Punishing Families: Michigan’s Criminal Justice System’s Devastating Impacts
“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, and here I am, stuck in the middle with you.”…
Rita Williams
Rita Williams is a Michigan-based judicial oversight analyst and founder of Clutch Justice, an investigative platform focused on court system accountability, sentencing integrity, and SCAO policy. Her work examines how courts, policies, and administrative systems operate in practice, with a focus on where process breaks down and harm is created. Drawing on lived experience and systems-level analysis, she writes to make legal structures more readable, expose institutional gaps, and advocate for reforms grounded in both evidence and human impact. Rita’s writing bridges legal analysis, institutional critique, and public education, with a consistent focus on accountability without losing sight of the people most affected by the justice system.
How to Write a Change.org Petition That Gets Attention and Support
Petitions are one of the most accessible advocacy tools available to ordinary people — no legal training required, no budget…
The Missing Email in a Barry County Case Raises Questions About Plea Negotiations
Editor’s Note — March 2026 This piece was published July 19, 2023 — three months before charges were filed. It…
No, Prison Is Not Like a Hotel — It’s Hell
A persistent myth circulates in American political culture — that prison is comfortable, that incarcerated people are living easy on…
The Fragility of Independence: Why We Must Safeguard Justice from Power
Many Americans grow up proud of this country. Voting faithfully, celebrating the Fourth of July, watching fireworks light up a…
Speakers for the Living: The Essential Role of Mitigation Specialists in Justice
Everything about America’s adversarial criminal justice system treats defendants as bad people who deserve maximum punishment. It is a false…
Navigating Michigan DOC Visitor Registrations: Tips to Beat the Paperwork
As if incarceration of a family member wasn’t hard enough, the Michigan DOC finds ways to make things harder for…
Barry County Circuit Court Judge Michael Schipper Hiding Damning Court Records
On March 2nd, after a complete nightmare of trying to get transcripts for People v. Williams into his lawyer’s hands,…
Medical Malpractice in the Michigan Department of Corrections
Editor’s Note This post predates the suicide at Egeler due to jump hazards that they never fixed. My thoughts are…
What Defendants and Attorneys Should Know About Sentencing Risk in Barry County Circuit Court
Barry County Circuit Court has drawn attention following repeated appellate remands, upward sentencing departures beyond advisory guidelines, and documented concerns…
You must be logged in to post a comment.