Publications

Two Views on Criminal Justice Reform: The Author and a Critic on "Locked In"

Two sharply different takes on what's driving incarceration — and what to do about it.

Tinkering with the Machinery of Death: Lessons from a Failure of Judicial Activism

Decades of judicial micromanagement of capital punishment have created more problems than they've solved.

Public Safety Realignment and Post-Release Community Supervision: Offenders, Offenses, and Arrests in Sacramento County from 2011-2015

Four years of data from Sacramento County showing what actually happened after California shifted inmates to local supervision.

The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015

A bipartisan push to reduce federal sentences — and the public safety risks that came with it.

The Illegal Alien Crime Wave

What the crime data shows about offenses committed by illegal aliens — and why it matters for policy.

The Myth of Over-Incarceration

The 'mass incarceration' narrative doesn't hold up when you look at who is actually in prison and why.

The Perfect Storm

How multiple policy failures converged to create a public safety crisis in California.

The California Crime Spike: An Analysis of the Preliminary 2012 Data

Early evidence that California's criminal justice policy changes were already driving crime upward.

Rebutting the Myths About Race and the Death Penalty

Claims of racial bias in capital sentencing are common. The actual data tells a different story.

Rationalizing Realignment: A perspective on California's return to alternative sentencing

California bet on alternative sentencing through realignment. Here's what it actually cost in public safety.

Meet the New Boss

New leadership, same problems — an assessment of where California's criminal justice system was headed.

Miranda with an English Accent

What the U.S. can learn — and should avoid — from how England handles interrogation rights.

The Death Penalty and Plea Bargaining to Life Sentences

How the existence of the death penalty shapes plea negotiations — and what happens when it's taken off the table.

The False Promise and Lethal Consequences of Releasing Inmates

Early release sounds humane. The real-world consequences are measured in victims.

Rules and Statutes on Habeas Corpus, with Amendments through June 2007

A reference guide to the rules and statutes governing habeas corpus proceedings in federal courts.

Statement of Kent Scheidegger (NJ Death Penalty Study Commission)

Testimony making the case for capital punishment before a state commission weighing its future.

Defining the Gerrymander

Drawing the line between legitimate redistricting and unconstitutional gerrymandering.

Smoke and Mirrors on Race and the Death Penalty

Flawed studies claiming racial bias in death sentences get repeated as fact. The methodology doesn't hold up.

Should California's three-strikes law be weakened or eliminated?

Statement of Kent Scheidegger (U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee)

Senate testimony on the Illinois capital punishment report — and why its conclusions don't justify abandoning the death penalty.