clutch. is a restorative justice-focused team comprised of investigative journalists and incarceration-impacted experts working to expose corruption in the criminal justice system and beyond. We embrace a humanist perspective and believe in justice for all.
A teenager stands before a judge; another statistic in a system that pretends utter surprise at his presence. He grew…
Judicial discretion is a central feature of sentencing in Michigan courts. It allows judges to account for individual circumstances while…
The phrase “predictive sentencing” makes people uneasy, and probably for good reason. Any system that claims to predict how a…
Indigent defense does not generate political leverage. Defendants are not a powerful constituency. Funding defense does not produce headlines or electoral advantage.
For most people charged with a crime, constitutional protection exists only on paper. In courtrooms, it is delayed, diluted, or functionally denied, not because the Constitution changed, but because political priorities did.
This is not a budgetary oversight.
It is a constitutional failure.
The Michigan Attorney Discipline Board has ordered a second two-year suspension of John Lawrence McDonough (P68576) of Three Rivers, Michigan, following a criminal conviction and multiple failures…
Red tape is something no one enjoys dealing with. Whether it’s signing more forms than necessary, jumping through five proverbial…
Quick FAQs Court Costs, Due Process, and the Financial Harm Courts Inflict Courts rarely describe what they do in plain…
If your mind is like a garden, sometimes you have healthy, supportive plants growing there. Other times, thorny weeds show…
Grand Rapids, Michigan — February 4, 2026 Quick Facts Case Background According to West Michigan Media Outlets, Charlie Lovelady, principal…
Quick FAQ The Hard Truth When a child dies after repeated contact with Child Protective Services, that is not a…
