Mass Incarceration’s Collateral Damage: The Children Left Behind | The Nation Steven Alexander was in sixth grade when his mother, Carmen Demourelle, was sentenced to twelve years in prison for pickpocketing in New Orleans’s French Quarter. Though she was held in a women’s prison just an hour away, her four children could not telephone her and visited only about once a year. At the time of
Mass Incarceration’s Collateral Damage: The Children Left Behind | The Nation
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DWI and Women
Statistics reveal that more and more women are being arrested for drunk driving than ever before. Although a vast majority of drunk driving arrests involve men and the number of women who admit to drunk driving remains to be relatively consistent since the 1980s, the total number of women arrested for DWI has increased dramatically over the last three decades – accounting for almost one-quarter of drivers arrested. Of course, there could be several reasons for the increase in DWIs among women. There are more women in today’s workforce and … [Read more...] The post DWI and Women appeared first on Minneapolis DWI Lawyer Douglas T. Kans.
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Wikileaks Releases CIA Report on High Value Detainees and Targeted Killings
Wikileaks has released a secret 2009 CIA report evaluating the High Value Detainee kill or capture program. The full report is here. In its key findings, the report warns of the negative consequences of assassinating so-called High Level Targets... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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Shoplifting Charges, Theft Allegations Up Amid Holidays
Tis the season for giving - and also for taking. Theft in its various forms inevitably spikes during the holidays, when more opportunities present themselves. From retail theft to package theft to identify theft - there is always more of it in December and January. Law enforcement agencies have responded to this by initiating special operations to target such offenders, particularly those involved in organized retail crime. For example, "Operation Holiday Steals" was a three-day sting involving partnerships with the Broward County Sheriff's Office, local police, U.S. Homeland Security, the U.S. Secret Service and some two dozen large-scale retailers, including Target, Walgreens, Macy's and Sports Authority. The stores sent their best loss prevention administrators to work with law enforcement in order to identify and arrest some of the area's top retail crime offenders. Several banks and financial firms helped with detection of stolen credit cards…
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Man Pleads Guilty to Running Mortgage Relief Scam
Mortgage Fraud Blog. Jonathan L. Herbert, 36, Lighthouse Point, Florida, has been charged with wire fraud for conducting a home loan modification scam that targeted individuals who were having difficulties making their mortgage payments. During a hearing before United States District Judge David R. Herndon, Herbert pled guilty to the fraud charge contained in the criminal information. According to the information, Herbert conducted his fraud scheme from a strip mall office located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Herbert usually contacted his victims through unsolicited telephone calls, introducing himself as a “federal loan officer” with the “Federal Debt Commission,” the “Federal Mortgage Marketplace,” or the “Federal Assistance Program.” Herbert used these names and titles in order to deceive the victims into believing that his fraudulent program was operated and approved by the federal government. Herbert told his victims that…
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5 Ways to Challenge the Prosecution in a Domestic Assault Case
Challenge the Prosecution in a Domestic Assault Case Few things are more damaging to a person’s professional and public reputation than a false accusation of domestic assault. However, too many defendants assume the system errs on the side of the alleged victim. The truth is that with swift action and a skilled criminal defense team, justice can be reached. The following are a few of the most effective defenses used by skilled defense attorneys to obtain a fair exoneration for their clients who were wrongfully accused. Always remember to challenge the prosecution in a domestic assault case. Challenge the Complainant’s Testimony Far too often a “victim” will accuse a spouse or partner of domestic assault to gain an advantage in a custody or divorce battle. However, when this happens there are almost always holes in the complainant’s testimony. A defense attorney can examine the alleged victim and lock them…
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Business Partners Admit Roles in Foreclosure Rescue Conspiracy
Mortgage Fraud Blog. Juan Ramon Curiel, 36, Visalia, California, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and bankruptcy fraud in connection with a foreclosure rescue scheme he orchestrated. Curiel’s co-defendant and business partner, Santiago Palacios-Hernandez, 45, Salinas, California, pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy charge. According to court documents, Curiel and Palacios-Hernandez operated Star Reliable Mortgage, with offices in Bakersfield, Visalia and Salinas. Between August 2010 and October 2011, Curiel and Palacios-Hernandez conspired to defraud homeowners and lenders by offering clients a purported “loan elimination” program that would enable homeowners to own their homes “free and clear” of any loans or mortgages. Curiel and Palacios-Hernandez charged clients upfront fees ranging from $2,500 up to $4,500 and additional monthly fees and told their clients to stop paying their mortgages. Curiel and Palacios-Hernandez filed…
