Here’s your roundup of stories from the criminal justice world:

America’s jails are in crisis, with surges in jail deaths in Houston, New York City, Seattle, Chicago, San Diego, and Riverside county, Calif, as well as in the states of Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and across the country more generally. Completely unrelated to the many reports finding horrifying conditions in U.S. jails, I’m sure. Or the utter lack of accountability for abusive guards. Also, while this would be an embarrassment even if everyone in these jails were guilty, remember that a large majority of people in jail have yet to be convicted of a crime.
But let’s not short-shrift the prisons! They’re still unacceptably brutal and abusive, too.
Predatory lenders are exploiting exonorees as they await the long process of compensation. I suppose we could regulate these companies. Or — and bear with me here — states and cities could show some shame and remorse, and promptly pay these people what they’re owed.
The more people know about the death penalty, the less they approve of it. This might explain why so many states refuse to release the the details about how they carry it out.
Colorado investigation of teen “sexting” scandal results in reckless, wildly disproportionate behavior by adults, which ends with a school official facing incomprehensibly stupid “child pornography” charges.
Mississippi judge refuses to release the no-knock search warrants he signed.
In an overwhelmingly white suburb of Cleveland, a large majority of motorists pulled over and cited by police have been black and from out of town. Related: An Economist study finds that U.S. police departments perpetuate racial stereotypes on social media, posting photos of black suspects far more often than their rates of arrest.
Tomorrow, Missouri plans to execute Kevin Johnson, despite a special prosecutor’s conclusion that his conviction was tainted by racism. The state is also preventing Johnson’s 19-year-old daughter from witnessing the execution.
Five members of the Cleveland DA’s “conviction integrity unit” have resigned to protest the unit’s inaction.

British prosecutors have been using an anti-human trafficking law to charge low-level drug dealers as “slave masters.”
Alabama woman who was charged for using drugs while pregnant has a pretty good defense: she wasn’t actually pregnant. Post-Roe, we can expect to see a lot more of these prosecutions.
Drug cop who became TikTok famous after posting videos of his K9 has been indicted for siccing the dog on a suspect who didn’t pose a threat.
China is apparently setting up “police stations” in the U.S. and other countries aimed at rounding up and extraditing dissidents.
Manhattan DA tosses another 188 convictions involving corrupt or abusive cops.
Ohio journalist charged with “wiretapping” for publishing an audio recording someone else made during a court proceeding.
Witness the birth of a new field of junk forensics: “Experts” who claim they can discern guilt from the tone and syntax of a 911 call.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol steals from a guy, then publicly boasts about it.
Speaking of which, the Biden administration has dismissed Charles Magnus, the police reformer Biden appointed to lead Customs and Border Protection. The agency has a long and sordid history of brutality, deaths in custody, and corruption, and of hostility toward any notion of reform. It’s a cynical and cowardly move, and a capitulation to demagoguing Republicans.
The Albuquerque Police Department, long plagued by corruption and rampant brutality, may finally be showing some signs of improvement.
Your latest “fired cops quickly find employment in nearby jurisdictions” story is brought to you by the state of Massachusetts.
The widow of Daniel Shaver gets an $8 million settlement. Shaver’s execution by a Mesa, Arizona, police officer is one of the most chilling police killings I’ve ever seen. And the behavior of the police department afterward (firing the cop, then rehiring him just long enough for him to retire with a pension) only compounded the city’s shame.
In another ugly shooting, Colorado deputies have been indicted for killing Christian Glass, who had called 911 in June after getting his SUV stuck on a mountain road.
Tweet of the day:

Nika Soon-Shiong @nikasoonshiong

Mayor Lauren Meister @meister4weho

Congratulations @LindseyPHorvath on #LACountySupervisor race. Looking forward to the County doing more to address homelessness. You’ve set a high bar— more MET units would be a great start. #80percent

This week in dog history:

November 28, 1948: “Topper,” a springer spaniel, is named the American Humane Society’s “heroic dog of the year” after lunging in front of a rattlesnake to prevent it from biting 7-year-old Carolyn Kirchner. Topper sustained a bite just above his eye, was treated with anti-venom, and fully recovered after a couple days. (International News)

Photo:

Mark Broussard, performing in Nashville, December 31, 2017

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Roundup: Jail deaths surge, Biden…