Rounding up an array of mid-week reads

A busy week and upcoming travel means I have lacked time to blog about a number of recent press pieces and commentary catching my eye.  So, as is my wont, I will try to cover a lot make up for limited time with a mid-week round-up post.  As always, I welcome comments on which of these stories might merit additional attention:

From Bloomberg Law, "Esformes Retrial Confronts Questions About Power of Commutation"

From Cal Matters, "As California closes prisons, the cost of locking someone up hits new record at $132,860"

From Filter Magazine, "Call It 'Overcrowding,' Not 'Understaffing,' and Fix It With Parole"

From GBH, "Five years after landmark criminal justice reform, prison racial disparities widen in Mass."

From The Nation, "Jails Are Closing Across America. Why?"

From Politico Magazine, "An ‘Execute-Them-At-Any-Cost Mentality’: The Supreme Court’s New, Bloodthirsty Era"

From the Sandusky Register, "Ohio unlikely to execute more prisoners anytime soon"

From Slate, "The Surprising Downside of a Criminal Justice Trend Reformers Might Think They Love"

From Variety, "Sundance: High-Profile Filmmakers Take Aim at U.S. Criminal ‘Justice’ System"

From the Wall Street Journal, "The Death Penalty Makes a Comeback"