Udi Ofer

I took my @princeton.edu Policy Advocacy Clinic students to Washington State as part of their research on solitary confinement. We met with @chriswblackwell.bsky.social in prison, whose writing brings solitary to life, and we attended symposium of families w/ loved ones in prison. All very powerful

Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement (out Sept 20) is “a searing indictment and urgent call to action.” — Udi Offer, Princeton School of Public & International Affairs.

Preorder + read more reviews here: www.amazon.com/Ending-Isola...

Gaza: After Security Council breakthrough, agencies highlight youngsters’ plight As UN Secretary-General António Guterres hailed Monday’s Security Council resolution paving the way for a consolidated ceasefire via a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza, UN aid teams...

The Zikim border crossing, which separates Israel and northern Gaza, has reopened after being closed for two months, allowing more than 5,400 metric tonnes of aid to be collected between Thursday and Sunday, including shelter, medical and food items, according to OCHA news.un.org/en/story/202...

What the UN resolution on Gaza tells us about Trump and what it means for Israel-Palestine Beyond a Passing Reference to Palestinian Statehood, the Resolution's Immediate Impact Lies in Its Creation of the International Stabilization Force. But Questions Linger Over Whose Soldiers Will Make...

"The fantasies of Ministers Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir & other fanatics in Netanyahu's coalition have been put to rest, replaced by international plan that includes Arab forces in Gaza and path to Palestinian statehood. That by itself is important development" www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

The UN Security Council resolution states that the International Stabilization Force will operate in Gaza until the end of 2027. It's our job to make sure that this international force will be used to lay the foundation for a future Palestinian State

Full text of the US resolution for Gaza approved by the UN Security Council UN Resolution 2803 places Donald Trump in control of Gaza and, using vague language, says if certain targets are met there could be a pathway to the creation of a Palestinian state

UN Security Council resolution authorizes Member States to establish International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza in cooperation with Egypt and Israel and along with Palestinian police force. As ISF establishes control, Israel will withdraw from Gaza Strip: www.middleeasteye.net/news/full-te...

Forgotten Service, Lasting Wounds: Military Veterans and the Death Penalty | Death Penalty Information Center **Executive Summary** - Though the Supreme Court has rec­og­nized the impor­tance of mil­i­tary ser­vice in cap­i­tal mit­i­ga­tion, the legal...

2025 is among the dead­liest years for vet­er­ans on death row. And over 40% of vet­er­ans lat­er sen­tenced to death expe­ri­enced addic­tion at some point in their lives, com­pared to 11% of all vet­er­ans and 12% of the general public. deathpenaltyinfo.org/research/ana...

ICE and EOIR Data Cut Off During Government Shut Down Just as ‘Mass Detention’ Gets $45B Boost ICE hasn’t produced crucial detention data in over 45 days despite continuing its aggressive—and sometimes illegal—enforcement rampage during the partial government shutdown.

Just as President Trump's mass deportation program becomes even more aggressive, with more arrests and detentions, government detention data goes dark. Even if shutdown ended today, it's unclear how long it would take agencies to start producing data again austinkocher.substack.com/p/ice-and-eo...

Abbas’s deputy: We agreed with Hamas that committee to administer Gaza will be headed by PA minister * * *

Palestinian Authority has reached an agreement with Hamas that the committee to administer Gaza will be headed by PA minister, most likely Majed Abu Ramadan, currently the PA health minister, originally from Gaza and a former mayor of Gaza City. www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ent...

BREAKING: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, writes that he is resigning as a judge to have the freedom to speak out against the president's assault on the rule of law.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

What we're watching: A new take on "Frankenstein," a lavish legal drama starring Kim Kardashian and a Tracy Morgan-led spinoff.

sometimes an Oxford comma can make all the difference

Releasing People From Prison is About Humanity - ACLU of New Jersey Early releases from prison in the pandemic in NJ — projected to exceed 8,000 from March 2020 to March 2022 — saved lives and showed the urgent human need for decarceration. When the pandemic began two...

When the pandemic began in 2020, New Jersey had the nation’s highest COVID-19 death rate in prisons.

The Public Health Emergency Credit (PHEC) allowed people nearing their release dates to leave prison up to 8 months early, and it saved lives.

Read more: www.aclu-nj.org/news/releasi...

This week marked 30 years since Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by right wing zealot at a rally where Rabin delivered a speech about importance of peace between Israelis & Palestinians. In his pocket were lyrics to Shir LaShalom, Song for Peace. This image of the bloodstained lyrics breaks my heart:

Opinion | Trump’s Tariffs May Not Please the Court The government’s claims in defense of the emergency border taxes don’t stand ‘major questions’ scrutiny.

Wall Street Journal editorial board not convinced by the Trump administration's legal argument that tariffs are not taxes. Congress clearly has the power to raise taxes, not the president. You would think that more conservatives would be outraged by such unilateral action www.wsj.com/opinion/dona...

