A new West Virginia law requires magistrates and judges to set a hearing within five days for people who ve been arrested for not showing up to a court hearing, not paying fines on time, or not following civil-court rulings. The reform comes at a time when jails across the Mountain State are overflowing. According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, one in eight people goes to jail because of a bench warrant. .
Two months from today, Minnesota will begin the process of removing low-level marijuana convictions for those who have them on their criminal records. It is part of the legalization bill signed into law earlier this week. For most minor convictions, those who are affected can expect an automatic expungement. .
Illinois could soon be the fourth state to pass a law to prevent unfair youth sentencing. The legislation encourages criminal courts to recognize youth who are convicted for acts of self-defense or as victims of violence. Often, young survivors of sexual assault, sex trafficking or domestic abuse are convicted in adult court and given long prison sentences. .
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The new bill will allow the attorney general’s office to investigate and fine employers that threaten to check a whistleblower’s citizenship status or ask them to produce immigration documents.