Mitchell Schwartz, Columbia Law School Class of 2018 There are nearly 200,000 federal prisoners in the United States. All medically-able, federal prisoners are required to work[1] and typical wages range from 12¢ to 40¢ per hour (before withholding for restitution and...

Chijindu Obiofuma, Columbia Law School Class of 2018 This past week, the Supreme Court handed down their decision Buck v. Davis[1]. Although, for many in the circles of social justice and capital reform, the decision was uncontroversial, it was by no means inevitable....

Patricia Okonta, Columbia Law School Class of 2018 Just over a week ago, a public defender asked a judge in Louisiana’s Orleans Parish to strike down a provision of the state’s constitution that allows for non-unanimous jury verdicts to result in felony...

Maria Teresa LaGumina, Columbia Law School Class of 2018 The United States corrections system is one of the largest in the world, with nearly 2.1 million Americans in prison today.[1]  The correctional facilities that house these individuals have a responsibility to...

Huvie Weinreich, Columbia Law School Class of 2018 Solitary confinement (sometimes referred to as restricted or segregate housing) is under legal fire. While prison reform advocates have long campaigned against the use of solitary confinement in prisons, the last past...

Deborah Capiro, Columbia Law School class of 2018 The language of 8 C.F.R. 1236.1(d)(1) gives Immigration Judges authority to make custody re-determinations when a non-citizen is about to be released from immigration detention and beyond: “After an initial custody...

The JLM is staffed by a wonderful group of law students with unique expertise in issues affecting our readers. Over the next few months, our staffers will be blogging about the issues that they care about, from immigration law to healthcare in prison. Check back for...