Category Archives: Justice Chronicles

Writings about crime and punishment, and more punishment.

Juror B in the Zimmerman Trial

Posted on July 26, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Juror B in the Zimmerman trial came out and said her heart said something different than the law and the verdict. Really? A standard charge in almost any criminal trial by a judge is: “As jurors you are solely judges … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Justice & Punishment, Justice Chronicles | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Reflections on Black Patriotism

Posted on July 12, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I remember, in the summer of my life, when my blood boiled, as hot as the sun, with righteous indignation at American injustice. This, from a native son, a born and bred Brooklynite. I remember, in my youth, questioning Black … Continue reading →

Posted in Black patriotism, Justice Chronicles, Patriotism, Race, History & American Society, Revolution | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reentry is an Odyssey

Posted on June 10, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The Odyssey, the epic poem by Homer and the second oldest extant work of Western literature, is a reentry story. It is a story about returning, of trying to get home, of how hard it is to return, of how … Continue reading →

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“I’ll Always Love My Mama” (Part 2) — What I learned from my Mother about Restorative Justice

Posted on May 28, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Yesterday, Veterans’ Day, I remembered my father, a World War II vet.  Today, I want to remember my mother.  The 35th anniversary of my mother’s death is fast approaching.  It’s hard to believe that it’s been so long, yet, it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Research & Lived Expertise, Justice Chronicles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Those annoying popups (ads)

Posted on May 26, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I was on Ancestry.com doing further research into my roots when I went to print out a Census record, I got the following ad: “Attention Visitors” “For a short time, we are offering visitors a Complimentary Background Check. “Perform discreet … Continue reading →

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“Prison-Based Gerrymandering” and the 3/5ths Compromise

Posted on May 4, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

                The U.S. Census Bureau counts incarcerated individuals at the locations where they are incarcerated rather than at their prior addresses.  This has political as well as economic consequences.                  Most states’ state … Continue reading →

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Reentry is like…

Posted on January 27, 2012 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

A number of years ago I was on a panel with a number of criminal justice experts and formerly incarcerated people (criminal justice experts in their own right), and a formerly incarcerated woman was describing reentry. She said, “Reentry is … Continue reading →

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Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Posted on January 16, 2012 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

My earliest political memory is of Dr. King’s assassination. I was 7 years old. I didn’t understand the enormity or impact of his death. All I knew, as a child, using the adults’ sentiments as a barometer, was that the … Continue reading →

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In Memory of Reentry

Posted on January 15, 2012 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

My life, my job, has brought me in contact with both famous and infamous people. Not surprisingly, the infamous ones have been far more interesting than the famous. And perhaps this has more to do with the “take-aways,” what I … Continue reading →

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Youth Shackled

Posted on December 28, 2011 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

At the Halsey Street train station in Brooklyn, four teenagers are shackled and seated on the hard wooden bench. Two police officers in plainclothes, who do not look like cops, stand near the youth. One is on his walkie-talkie. The … Continue reading →

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