announces premiere dates, plural, for the final season of ‘Stranger Things’ | CNN
The official release dates for Season 5 of Netflix’s beloved supernatural series “Stranger Things” have been announced, and yes – there’s more than one.
cnn.it
June 1, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Netflix announces premiere dates, plural, for the final season of "Stranger Things": cnn.it/43GGePS
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
NEW: Today a federal judge took over Rikers Island. For years, city leaders have failed to reduce violence in the jails. Soon an outside court-appointed authority — insulated from politics — will run Rikers. They will aim to improve conditions. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/n...
Outside Official Will Take Over Deadly Rikers Island Jail, Judge Orders
www.nytimes.com
May 13, 2025 at 8:46 PM
NEW: Today a federal judge took over Rikers Island. For years, city leaders have failed to reduce violence in the jails. Soon an outside court-appointed authority — insulated from politics — will run Rikers. They will aim to improve conditions. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/n...
My @brennancenter.bsky.social colleague Ruby Nidiry explains that the Department of Justice’s cuts last week to 365 criminal justice programs will leave large gaps in our public safety infrastructure. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
Justice Department’s Grant Cuts Endanger Public Safety
The termination of more than $810 million will end bipartisan programs with successful track records.
www.brennancenter.org
May 2, 2025 at 5:01 PM
My @brennancenter.bsky.social colleague Ruby Nidiry explains that the Department of Justice’s cuts last week to 365 criminal justice programs will leave large gaps in our public safety infrastructure. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
Executive Functions is hiring Summer and Fall interns. open.substack.com/pub/executiv...
Executive Functions Is Hiring!
Summer and fall interns
open.substack.com
April 23, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Executive Functions is hiring Summer and Fall interns. open.substack.com/pub/executiv...
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
Why the 20-year-old "Pride & Prejudice" film still bewitches audiences today: cnn.it/440LrUE
‘Bewitched, body and soul’: How ‘Pride & Prejudice’ still holds up 20 years later | CNN
Joe Wright’s “Pride & Prejudice,” starring Keira Knightley, is returning to theaters. In an age of dating apps, we examine why the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s work continues to resonate with...
cnn.it
April 19, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Why the 20-year-old "Pride & Prejudice" film still bewitches audiences today: cnn.it/440LrUE
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
overjoyed to have had the opportunity to testify in front of the @council.nyc.gov asking for support in passing the Reentry Assistance Bill!!
thanks to @cmsandynurse.bsky.social for giving us the time and @cmcrystalhudson.bsky.social for introducing resolution 371 urging albany to pass the bill
thanks to @cmsandynurse.bsky.social for giving us the time and @cmcrystalhudson.bsky.social for introducing resolution 371 urging albany to pass the bill
The Reentry Assistance Bill Can Build a Safer New York and Save Money
The bill would reduce recidivism, enhance public safety, and save New York money.
www.brennancenter.org
April 16, 2025 at 8:25 PM
overjoyed to have had the opportunity to testify in front of the @council.nyc.gov asking for support in passing the Reentry Assistance Bill!!
thanks to @cmsandynurse.bsky.social for giving us the time and @cmcrystalhudson.bsky.social for introducing resolution 371 urging albany to pass the bill
thanks to @cmsandynurse.bsky.social for giving us the time and @cmcrystalhudson.bsky.social for introducing resolution 371 urging albany to pass the bill
@vera.org just lost $5 million in federal funding for programs that help keep the public safe. They include a program that improves prison conditions, operations, and safety. The federal government should be supporting such initiatives, not ending them.
April 11, 2025 at 9:49 PM
@vera.org just lost $5 million in federal funding for programs that help keep the public safe. They include a program that improves prison conditions, operations, and safety. The federal government should be supporting such initiatives, not ending them.
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
The White House's executive order on election integrity "would actually harm eligible American citizens," @wendyweiser.bsky.social told the Wall Street Journal. "This would be tens of millions of American citizens who could be excluded from registering from voting." www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
Trump Signs Executive Order to Overhaul Voting
The order lays out identification requirements and prohibits the counting of absentee or mail-in ballots received after Election Day.
www.wsj.com
March 26, 2025 at 12:28 AM
The White House's executive order on election integrity "would actually harm eligible American citizens," @wendyweiser.bsky.social told the Wall Street Journal. "This would be tens of millions of American citizens who could be excluded from registering from voting." www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
"[Sending Americans to prisons in El Salvador] would be a clear violation of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits 'cruel and unusual punishments' to protect individuals from serving excessive sentences or being subjected to inhumane prison conditions." — @lbeisen.bsky.social
Trump floats sending Americans to foreign prisons. Civil rights groups say that would be illegal.
Trump suggested on Truth Social that people charged with attacking Tesla could serve time in “lovely” prisons in El Salvador.
www.politico.com
March 25, 2025 at 8:11 PM
"[Sending Americans to prisons in El Salvador] would be a clear violation of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits 'cruel and unusual punishments' to protect individuals from serving excessive sentences or being subjected to inhumane prison conditions." — @lbeisen.bsky.social
Reposted by lbeisen.bsky.social
CJ Roberts is exactly right re: judicial impeachment: "For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose." /1 thehill.com/regulation/c...
Roberts issues rare public pushback after Trump calls for judge’s impeachment
Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare public statement Tuesday pushing back after President Trump called to impeach a federal judge that ruled against his administration in a high-profile deport…
thehill.com
March 18, 2025 at 5:22 PM
CJ Roberts is exactly right re: judicial impeachment: "For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose." /1 thehill.com/regulation/c...