Passing the Buck: How Rural Prosecutors Burden Counties with Jail Time and the State with Prison Sentences
Direct Answer Prosecutors are the gatekeepers of mass incarceration — they decide who enters the system, under what charges, and…
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.
Former Michigan DOC Officer Charged with Viewing Abusive Child Materials on Taxpayer Time
Clutch Justice First Report Direct Answer Former Michigan Department of Corrections Officer Sixto Herrera, assigned to the Richard A. Handlon…
Profiting from Pretrial: How High Bond and Forfeitures Enrich Counties at the Expense of the Poor
Direct Answer Long before someone is convicted of a crime, the pretrial bond system has already begun extracting money from…
Deborah Davis Discipline Case Nears Resolution: Michigan Prosecutor Faces Sanctions
Direct Answer The Michigan Attorney Discipline Board is nearing resolution of disciplinary proceedings against St. Joseph County Prosecutor Deborah Davis….
Judge Margaret Bakker and FOIA Cases: Why Disqualification Should Be Considered
Direct Answer Michigan’s 48th Circuit Court Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker is presiding over Hill & Sanner v. Ottawa County, a…
Michigan Prison Visitation Searches: How Families Are Subjected to Invasive Practices
Direct Answer Michigan Department of Corrections visitors — including children — undergo a multi-step physical search before every prison visit:…
Judicial Tenure Commission Complaint Tracking: The Complaint Has not Moved
JTC Complaint Tracking — Update 03 Status Update One week has elapsed since the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission received the…
Can Police Lie in Michigan? The Law, Risks, and Real Cases of Deception
Direct Answer Yes — in Michigan, and in most of the United States, police officers are legally permitted to lie…
Tips and Tools for Conducting Effective Open Source Investigations
Direct Answer Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is the methodology of collecting, analyzing, and applying information gathered from publicly available sources…
Policing Property: How Law Enforcement Was Built to Protect the Rich and Control the Poor
Direct Answer Modern American policing did not emerge from a neutral desire to protect and serve all citizens equally. It…
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