Thirty years after Rabin's murder, Israelis must stop fearing peace | Opinion ***

Aymen Oden, Arab Israeli Knesset member, head of far-left political coalition: "Rabin's courage didnt stop at extending hand for peace. It also included the simple recognition that the Arab community's representatives are legitimate, especially when it comes to peace" www.haaretz.com/opinion/2025...

Key Republicans waver ahead of war powers vote The White House, in an apparent push to get Republicans on board, has increased efforts to brief lawmakers about its legal rationale for boat strikes in the Caribbean.

Congressional lawmakers finally beginning to take a stand against Trump's completely illegal murder operations against suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea. Growing bipartisan frustration that the Trump administration has left Congress in the dark. www.politico.com/live-updates...

I remember back in 2017 when Larry Krasner first ran as a DA committed to ending mass incarceration. He made history then winning in a city that historically had a DA committed to more prisons and more death penalty. And now he made history again being elected a 3rd time 6abc.com/amp/post/res...

Democrats Retain Control of Pennsylvania's Supreme Court with Three-Seat Sweep - Bolts Three Democratic justices on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court have defeated an unusually high-profile Republican bid to unseat them. They secured large statewide victories on Tuesday, following an histo...

Democrats sweep three supreme court elections in Pennsylvania, defeating high-profile Republican bid to unseat them. They won large statewide victories, centered largely on the court’s role in defending voting and abortion rights. boltsmag.org/pennsylvania...

The civil war in Sudan has displaced 12 million people and may have killed about 400,000. It is “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.” Read more here: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/w...

Just pre-ordered!

And what kind of crime are Americans most frequently afraid of? Not the type you hear about in the news. Americans worry most about being the victim of identity theft (69%) and being tricked into providing financial information to scammers (53%). 2/2

Crime in U.S. Seen as Less Serious for Second Straight Year Fewer Americans see national or local crime rising or view these as serious problems, but concerns about child safety and financial fraud remain.

Annual Gallup poll on crime is always packed with interesting facts. As in past, Americans' perception of whether crime is up/down largely depends on whether their party is represented in WH. Democrats are now more likely since last year to say there's more crime news.gallup.com/poll/697124/... 1/2

Ending Solitary Confinement Will Save Minds and Lives - Solitary Watch In prison, psychological trauma is soaked into the fabric of everyday life. Solitary confinement makes things infinitely worse.

"After more than 30 years of incarceration experience, I am convinced that people leave prison unhealthier, mentally, than when they come in, which is vastly intensified for those subjected to solitary confinement." solitarywatch.org/2025/10/28/e...

Their Loved Ones Died Behind Bars. These Keepsakes Are All They Have Left. Five families reflect on the possessions they got back, and the ones they didn’t.

What are the rights of dead people when they pass away in government custody? This is an issue my Policy Advocacy Clinic is researching for the United Nations this year. And here's an example: what happens to the possessions of people who die in prison? www.themarshallproject.org/2025/10/30/t...

NJ governor hopefuls target bail reform for changes • New Jersey Monitor New Jersey was hailed as a leader in bail reform, but both front-runners in the governor's race say the system needs changes.

newjerseymonitor.com/2025/10/29/n... 3/3

- Almost all defendants released before trial do not reoffend

- Rearrest for very serious crimes like violent felonies is less than 1%

- Defendants released before trial appear for court more consistently, at rate of 97%

- Multiple studies have shown bail reform hasnt worsened crime rates

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The data show that NJ bail reform has been a great success, but that doesnt prevent it from being a political punching bag by both parties. Since implementation of bail reform in NJ:

- There has been no increase in court no-shows

- Recidivism rates of those released are equal or better

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PAC mischief A new PAC emerged over the weekend, just past the last pre-election deadline for disclosure, and immediately sent out a mailer that says Mikie Sherrill “walked out on working families” and “did not ac...

Great reporting by @mattfriedmannj.bsky.social: does Mikie Sherrill have a problem with progressives? Nope. A fake progressive PAC launched days before Election Day is in fact operated by Republicans: www.politico.com/newsletters/...

Locked out for life: Pa.’s housing crisis fueled by 1988 law | Opinion A 1988 law allows landlords to refuse to rent or sell to people convicted of dealing drugs.

Enacted in 1988 during the height of the war on drugs, the Thurmond Amendment allows landlords to deny housing based solely on a drug distribution conviction — regardless of how long ago it occurred and the person’s current circumstances. PA can end this injustice. www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...

Their Dads Faced Execution in Missouri. Their Grief Lives on. The children of Lance Shockley, Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams Sr. and Kevin Johnson shed light on oft-forgotten experiences.

Such a compelling piece on the experiences of children whose dads were executed by the state. In at least one case, the victim's family opposed the death penalty, yet the state moved forward with execution anyway. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/10/14/m...