New policy considering race in charges to address racial disparities

New policy considering race in charges to address racial disparities

This story comes to you from The Minnesota Star Tribune through a partnership with Sahan Journal.Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said a new policy asking her prosecutors to consider the racial identity of defendants is constitutional and a necessary corrective to address unconscious bias in a justice system that has been historically racist.“There are many people in this country that have pretended that race doesn’t play a factor in arres…

Mary Moriarty says new policy considering race in charges, plea deals is necessary, constitutional

A new policy inside the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office asks prosecutors to consider racial identity in casework. Critics call it unconstitutional. Moriarty says it’s a needed corrective.

Prosecutors in Minnesota's Largest County Must Now Consider 'Racial Identity' in Plea Deals

Prosecutors in Minnesota's largest county are now required to take a criminal defendant's race into account when negotiating plea deals, following a new directive from Hennepin county attorney Mary Moriarty (D.).