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New BJS data show continued (very) slow decline in correctional populations in US
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USEPA Announces 2014 Annual Environmental Enforcement Results
On December 18, 2014, the USEPA released its annual enforcement and compliance report. According to the report, in fiscal year 2014, the USEPA criminal program generated $63,000.000.00 in fines and restitution, secured $16,000,000.00 in court-ordered environmental projects and sentenced defendants to a combined 155 years of incarceration. You can see the full USEPA Fiscal Year 2014 enforcement results at: http://www2.epa.gov/enforcement/enforcement-annual-results-fiscal-year-fy-2014 More later. As always, feel free to contact me at walter.james@jamespllc.com WDJiii
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"Regulating Sexual Harm: Strangers, Intimates, and Social Institutional Reform"
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New York Penal Law S 265.02
New York Penal Law S 265.02 on Criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, states that: A person is guilty of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree when: (1) Such person commits the crime of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree as defined in subdivision one, two, three or five of section 265.01, and has been previously convicted of any crime; or (2) Such person possesses any explosive or incendiary bomb, bombshell, firearm silencer, machine-gun or any other firearm or weapon simulating a machine-gun and which is adaptable for such use; or (3) Such person knowingly possesses a machine-gun, firearm, rifle or shotgun which has been defaced for the purpose of concealment or prevention of the detection of a crime or misrepresenting the identity of such machine-gun, firearm, rifle or shotgun; or (5) (i) Such person possesses three or more firearms; or (ii) such person possesses a firearm and has been previously convicted of a…
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DuPage County Burglary and Retail Theft Raise Possibility of Avoiding Prison
A DuPage County couple was arrested and charged in early December with two counts each of burglary, and additional counts of retail theft, for allegedly stealing and selling more than $4,000 worth of merchandise from a string of DuPage County Walmart stores. The charges are Class 2 and Class 3 felonies, respectively. Police allege the couple stole and later sold the items to feed their drug addiction. DuPage County Commercial Burglary Charge In Illinois, burglary is committed when a person knowingly and without authority enters, or knowingly and without authority remains, within a building with the intent to commit theft or another felony within the building. Although most people consider burglary to be entering a residence with the intent to steal, a person can be charged with burglary if he enters a building with the intent to kill, rape, or commit any other felony. In this case, the defendants allegedly committed the classic case of burglary when they entered Walmart with…
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How Zoe Quinn and Margaret Pless Tried Getting Mike Cernovich Killed
Several weeks ago I heard about an interesting case raising First Amendment issue. In that case, Zoe Quinn, an online agitator and professional panhandler sought to silence her ex-boyfriend for sharing his tale of emotional abuse. Although relationship drama is nonsense I don't care about, something interesting happened. Zoe Quinn obtained a protective order against Eron Gjoni that prevented him from talking about her. At all. The protective order seemed clearly unconstitutional. I obtained the court records to learn more. Since then my life has been permanently altered. I have had: The State Bar called on me. The police have been called on me. My home address and pictures of my home posted. Threats about hacking my site were made. False accusations that I have threatened women with rape were made. How Doxing Leads to Swatting. Although it's easy to dismiss the campaign of harassment against me as drama, Zoe Quinn and her co-conspirator Margaret Pless, a…
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New Jersey Laws for Driving in School Zones in Trenton
From January to June 2013, the state of New Jersey saw 68 pedestrian accidents, according to the Governors’ Highway Safety Association. One age group at risk for being involved in a pedestrian accident is children. School zones can be a particularly dangerous place as children arrive or depart school each day. As such, New Jersey has special laws for driving in school zones.Rules for Driving in a School ZoneUnless otherwise marked, the school zone speed limit in the state of New Jersey is 25 miles per hour. The lower speed may allow drivers to react quicker to children who might wander into the road. Additionally, driving slowly through any area with a heavy presence of pedestrians can reduce the risk of an accident.Stopping for pedestrians in all parts of New Jersey is important. But in a school zone, it can be even more critical to keep young ones safe. In New Jersey, a motor vehicle must stop for a pedestrian in any crosswalk and must stay stopped until the pedestrian…
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Urs on Children's Accounts of Crime
Tara Urs has posted Can the Child Welfare System Protect Children Without Believing What They Say? (New York University Review of Law & Social Change, Vol. 38, No. 2, p. 305, 2014) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In Kennedy...
