Prof Jane Mitchell

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Thought-provoking article from @hashtagblevin.bsky.social "Limits of Punishment" -- arguing that our obsession with the way criminal justice "punishes" has blinded us to the broader machinery of criminal "governance." What does this mean for leaders on the ground working in this space?

"The Psychology of a Favor" papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... - argues that people receiving a benefit (e.g., witnesses being paid) feel obligated to reciprocate and behave favorably towards the person who gave the benefit (e.g., prosecutor)

fascinating new article by @adamgershowitz.bsky.social — discussing psychology’s “reciprocity effect” on payments to witnesses in criminal cases. But reciprocity is significantly weakened when the benefit is expected or part of an explicit exchange. To what extent does that factor in here?

How can law students become better leaders, not just learn about leadership? My new article explores how transformative learning theory can reshape how students think, feel, and act: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Thanks to all my leadership students + the Santa Clara Law Review!

Partisan views on "more crime": used to move fairly closely, but now radically different (90% say up for GOP, 29% for Dems).

I mean, we are living in two different realities now, and this really hasn't always been the case.

I loved reading @eileen.sunriseparabellum.org 's "Prisoners and Choice" essay. We need more participatory scholarship like this! papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Thanks! We are adding in one more round of data to make it more current -- I will send it along once it's ready!

Loved reading Laura Appleman’s most recent drug decriminalization essay @lawandlitprof.bsky.social. I just finished a draft of a drug policy paper myself, and wish I had read this sooner! Thank you Laura for your clarity and comprehensiveness

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Why are Americans so afraid of crime, even as it plummets?

Because this is the second paragraph of the CBS News take on it.

SECOND PARAGRAPH starts with a “but” that defies comprehension (what does “every 25.9 seconds” mean in a nation of 320M?), but seems scary!

SECOND PARAGRAPH.

Cities hope to attract more police officers by cutting education requirements Some cities hope that relaxing education hiring standards may solve lingering staffing shortages. Is that a good idea?

Research has found that college-educated officers tend to use less force, have fewer complaints against them, and write better reports. But there is a trend of cities cutting education requirements for police in hopes of attracting more applicants.

Here's the full article: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

I enjoyed reading through @cbhessick.bsky.social's latest "Prosecutors and Politics" study. Surprising to learn that most media coverage about prosecutors is neutral in tone (only 6% of 2020 coverage about prosecutors was negative). Is that still true in 2025, in today's era of weaponized justice?

this is an extremely important point. “everything is up for debate” is moral rot. I am emphatic about telling my students that there are not always two defensible sides to an issue. sometimes there are! but sometimes there are more than two. and sometimes there’s just one.

I enjoyed reading this interesting piece from @profrgold.bsky.social. Reminds me of Dr. Becky Kennedy's "good inside" framework

@profmelaniebjacobs.bsky.social thanks for all your work putting on the #AALSNLT AALS New Teachers Conf this past weekend! By far the most useful academic conference I've attended. Thanks for being so intentional with all the programming