Amanda Jack

How This Mother Modeled Strength Despite Decades of Wrongful Incarceration Renay Lynch not only was a source guidance for her own children but also for other women in prison.

“I told both of my children, that they had to go ahead and to live their lives ... And to not stop living because their mom was wrongfully imprisoned, because that would kill me before anything else. That would truly break my heart." #MothersDay innocenceproject.org/news/stronge...

The New York State Police Are Feeding ICE a Gang Database For 20 years, state police have been quietly building a database of suspected gang members — and they're feeding it to Donald Trump's administration.

This is a massive story — and revelation — from @chrisgelardi.bsky.social for @nysfocus.bsky.social.
"The statewide gang database has been in operation for 20 years, though it has garnered almost no outside attention or scrutiny."
nysfocus.com/2025/04/23/t...

URGENT: New York is on the brink of a major rollback that could lead to more wrongful convictions.
Discovery reform — which helps prevent innocent people from incarceration — is under attack. And the process is happening behind closed doors. #ProtectKaliefsLaw

We won't let @governor.ny.gov take us back to the days of coerced pleas, prolonged pretrial detention and wrongful convictions. #ProtectKaliefsLaw #DefendDiscovery

TY to Renay Lynch - wrongfully convicted & exonerated after 26 years of incarceration thanks to @innocenceproject.bsky.social - who was invited to speak w/ the BPHA Caucus led by Chair @solagesny.bsky.social TY for the full throated support for automatic and open discovery! #ProtectKaliefsLaw

NYCC’s James Ellis speaks at a podium with a group of legislators united to protest Kalief’s law

At the BPHA Caucus press conference in the capital to protect New Yorkers, to protect #KaliefsLaw, as Hochul pushes to put more people into jail.

Thank you to caucus chair @solagesny.bsky.social for organizing this!

THANK YOU @leaderasc.bsky.social and @speakercarlheastie.bsky.social and members of the NY State Assembly and Senate for your leadership in standing against the Gov's proposal to repeal our criminal evidence sharing laws. #ProtectKaliefsLaw

THANK YOU @leaderasc.bsky.social and @speakercarlheastie.bsky.social and members of the NY State Assembly and Senate for your leadership in standing against the Gov' proposal to repeal our criminal evidence sharing laws. #ProtectKaliefsLaw

THIS

Please read this deep dive by
@nickpinto.bsky.social - he has long reported on nyc criminal courts and this is one of the best reads there is on the current fight to save discovery reform- more, including how to join our fight at protectkaliefslaw.com

Discovery Reform: Why It Matters, and Who Wants to Kill It Governor Kathy Hochul and prosecutors say they want to tweak reforms made five years ago. A close reading of their proposals reveals their effort to gut the legislation known as "Kalief's Law."

Governor Kathy Hochul and prosecutors say they want to "streamline" reforms passed five years ago to ensure fair and speedy criminal court proceedings. A close reading of their proposals reveals their effort to gut the legislation known as "Kalief's Law."
hellgatenyc.com/discovery-re...

Rollbacks to discovery reforms will increase unfair prosecuting in NYC: law professors More than 80 law professors on Tuesday urged state lawmakers to categorically reject Gov. Hochul’s proposed rollbacks to New York’s discovery reforms, saying they would gut progress and see pretria…

"The gov & all of the city’s DAs want the 2020 discovery reforms amended so prosecutors would have unilateral control over the speedy trial clock, leaving them to largely be the judges of whether their efforts to provide evidence to the defense are reasonable." www.nydailynews.com/2025/02/25/r...

With discovery law rollbacks looming, coalition launches to defend reforms — Queens Daily Eagle As lawmakers and district attorneys appear to flirt with the idea of rolling back the state’s discovery reforms, a coalition of public defense groups have joined up in an effort to protect the changes...

Indicted felony speedy trial dismissals ("serious" cases) have remained steady since 2019, the year before our landmark discovery reform. There is no "loophole" to close; no "technical dismissals" NO ROLLBACKS. PROTECT KALEIF'S LAW. queenseagle.com/all/2025/1/1...

Expanding student debt forgiveness program aims to stop the bleeding in public defense, district attorney’s office District attorneys penned a letter to Albany asking for $4 million in the next fiscal budget toward expanding the loan forgiveness program.

Student debt relief is a key labor issue for legal services. Getting this bill passed would be life changing for @lasattysunited.bsky.social members in @uaw.org

amsterdamnews.com/news/2024/12...

MTA Nabs Federal Money to Study the New Psychology of Fare Beating Facing a behavioral shift seen since the pandemic, the transit agency is pulling out all the stops to figure out how to get people to pay their own way.

Instead of asking for grants/revenue streams to simply make fares free or fix the trains MTA is out there getting grant money to study the "psychology of fare evasion". www.thecity.nyc/2024/12/13/m...

NYU anti war students blockade Bobst Library to demand disclosure of investments and divestiture from war profiteering.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝘀
SRG goons = Riot Squad
Community Affairs = Intel
TARU = A/V spying–handheld & drones
Legal = Coordinate fabrication of claims in cops' affidavits

Biden commutes about 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes in historic single-day act of clemency The White House says it's the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.

Still more to do, for example can't just be 'non-violent' offenses, but definitely a start.
@govkathyhochul.bsky.social please take note: www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...

Today, the NYC Council considers Intro 606: which would subject 100k New Yorkers who ride e-bikes every day - to take their kids to school, commute to work, or pay their bills-to be “licensed” to do so. City council must REJECT this costly, ineffective bill & instead BUILD bike infrastructure.

TY @phara4assembly.bsky.social: we must INVEST in community based resources, supporting housing & supportive off-ramps like #TreatmentNotJail & stop reliance on "the revolving door of the criminal legal system & the cudgel of incarceration as our only response" www.nydailynews.com/2024/11/23/r...

Organizer extraordinaire Thomas Gant from Center For Community Alternatives at my Alma mater CUNY Law speaking about excessive sentences and the need to pass #TheSecondLookAct says the harm goes beyond prison walls “the harm and hurt that is being done is to keep families from being whole again.”

Thanks for the boost, as always Eileen!!

Hey Bluesky - began twitter w/ an anon account (@brooklynPD) to criticize bail setting by brooklyn judges that I saw every day as a public defender in brooklyn, left brooklyn for manhattan, left daily court work for policy work at legal aid & now fight for system reforms w aim to tear down systems

🌇Wake up, NY! It’s a new day. Clean Slate goes live today.

This new law will automatically seal certain criminal records, removing barriers to jobs, housing, and more, all while helping our communities thrive.

Learn more: cleanslateny.org/faq