Joseph Shapiro

Joseph Shapiro appears in the following:

How A Law To Protect Disabled Americans Became Imitated Around The World

Friday, July 24, 2015

In Africa, in Asia, in Latin America, people with disabilities want to know: How can we learn from the Americans with Disabilities Act so we can get on the bus, get married, build a life.

Comment

In Helping Those With Disabilities, ADA Improves Access For All

Friday, July 24, 2015

Take a tour through New York and you'll see how the 25-year-old Americans with Disabilities Act is benefiting everyone.

Comment

Coming Home Straight From Solitary Damages Inmates And Their Families

Friday, June 12, 2015

Says one public defender: "The frightening thing about solitary is that when it erodes your ability to interact with other human beings, in turn that trauma is inflicted on your family members."

Comment

From Solitary To The Streets: Released Inmates Get Little Help

Thursday, June 11, 2015

An investigation by NPR and The Marshall Project found that many states don't keep track of how many inmates are released directly from solitary confinement without any transition or supervision.

Comment

Money Drove Criminal Justice System In Ferguson, DOJ Report Says

Thursday, March 05, 2015

The Justice Department says police and courts in Ferguson, Mo., violated black residents' civil rights because officials saw them as a source of revenue. They were given excessive fines and fees.

Comment

Jail Time For Unpaid Court Fines And Fees Can Create Cycle Of Poverty

Monday, February 09, 2015

Lawsuits filed in Ferguson and Jennings, Mo., seek justice for impoverished people who are jailed, sometimes for weeks, for not being able to pay what they owe the cities.

Comment

Civil Rights Attorneys Sue Ferguson Over 'Debtors Prisons'

Sunday, February 08, 2015

NPR got an advanced look at a civil rights lawsuit being filed that claims Ferguson, Mo., residents who can't afford to pay their court fines are illegally held in jail.

Comment

Study Finds Court Fees Also Punish The Families Of Those Who Owe

Thursday, January 29, 2015

A new report on the growth of court fines and fees that are charged to often-impoverished offenders is focusing on another group that pays: their families.

Titled "When All Else Fails, Fining the Family," the study finds that impoverished people who go through the criminal justice system almost always ...

Comment

Massachusetts Will Limit Practice Of Restraint And Seclusion In Schools

Friday, January 09, 2015

Massachusetts is one of a growing number of states that are putting new restrictions on the practice of restraining and secluding public school students.

The techniques — which have been blamed for harming students and in at least 20 deaths — were used more than 267,000 times in a recent ...

Comment

How Driver's License Suspensions Unfairly Target The Poor

Monday, January 05, 2015

Losing your driver's license is a serious penalty, but often it's for nothing to do with unsafe driving. Without one, many who can't afford to pay the fines have a hard time finding or keeping a job.

Comments [1]

Can't Pay Your Fines? Your License Could Be Taken

Monday, December 29, 2014

Drive drunk or recklessly and the state can suspend your driver's license. But a number of officials worry that many suspensions are for lesser offenses, including unpaid tickets or even truancy.

Comment

Alabama Settlement Could Be Model For Handling Poor Defendants In Ferguson, Mo.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

There may be a model for court reform in Ferguson, Mo., in a legal settlement that happened quietly this week in Alabama.

The city of Montgomery agreed to new polices to avoid jailing people who say they are too poor to pay traffic tickets. In that Alabama city, as ...

Comment

Campus Sexual Assault Law Now Includes Language On Same-Sex Violence

Wednesday, October 01, 2014

The Campus SaVE Act clarifies the rights of victims of same-sex sexual attacks to go to local police, get referrals for health care and be guaranteed a fair hearing process.

Comment

In Ferguson, Mo., Before Michael Brown There Was Henry Davis

Friday, September 12, 2014

In 2009, Henry Davis was charged with destruction of property after he scuffled with police officers and his blood dirtied their uniforms.

Comment

Ferguson's Plan To Cut Back On Court Fees Could Inspire Change

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

The council in the Missouri town met Tuesday for the first time since the shooting of Michael Brown. A plan introduced would address one source of tension: heavy collection of court fines and fees.

Comment

In Ferguson, Court Fines And Fees Fuel Anger

Monday, August 25, 2014

The protests in Ferguson are a response to the shooting death of Michael Brown, but the heavy use of court fines and fees helps explain why there's so much anger directed at local police.

Comment

National Data Confirm Cases Of Restraint And Seclusion In Public Schools

Thursday, June 19, 2014

A controversial practice to tie, hold down or seclude agitated students mostly impacts kids with disabilities. Schools say it's for safety, but opponents say it's dangerous and a civil rights issue.

Comment

Michigan's High Court Limits The Fees Billed To Defendants

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that local courts cannot charge indiscriminate fees to defendants.

Comment

Facing Doubts About Court Fines, Lawmakers Take Questions To Heart

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

U.S. lawmakers are feeling some urgency to solve the same problem: how to stop sending people to jail simply for failing to pay court fines and fees, often because they're too poor to afford them.

Comment

Measures Aimed At Keeping People Out Of Jail Punish The Poor

Saturday, May 24, 2014

An exclusive state-by-state survey by NPR found that 49 states now allow or require criminal defendants to pay for their court-ordered electronic monitoring bracelets.

Comment