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Pakistan Resumes Executions
Two convicted terrorists were hanged in Pakistan, AFP reports.Pakistan hung two convicted militants in the first executions in six years and security forces killed more than 50 suspected militants on Friday (Dec 19) as the country's leaders vowed decisive action in the wake of a Taliban school massacre that left 149 people dead.The bloody rampage in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Tuesday brought international condemnation and promises of swift, decisive action against militants from Pakistan's political and military leaders.Pakistan's de facto foreign minister Sartaj Aziz told AFP the attack was his country's own "mini 9/11" and a game changer in its fight against terror.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif relinquished the six-year ban on the death penalty in terror-related cases two days after the school attack.Two militants convicted of separate terrorism offences were the first to face the noose at a jail in central Punjab province, …
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In the Blood: Pros and Cons of Los Angeles DUI Blood Tests
We’re going to look north today, to Idaho, for insight into the often misunderstood arena of Los Angeles DUI blood tests. In an Idaho Supreme Court decision on December 3, 2014, a judge ruled that police must get a warrant before performing a DUI blood test if a suspect refuses to give blood or perform other sobriety tests. Former Idaho Supreme Court decisions have stated that a warrantless blood law is permissible under an “implied consent statute.” However, 1st District Court Judge Benjamin R. Simpson reversed these decisions based on two local cases in which men suspected of DUI had their blood drawn to test for alcohol under protest. Cases such as the McNeely case of 2013 — as well as Judge Simpson’s two most recent decisions — cite the fact that “the natural metabolization of alcohol in the bloodstream does not alone present an urgent need [for a blood draw],” according to the Spokesman-Review. However, the attorneys at Kraut…
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Previous Results of Attorneys in Denver and Boulder Criminal Courts
Mountain Legal now offers detailed case analysis for individuals accused of crimes in Denver and Boulder. The Case Analysis includes an in-depth analysis of previous cases as well as previous outcomes of every attorney who has handled a criminal case in the county where you are facing your charges. The Case analysis includes a list of attorneys who have had the most success, statistically speaking, on the charges that you are facing so that, after the case analysis, you will have a better understanding of what has happened in the past and who is getting the results that you are interested in. We do not rank attorneys because the results people want vary by the person. Instead, we sit down with you to identify the results that you are looking for and then put together a list of attorneys who are getting the results that you want. In other words, it is a list of attorneys who are best for your situation. This type of analysis was impossible in the past because…
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Write for Rights on Alcatraz: From A Prison to A Fortress of Human Rights
By: Shaudee Dehghan, Humera Durrani, Lisa Mueller-Dormann, Sarah Rubiaco Upon disembarking from the ferry it immediately became clear to all of us why Ai Weiwei chose the island to showcase his exhibit. The island’s ominous history as a military fortress, high security prison, and refuge for persecuted indigenous people is steeped in oppression, an emotion that fully engulfed us as we set off towards the @Large exhibit. As we walked through the old, dark and damp dilapidated buildings, with their grey cracked walls and broken windows, Ai Weiwei’s intention to relay oppression and imprisonment upon the viewer was reinforced. However, through his work Ai Weiwei has transformed Alcatraz Island from a symbol of oppression and fear to one of freedom of expression and activism. Our visit to Alcatraz was in conjunction with Amnesty’s Write for Rights campaign, so it was of no surprise that one of the most emotional and powerful parts of the exhibit for all of us was…
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Kitzmueller on Enforcement of Police Videotaping
Martina Kitzmueller (University of New Mexico - School of Law) has posted Are You Recording This?: Enforcement of Police Videotaping (Connecticut Law Review, Vol. 47, No. 1, 2014) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Increasing numbers of police departments equip...
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