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Rita Williams on Muck Rack

Rita Williams

(She/Her)
Michigan
As seen in: LinkedIn, Trending News (Podcast), Medium, Substack, Kalamazoo Gazette, Tony Mantor: Why Not Me ?, Weekends with Joanne Vrakas
Covers:  Criminal justice and court systems, Prosecutorial conduct and accountability, sentencing, civil rights, legal system, policy reform

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Rita Williams’s Biography

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Rita Williams is an independent journalist and justice reform writer covering the criminal legal system, institutional accountability, and procedural failures that shape real-world outcomes. She is the founder and editor of Clutch Justice, an independent commentary and analysis platform focused on courts, prosecutors, sentencing practices, and structural reform. Her reporting centers on pattern recognition, public records, and firsthand system navigation, with an emphasis on clarity, accuracy, …

Rita Williams’s Journalist Portfolio

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Michigan Constituent Warned After Questioning Rep. Gina Johnsen on Casey Wagner Case as Timeline ...

Michigan Constituent Warned After Questioning Rep. Gina Johnsen on Casey Wagner Case as Timeline ...

An investigative report on the intersection of legislative security and constituent rights. This piece explor…

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Barry County Commissioner Claims "No Knowledge" of Prosecutor Issues. The Record Says Otherwise.

Barry County Commissioner Claims "No Knowledge" of Prosecutor Issues. The Record Says Otherwise.

Explore the Barry County Board fact check regarding prosecutor issues and uncover the truth behind recent cla…

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Clutch Justice Attends Casey Wagner Arraignment at 63rd District Court

Clutch Justice Attends Casey Wagner Arraignment at 63rd District Court

Clutch Justice attended Casey Wagner's February 23, 2026 arraignment in Ionia County following a Michigan DOC…

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When Court Records Can’t Be Trusted: Barry County’s Administrative Breakdown Explained

When Court Records Can’t Be Trusted: Barry County’s Administrative Breakdown Explained

Unreliable court records undermine due process, probation, appeals, and public trust. A systems analysis of r…

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Administrative Notice, Insurance Risk, and Why Counties Pay Attention After 48 Hours

Administrative Notice, Insurance Risk, and Why Counties Pay Attention After 48 Hours

Why publishing a formal administrative notice after insurer alert is a governance act, not a threat, and how …

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When the Record Breaks, Pt II: How an Unlawful Sentence Triggered a Chain Reaction in Barry Count...

When the Record Breaks, Pt II: How an Unlawful Sentence Triggered a Chain Reaction in Barry Count...

Explore the implications of Barry County due process failures in sentencing practices and their impact on jus…

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Articles

The Funder and the Collector: How Ascendium Holds $8 Billion in Defaulted Student Loans While Bankrolling Prison Education

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By Rita Williams
| clutchjustice.com
April 28, 2026 24 Min Read Direct Answer Ascendium Education Group is the nation’s largest funder of prison education and simultaneously holds approximately $8 billion in defaulted student loans — the debt that bars incarcerated people from those same programs. The research it funds and champions shows that prison education reduces recidivism. What that research also shows, quietly, is that it has no statistically significant effect on post-release employment.
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Rita Williams | Clutch Justice | Michigan

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By Rita Williams
| Substack
I’m firmly in the camp that believes good true crime, reputable true crime, should never be about sensationalism. It should be about uncovering uncomfortable truths long buried beneath bias, conspiracy, and narrative convenience. It should prioritize records over rhetoric and verification over vibes. This week, a podcast happened to catch my ear; one that made a lot of things click into place. The subject was Temujin Kensu. What stood out wasn’t just the case itself, but the way it was handled.
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About 100 People Still Serve Life Sentences Under Michigan’s Abolished Felony Murder Rule

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By Rita Williams
| clutchjustice.com
April 7, 2026 17 Min Read Direct Answer The Michigan Supreme Court abolished the felony murder rule in 1980. Approximately 100 people, described in court filings as elderly Black men, remain incarcerated in Michigan under pre-Aaron convictions obtained under a legal standard the court declared indefensible. The legislature has had 45 years to act. It has not. The court fixed the law. Michigan never fixed the people it broke with the old one.
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Interview

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How is social media changing news?

Anyone can be a roving reporter, and that is pretty damn cool.

Who do you wish followed you?

Taylor Swift

What story are you most proud of writing or working on?

Judge Kirsten Nielsen Hartig and developing the FitBench Framework.