Nate Mingo knew the havoc that missing a court date wreaked on the lives of residents in his suburban Atlanta community. He understood the prospect of a driver’s license suspension or jail detention — and how either consequence could jeopardize one’s employment and significantly worsen their legal troubles. As Riverdale’s director of court services, Mingo also […]
Criminal Justice
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Incarceration
One Year After Controversial Execution, Georgia Looks to Reform Death Penalty Laws
Georgia made national headlines last year when the state executed Willie James Pye, a man who multiple expert witnesses had deemed intellectually disabled. Pye and two other people had been convicted of the 1996 murder, kidnapping, rape, and robbery of his ex-girlfriend, Alicia Yarbrough, in Spaulding County. Anti-death penalty advocates worked diligently to get Pye […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Juvenile Justice
School Safety Bill SB 61 May Send More Black Kids to Adult Court
A school safety bill introduced in response to the Apalachee High School shooting in September got a major change after advocates warned that it would unfairly criminalize children. Senate Bill 61, authored by state Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican from Forsyth County, was initially written to add both terroristic acts and terroristic threats against a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Officers Shot Jamarion Robinson 59 Times. Years Later, His Mother Fights for Justice.
Monteria Robinson and other local activists gathered at the West End Mall on Tuesday to raise awareness about her continued fight for justice after her son was gunned down by a federal task force in East Point nearly nine years ago. Jamarion Robinson’s 2016 killing gained national attention due to claims of excessive force by […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local Politics
Fulton County Denies DA Fani Willis More Funding in 2025 Budget
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners opted against allocating a substantial monetary increase for the county district attorney’s office when finalizing its 2025 fiscal year budget on Wednesday, perhaps bringing a monthslong standoff with DA Fani Willis into its next phase. The board allocated $39.3 million of its nearly $1 billion budget to the DA’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics & Policy
Black Immigrants in Atlanta Face New Risks As Trump Signs Laken Riley Act
President Donald Trump is moving forward with his plans to crack down on immigration, and Black Atlantans could soon find themselves targeted by a related bill Trump signed into law on Wednesday. The Laken Riley Act, which passed the House and Senate last week, requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain any undocumented immigrant […]
Posted inCity Politics, Public Safety
Calls to End Encampment Sweeps Grow After Killing of Cornelius Taylor
Supporters of Cornelius Taylor — the Black man who officials say was killed on Jan. 17 by a construction vehicle clearing an encampment of unhoused people in Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue neighborhood — are demanding city policy changes following his horrific demise. Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari introduced a resolution Thursday calling for officials to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local Politics, Politics & Policy
Fani Willis Threatens to Sue Fulton County Commissioners Over Budget
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis issued a seven-page letter to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners last month threatening to sue if her office is not sufficiently funded in 2025. Through an open records request, Capital B Atlanta obtained documents Willis’ office sent to the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 11 in response to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Young Thug Is Free, but the YSL Trial Rages On
Young Thug accepted a plea deal last month in what has become the longest criminal trial in Georgia history — but the YSL case is not yet done. Pre-trial hearings began this week for the four remaining defendants in a controversial case that has fascinated people locally and beyond due to its duration, various hiccups, and […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Partner Content
Deaths at Scandal-Plagued Atlanta-Area Jail Doubled in 2024
This story was originally published by The Appeal. Twice the number of detainees at Georgia’s notorious Clayton County Jail died in 2024 compared to the previous year. The deaths of eight people detained at the Atlanta-area jail raise new questions about the scandal-plagued facility. In 2023, when four detainees died, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of […]
