Category Archives: Criminal Justice & Punishment

Writing on policing, prisons, courts, sentencing, parole, wrongful conviction, incarceration, criminal law, punishment, and the institutions and policies of the criminal legal system.

You’re Once, Twice, 34 Times a “Felon”

Posted on June 12, 2024 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Recently, in “The President’s Brief” from The Marshall Project, Carroll Bogert penned an op-ed piece in The Washington Post.  She wrote: Since Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felonies last week, gleeful headlines have sprouted across the media, with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Justice & Punishment, Justice Chronicles, Politics & Public Affairs, The New York Post | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Treatment Not Jail – “Fostering Benevolence”

Posted on January 19, 2023 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In October of last year, I had the honor of appearing on a Podcast, Treatment Not Jail, to talk about this issue as well as others connected to the criminal legal system. Please check it out!

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“Life Sentence”

Posted on March 26, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In my post, “The Anatomy of Advocacy – In High Heels,” I mentioned how the successful advocacy of the Ad Hoc Committee on Lifetime Parole was a much longer, untold story.  This is another part of the story. In addition … Continue reading →

Posted in being a teenager, Criminal Justice & Punishment, Justice Chronicles, juveniles, Lest We Forget, Life Sentences, Murder, Parole, parole board, Politics & Public Affairs, raising black boys, Reentry, remorse, Streets of Rage, urban decay, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fiat justitia ruat caelum

Posted on March 13, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Today I get to uplift an advocate and an author, Claudette Nurse. I have not met a person more passionate about justice than Claudette. (She causes “good trouble.”) She is an attorney. She worked for the Legal Aid Society, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Justice & Punishment, Justice Chronicles, Lest We Forget, Life Sentences, Murder, Parole, Politics & Public Affairs, Reentry, remorse | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

White Sheets Under Black Robes

Posted on February 19, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Black Robes, White Justice, by Judge Bruce Wright, is one of my favorite titles touching on the criminal legal system!  The title itself speaks volumes.  Bruce Wright was a distinguished New York City Judge and, in light of the current … Continue reading →

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A Love Letter to George Jackson

Posted on February 11, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

“When was the last time you hand wrote a personal letter?” Twice a year, in the fall and spring semesters, for a number of years, Lawrence Mamiya, Professor Emeritus of Religion and Africana Studies at Vassar College, who passed away … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Justice & Punishment | Tagged | 5 Comments

Prosecuting Murder Most Foul!

Posted on April 15, 2021 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 1976, a childhood friend, at age 16, was charged, tried and convicted of felony-murder as an unarmed nonkilling accomplice, where robbery was the underlying felony, in which an individual was killed by one of my friend’s codefendants, with a … Continue reading →

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Palm Sunday, the Crucifixion, and the Criminal Justice System

Posted on March 28, 2021 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Today is Palm Sunday. All lectionary churches read from The Passion of Christ from the Gospel According to Mark, believed to be, according to Biblical scholars, the first written account of the four Gospels. (It’s actually one Gospel, with four … Continue reading →

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“Don’t Drop the Soap!”

Posted on March 22, 2021 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

“Don’t drop the soap!” That phrase, with its origins in prison, has made its way into popular culture. Comedians invoke it, and even spin it. Chris Rock, for example, in one of his skits, talks about the “tossed salad” in … Continue reading →

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“Sound of da Police”

Posted on February 25, 2021 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In his 2000 album, his first solo album, “Return of the Boom Bap,” KRS-One has a classic rap about da police, entitled, “Sound of da Police.” The chorus begins: Woop-woop! That’s the sound of da police Woop-woop! that’s the sound … Continue reading →

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